The Naked Mountain

Did Reinhold Messner sacrifice his brother to his ambition?
Publication of this book in Germany stirred controversy across Europe
The most personal book Messner has ever written
More than 45,000 copies sold of the German edition

Reinhold Messner is famous for many firsts: First to climb all 14 8000 meter peaks; first (with Peter Habeler) to summit Everest without supplementary oxygen; first to solo Everest. None of these, however, equals the drama of his first 8000-meter peak, Nanga Parbat.

32 years later, Messner is still haunted by the events of June 1970. While others on the expedition retreated, Reinhold Messner went for the summit, leaving his brother, Guenther, behind with the team photographer. Some hours later he found that Guenther had followed him.The two reached the summit but Guenther developed altitude sickness; he was incapable of descending the technically-challenging route they had taken in reaching the summit. They became separated during the descent via the Diamar Flank, and when Reinhold returned to where he had left Guenther, his brother was gone.

At basecamp ugly accusations were exchanged between members of the expedition and a court battle followed in Germany. In this new book Reinhold Messner revisits this most painful period in his life, reviewing his own actions and accusing others for the way things turned out on Nanga Parbat.

As time passed, I didn't feel that the press treated Reinhold fairly. I wanted to know all the facts and to hear his side of the story. One could find snippets here and there, but his economical writing style has always been a bit cold and detached to say the least. But I recognized the man for what he was, followed his career and read everything he wrote. As those years passed, I kept wondering if he'd ever back up and write about the expedition that changed his life forever - with the kind of detail and insight it deserved.

Karl Herlingkoffer passed on a few years ago and maybe this book's appearance is linked to his death. Regardless, it's long overdue but in a way, it was worth the wait. Time is often required to gain insightful perspective, to dull the rough edges and to heal wounds. The loss of his brother and the resulting lies that condemned Reinhold to a life of controversy also gave him an incredible focus. Clearly, he had something to prove to the mountaineering community and he proved his points well. It's easy to point out climbers that have upped the ante after Reinhold passed his prime, but any realistic overview of the history of big, bold climbs would point to Reinhold as being a prime force in shaping the standards of today in the Himalaya and the other major ranges. It's great to now be able to read the facts, the feelings and the aftermath as he sees it. Absolute classic.


Messner's best effort   November 22, 2003
 17 out of 20 found this review helpful

A superior book. I know it's a bit a stretch to hear "Messner" and "Classic book" in the same sentence but this one could be destined to rank among the all-time great mountaineering books. Over the years, Messner has written many books on some not-so-interesting topics but until now had shyed away from recounting the most fascinating and tragic event of his legendary mountaineering career - namely the 1970 first (and still only) ascent of the massive Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat and the subsequent death of his brother Gunther during the descent of the Diamar Face. This book is at times reminiscent of Maurice Herzog's "Annapurna" and Joe Simpson's "Touching the Void" at others. The writing style is pure Messner so if you've found his work difficult to digest in the past, you may find yourself disappointed. But if you appreciate a great mountain tale that has triumph, tragedy, anger, controversy and an outstanding historical perspective, you could find yourself spellbound by this one.

The first part of the book is dedicated to the early attempts on Nanga Parbat and Hermann Buhl's solo first ascent of "The Naked Mountain" in 1953. This all ties in nicely with Messner's expedition chronicle as the Buhl and Messner expeditions were both led by Dr. Karl Herrligkoffer, who just so happens to have been the half brother of Willy Merkl after whom many of the features of Nanga Parbat are named. Unlike say "The Second Death of George Mallory," there is nothing contrived about this book. The recollection of events in June 1970 is interlaced with quotes from Felix Kuhn and Karl Herrligkoffer as well as letters and journal entries from Gunther Messner. Mountaineering writing at its best.