The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word EIGER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
E
I
G
E
R
More clues leading to the result EIGER
- Seeing bear regularly in this Alpine landmark
- Peak number that is receding
- Nuclear physicist, heading off for a stiff climb
- I agree to get screwed without a peak
- Male avoids diet, climbing mountain
- A big mountain – one in East Germany
- Man behind the counter heading off for mountain
- Inventor of counting device heading off for mountain
- Seeing bears regularly going to mountain
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "a stiff climb" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case a stiff climb = eiger.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.