Reinhold Messner

Reinhold Messner was born in South Tyrol/Italy in 1944. He began mountaineering at the age of five and since 1969 has made more than a hundred trips to the mountains and deserts of the world. In the process, he has achieved many first ascents, climbed all 14 eight-thousanders and traversed Greenland lengthwise. In contrast to modern adventure actors, Reinhold Messner has never been concerned with setting records; for him, it is about being exposed in natural landscapes that are as untouched as possible and being on the move with a minimum of equipment. He has given lectures throughout Europe, the USA, Japan, Australia, South America, made documentary films and published articles, among others in "Stern", "Spiegel", "GEO", "Epoca", "Espresso", "National Geographic". His book publications have been translated into more than a dozen languages. There is hardly any other mountain where fame and tragedy lie so close together as with the 8,125 m high Nanga Parbat. Reinhold Messner combines both like no other. Accompanied by never-before-seen images and films, Messner's live presentation spans the arc from all the alpinists who made history on Nanga Parbat to his own moving and exciting story. He tells of Albert Mummery the best mountaineer of his time, who disappears in 1895 during the transition from the Diamir to the Rakhiot side, of the unforgotten Willo Welzenbach, called "Ice Pope", who dies in 1934 - last ostracized - with eight men in a snowstorm; of Hermann Buhl, who in 1953, against the orders of the expedition leader, reaches the summit alone and as the first - a great moment of alpinism! As well as 50 years later, when Steve House mastered the Rupal face directly in a two-rope team. Finally, he tells of his own fateful expedition in 1970, which has shaped his life to this day. After the successful ascent of the highest steep face on earth - the Rupal Face, by the Messner brothers, tragedy strikes on the descent. Having become altitude sick, Günther cannot return to the bivouac. A fall would be certain. So Reinhold leads him through the 4000-meter Diamir flank despite avalanche danger, pathlessness and despair to the foot of the wall, where an ice avalanche buries Günther, while Reinhold is ahead to look for a way out of the danger zone. Unable to find his brother, he drags himself down the valley for days; with frozen hands and feet, without food in a deserted area. Closer to death than to life, thanks to three lumberjacks who carry him down the valley, he meets his expedition team, who are on their way home. Eight years later, he succeeds in the first solo ascent of an eight-thousander on the Diamir face, the feat of his life. Although an earthquake shakes the mountain and then a weather storm keeps the solo climber in the death zone for 48 hours. After hell, he has thus touched heaven on his personal mountain of destiny.


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