Wanted on June 27, 1970 Reinhold Messner and his brother Günther (then 24) climb to the summit of Nanga Parbat (eight-thousanders in the Western Himalayas). For Günther Messner, however, this project ended fatally.
50 years later, mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner remembers the “worst day of his life” in the “Bild” interview. Reinhold Messner actually wanted to go to the summit on his own and set off around two in the morning. Shortly thereafter Günther followed him and wanted to catch up with him. Since this already showed signs of altitude sickness and temperatures of minus 30 degrees, the brothers decided to choose the easier, but unknown, descent via the Diamir side.
“But Günther was not there. Nothing left. No trace, no equipment, no brother. Only chunks of ice and snow. Then it was clear to me: An avalanche caught him. I roared for him day and night like a grazing animal. I didn’t get an answer. It was the worst day of my life. “
Afterwards, Reinhold Messner was faced with many accusations that he had left his brother behind. “It was only when we found Günther in 2005, where I always said that he could lie, that family honor was restored,” he says today.
And yet for him his brother is not really dead. “For me Günther never really died. I firmly believe that a person is only dead when no one thinks of him. “
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