Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage: The Lonely Challenge (Paperback)

by Hermann Buhl (Author) "I WAS born in Innsbruck; the Hills looked down into my cradle and I must have inherited my love for them, for my father loved..." (more)
Key Phrases: summit gully, subsidiary summit, overhanging crack, Nanga Parbat, North Face, Base Camp (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
To this day, Hermann Buhl's successful 1953 solo climb of 26,620-foot Nanga Parbat remains one of the single greatest achievements in mountaineering history. On this peak, which over the years had claimed 31 lives, Buhl achieved something far beyond the accepted limits of human possibility and reached the zenith of his career. Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage shares Buhl's life, from the physical frailty of his childhood through the many years he spent building his almost superhuman strength to his great triumph in the Himalayas.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 353 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (February 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898866103
• ISBN-13: 978-0898866100
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #783,490 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hermann was an awesome dude, August 24, 2000

By	Mad Dog "maddog6969" (TimbuckThree, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

You might not find the literary style of this book to be a knockout, but, like Jerzy Kukuzka's "My Vertical World", the content will probably blow you away. Hermann fought his way past numerous obstacles on his way to the summit of Nanga and did so with impeccable style. It's a guaranteed classic.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best..., January 9, 2002

By	Maurymeyer (Va) - See all my reviews

This is without a doubt one of the two best mountaineering books. Incredible stories of close shaves and lucky escapes make it clear that the final ending on Chogolisa was bound to happen sooner or later. Only Terray's "Conquistadors of the Useless" reaches the same heights. They don't write them like this anymore ....

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LAST MAN STANDING, March 6, 2000

By A Customer

I have just reread this classic in English. Hermann Buhl was the best mountaineer the earth had ever given birth to. The conqueror of Nanga Parbat and Falchen Kangi, one of two people who devirginized 2 eight-thousanders, along with Kurt Diemberger. His all ascents stand in contrast with the siege methods of the time, but the ascent of Nanga Parbat set the limit of endurance and courage, to be met decades later. His style compares to the style Mount Everest was ascended in the same way as Jerzy Kukuczka's 14-summits compare to Reinhold Messner's, respectively.