The Naked Mountain (Hardcover)

by Reinhold Messner (Author), Tim Carruthers (Translator) "In 1970, the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat was exactly to our taste - big, steep and a long way away..." (more)
Key Phrases: Nanga Parbat, Rupal Face, Merkl Couloir (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The legendary Messner writes about the most tragic event in his career!

· 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, Günther, behind with the team photographer. Some hours later he found that Günther had followed him.The two reached the summit but Günther 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 Günther, 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.

About the Author
REINHOLD MESSNER is the author of forty books, including The Crystal Horizon, Everest: Expedition to the Ultimate, All Fourteen 8000ers and The Big Walls. Translation by TIM CARRUTHERS (Eiger: The Vertical Arena, Hermann Buhl: Climbing without Compromise, Anderl Heckmair’s My Life, and Messner’s Annapurna and The Big Walls).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898869595
• ISBN-13: 978-0898869590
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #744,251 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Messner's best effort, November 21, 2003

By	Mark Styczynski (New York) - See all my reviews

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally The Truth, June 4, 2004

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

I've been impatiently waiting for this book to be written for decades and have a million thanks to offer Reinhold, for finally seeing this project through to completion. In order to understand my perspective, you should realize that once upon a time, I was an armchair mountaineer, raised on classics such as Annapurna and Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage. The latter was my introduction to the bizarre and confusing Dr. Herlingkoffer, organizer of many Himalayan expeditions, some of them among the most controversial in the history of high altitude mountaineering. Reinhold Messner became a force to be reckoned with in the world of climbing in the '60s. When I read of the disaster on Nanga Parbat, it was like deja vu all over again, with claims and counter-claims, lawsuits and feeling spoonfed with the official expedition account that obviously left out key facts.

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More polemic than adventure tale, August 20, 2005

By	Howard Roberts - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Reinhold Messner is of course a legend in mountaineering. This book recounts his climb of Nanga Parbat in 1970 with his brother Gunther and a team formed by Dr. Karl Maria Herligkoffer. It is really Messner's explanation of the events that led to Gunther's death on the mountain, illumintated by his grief over the loss of his beloved brother. Of course the disputes over these events will never be resolved, many of the participants are now dead, but Naked Mountain is an act of contrition and catharsis for Messner more that a readable tale of adventure. The language seems somewhat dated and artificial, but I suspect this is due to translation issues. Overall I would rate this book a moderate plus for readers of mountaineering literature.