Messner about adventure and tragedies: a life between peaks

Messner about adventure and tragedies: a life between peaks

Reinhold Messner, the legendary alpinist, spoke in the Ländle TV series "Encounter on the Berg" about his life between peaks, successes and tragedies. He was born in South Tyrol in 1944 and already climbed his first three -thousand meter at the age of five. He began to devote himself to rock climbing in the Dolomites early on, often alongside his brother Günther. Messner climbed all 14 eight thousands without additional oxygen and in 1978 with the climbing of Mount Everest together with Peter Habeler, achieved an important milestone in the history of alpinism.

His expeditions not only led him to the high alpine regions, but also to the Antarctic, the Gobi desert and over Greenland. In his stories, Messner emphasizes how important the failure for learning from mistakes is. However, one of his central tragedies is the expedition on Nanga Parbat in 1970, where he lost his brother Günther. New insights into the incident show that the loss had complex reasons.

The fateful climb

During their expeditioning time, the brothers Messner decided to climb the summit of the Nanga Parbat. However, Günther changed the original plan and rose to Reinhold, contrary to the agreement. The brothers reached the summit together, but Günther suffered from the descent in altitude and had difficulty being safe. When they wanted to climb down the Rupalwand, it turned out that this was not possible. Despite the challenges, Reinhold tried to support his brother.

The Situation escalated when expedition members Reinhold accused Günther back into the steep wall to get off the Diamir flank. Reinhold vehemently denies this allegations and explains that he did everything to bring his exhausted brother down. After several days without food intake and considerable physical stress, fate hit the brothers again.

The tragedy and its consequences

Finally, the two fell into a labyrinth of glacier columns, and Günther disappeared without a trace. Reinhold reported that his brother fell into a trough and buried under an avalanche. Reinhold desperately searched for him before finally walking alone into the valley. He was found by locals, more dead than alive, and had to be amputated seven frozen toes.

The allegations that Reinhold let Günther down out of ambition became an open topic in the media and judiciary that has come to the public for years. It was not until 2005 that a glacier corner was found in the Diamir Valley, which could be identified as Günther Messner by a gene analysis. Reinhold Messner himself expresses that the fault that he has survived and his brother does not, still burdened him.

Messner also has a critical view of today's mountain tourism. He criticizes the organized clamping of Mount Everest and advocates a return on the real adventure in mountaineering, which is often life -threatening and requires minimal technology. This embodies the essence of mountain climbing, which he has experienced since his early youth.