2009 [1956] 384 pp, photos, maps. New paperback.
A long awaited reprint of one of the greatest mountaineering books! Buhl made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat solo and without oxygen. After climbing Broad Peak, he died while descending from Chogolisa with Kurt Diemberger.
Hugh Merrick, who has translated this book from the German, introduces 'this incomparable story of mountaineering skill, courage and hazardous achievement' by the man who conquered Nanga Parbat alone and whose life was a preparation for this incredible adventure. When on July 4th 1953, Hermann Buhl returned to camp at 23,000 feet from a sucessful solitary attempt on Nanga Parbat's 26,660 foot summit, he set the seal on what must almost certainly remain the outstanding achievement by a single human being in the long and yet unfinished history of mountaineering.
The remarkable photograph taken of this good-looking young climber of 29 directly after his return, shows the face of an old, old man, haggard, drawn and deeply-scored by the ravages of that unparalleled ordeal. Only a short but unique section at the end of this book deals with that final triumph on Nanga Parbat. The rest is Hermann Buhl's climbing history from his days as a weakling among school mates and a poor man's son, when an irresistible inner urge first drove him to become a frail and youthful climber, making straight from the start for difficult rock in his beloved homeland hills.
* This new edition brings a classic back into print * Features new material, including an appendix on the Broad Peak and Chogolisa climbsHermann Buhl's momentous ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953 (after Everest and Annapurna, the third 8000-meter peak to be climbed) set an agenda for adventurous mountaineers for the rest of the century. The pre-war and post-war mood was for conquering the major peaks with large, nationalistically-charged expeditions. Buhl, though also a member of a large expedition, with his long and committing solo summit push and painfully slow descent, reminded everyone that mountains could never be conqueredñunder favorable conditions they might be climbed, but the human spirit was invariably the critical factor. Determined, well-trained climbers, charged with both humility and cautious judgment and supporting each other as a team, were the key elements.
Hermann Buhl (September 21, 1924 - June 27, 1957) is considered one of the best post-war Austrian climbers and one of the best climbers of all time. His accomplishments include:1953 First ascent of Nanga Parbat, 8,125 metres (26,658 ft.) 1957 First ascent of Broad Peak, 8,047 metres (26,400 ft.) Before his successful Nanga Parbat expedition, 31 people had already died trying to make the first ascent. Buhl is the only mountaineer to have made the first ascent of an Eight-thousander solo. Just a few weeks after their success on Broad Peak, Buhl and Kurt Diemberger attempted nearby Chogolisa peak (7,654 metres). Buhl died when he fell through a cornice on the SE ridge near the summit of Chogolisa. His body has never been found.
