Reinhold Messner Live "Nanga Parbat - My Mountain of Destiny"
Hardly any other mountain brings fame and tragedy as close together as the 8,125 m high Nanga Parbat. Reinhold Messner combines both like no other. Accompanied by unseen images and films, Messner, in his live presentation, connects the stories of all mountaineers who have made history on Nanga Parbat with his own moving and thrilling story.
He tells of Albert Mummery, the best mountaineer of his time, who disappeared in 1895 while crossing from the Diamir to the Rakhiot side, of the unforgettable Willo Welzenbach, known as the "Ice Pope," who dies in a snowstorm in 1934 – isolated from the group; of Hermann Buhl, who in 1953, against the expedition leader's orders, reaches the summit alone and as the first – a shining moment in alpinism! Just like 50 years later, when Steve House conquers the Rupal Face directly in a team of two.
In conclusion, he talks about his fateful 1970 expedition that has shaped his life up to this day. After successfully climbing the highest vertical wall on Earth – the Rupal Face, where the Messner brothers succeeded, tragedy strikes on the descent. Stricken with altitude sickness, Günther cannot return to the bivouac. A fall would be inevitable. So Reinhold leads him through the 4000-meter high Diamir flank despite avalanche danger, lack of a route, and despair, until the wall base, where an ice avalanche buries Günther, while Reinhold is ahead looking for a way out of the danger zone. Unable to find his brother, he drags himself downhill for days; with frozen hands and feet, without food in a desolate area. Closer to death than life, he encounters, thanks to three lumberjacks who carry him downhill, his expedition team on their way back.
Eight years later, he achieves the highlight of his life with the first solo ascent of an eight-thousander on the Diamir Wall. Despite an earthquake shaking the mountain and subsequently being stranded for 48 hours in the death zone due to a weather storm. After experiencing hell, he has touched the heavens on his personal mountain of destiny.
About the Speaker:
Reinhold Messner was born in 1944 in South Tyrol, Italy. He started climbing mountains at the age of five and has undertaken more than a hundred expeditions to the mountains and deserts of the world since 1969. He has accomplished many first ascents, climbed all 14 eight-thousanders, and completed a longitudinal crossing of Greenland. In contrast to modern adventure presenters, Reinhold Messner has never pursued records; for him, it is about being exposed in untouched natural landscapes and traveling with a minimum of equipment. He has given lectures throughout Europe, the USA, Japan, Australia, South America, made documentary films, and published articles in publications such as "Stern," "Spiegel," "GEO," "Epoca," "Espresso," "National Geographic." His book publications have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
Doors Open: 7:00 PM