In 1972,
Reinhold Messner participated in a Tyrolean expedition
led by Wolfgang Nairz. Their intention was to climb the
South Face of Manaslu.
The south face had never been climbed before and they
pioneered new terrain. Reinhold reached the top alone
after his summit partner Franz Jäger had turned around
when he felt ha wouldn't have a chance and just was slowing
down Reinhold.
While descending from the summit, a storm was blowing
up fast. With nearly no visibility and hurricane winds,
Reinhold got lost on the high plateau between 7.500 and
8,000 meters. How would he be able find his way back to
the tent? Somewhere he out in the whiteout he heard his
partner Franz shouting for him. He must have left the
tent to try guiding Reinhold down through the blizzard.
Still lost, in near panic Reinhold managed to figure out
that the right way must be towards the wind since he had
seen the bad weather coming from a certain direction.
Not many persons would be able to think so clear under
such conditions, once again a clear mind and the fast
and right decision saved his life. He fought his way through
the storm and found the high camp with the tent.
When he finally got into the tent, Franz was not there
to welcome him back. Instead Horst Frankhauser and Andi
Schlick greeted him. Where's Franz??? Out in the storm!
Reinhold was 100% sure he had heard him shouting to guide
him down the mountain. Franz must have left the tent to
try to help Reinhold down through the storm. Horst and
Andi left the tent to search for Franz. Reinhold was in
bad condition and stayed lying in the tent with snow blowing
through the fabric. Soon there where 10 centimeter covering
his sleeping bag. By now Reinhold was freezing desperately
and shivering uncontrolled.
Horst and Andi were by now out in the storm. The wind
was terribly and the darkness and heavy snowfall made
the sight nonexistent. They searched and searched without
result. Suddenly they also realized that they too where
lost! They dug an emergency bivouac and found some resonable
shelter. It was at this point both Hans and Andi where
sure they could hear Franz crying and shouting for help
out there somewhere! Horst and Andi now left their snow
hole to search once again, but found nothing but darkness
and snow... They digged out a second bivouac hole and
crawled inside.
Andi was not happy with that his friend Franz was left
out there somewhere in a desperate need of help, he suddenly
left the snow hole and stumbled out in the dark. Horst
followed, but he couldn't locate Andi any longer. He returned
to the bivouac and merely survived the night. Badly frostbitten
he returned the next morning to Reinhold and the tent.
Now both Franz and Andi where missing! The catastrophe
was a fact! Desperately Reinhold and Horst searched for
their missing friends. It had snowed more than a meter
and they found no trace.
Upon returning home, several articles where written by
people never having climbed or tried any 8,000 meter mountain,
they all blamed Reinhold for causing the whole accident.
Reinhold was badly hurt by the accusations, though all
the expedition members knew the real truth and supported
him in his story. This was Reinholds second 8,000-meter
mountain and also the second time he lost his summit partner.
From now on Reinhold decided not to go on any large-scale
expeditions. Never again!
"A chain of unfortunate
circumstances had led to the Manaslu tragedy; and if Reinhold
had not done all he did to survive, it would have been
very much worse."
More about Reinhold Messner
» Reinhold
Messner - mainpage
» Reinhold
Messner - short biography
» Reinhold
Messner - Nanga Parbat 1970 and 1978
» Reinhold
Messner & Peter Habeler - Hidden Peak in alpine
style
» Reinhold
Messner & Hans Kammerlander - traversing the Gasherbrums
» Reinhold
Messner - breaking new limits on Mount Everest
Other mountaineering stories
» Tenzing
and his moment on the summit of the world
» K2
climbing history. From the first try to the Italian
success in 1954
» Hermann
Buhl and the first ascent of Nanga Parbat
» The
first ascent of Mont Blanc anno 1786
» A
tale from Lofoten, experienced and written by Per Jerberyd
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