Hermann Buhl

Hermann Buhl was born in Innsbruck onon 21 September 1924, the youngest of four brothers. At the age of 4 he lost his mother after a long illness and ended up in an orphanage. AtSix years old, he is taken in by the family of an aunt. In the 1930s, he was a weak and sensitive boy who made his first tours in the Tuxer Alps and the Karwendel. In 1939 he joined the youth section of the Alpine Club Innsbruck, skill increases and efficiency quickly and soon mastered more difficult climbing routes up to VI. Gradi.

After finishing school, Hermann Buhl completed an apprenticeship as an expeditionary clerk. In 1943, he underwent training for medical soldiers and experienced the war as a mountain in Italy, among other places, on Monte Cassino. After the American captivity, Hermann Buhl returned to his hometown of Innsbruck and earned his living through lack of work experience with various odd jobs, for example, as a ski instructor for American soldiers, or as porters for the Glungezer hut. Hermann Buhl's life is nature and the mountains, not the office. Late 1940s, he ended his training as a mountain guide.

In the following years, Hermann Buhl remedied despite minimal financial means with several climbing partners, including Luis Vigl, Kuno Rainer, Martin Schliessler, Marcus Schmuck, difficult tours in the East and West Alps, partly as first ascents. Examples of these are in particular the first ascent of the west face of the Maukspitze in the Wilder Kaiser in 1943, the first winter ascent of the Marmolada West Face in 1950, the first complete traverse of the Aiguilles von Chamonix in 1950, the first solo ascent of the north-east face of the Badile 1952, the 8 Asscent of the Eiger North Face under the most adverse conditions in 1952 and the Tofana South-East Pillar 1952
In March 1951, married Hermann Buhl Eugenie ('GENERL') Hoegerle from Ramsau/Berchtesgaden, and Hermann is. In the father years of three daughters
From financial difficulties his work as a mountain guide freed him in 1952 the occupation in the Schuster Sports in Munich as a mountain sports equipment and consultants, as well as tour guides.

At the end of 1952, Hermann Buhl is invited to join the Austrian-German Willy Merkl Memorial Expedition to Nanga Parbat, led by Dr. Karl M. Herrligkoffer. As 'training', he learned in February 1953 in the night alone the Watzmann east face (Berchtesgaden Alps) on the Salzburg difficult path.
In April 1953, he is for the expedition for the experienced Himalaya mountaineering manager Peter Aschenbrenner sent to Pakistan. The success of these suffer from organisational and communication difficulties expedition Nanga Parbat is finally only the initiative of the high camp group IV located above Hans Ertl, Walter Berger and Mrs. Hermann Buhl I must. You want an unforeseen change in time, contrary to a statement of the mountaineering leader Peter Aschenbrenner from base camp to use the summit push. Only after difficult discussions and finally a permit to attempt the summit. Otto Kempter provided together with Hermann Buhl for the summit, but has to turn back due to aspiration in the Silver Saddle. So Hermann Buhl alone crowned the legendary 41-hour solo ascent from Camp V in 6950 metres to the summit of Nanga Parbat, 8,125 metres, the third was the first person after many failed expeditions, on the evening of He reached the summit in July 1953, his career as a mountaineer. His description of the exhausting bivouac summit altitude march is one of the classics of alpine literature. This phenomenal solo summit to Nanga Parbat and will remain, considering time and equipment, the singular mountaineering performance and is never attainable. Comparable only Reinhold Messner Nanga Parbat alone results from base camp to the summit in 1978. Back home, Hermann Buhl lived in the shadow of fame of his successful solo summit. Because of jealousy and differences with the leader of the expedition, Dr. Herrligkoffer about the exploitation rights of the expedition, he sees himself as a difficult outsider shown and isolated. But Hermann Buhl prevails, celebrating successes with lectures all over Europe and in Austria he is elected athlete of the year. His book '8000 - above and below it', edited by Kurt Maix (liberal) appeared in 1954 and developed into a classic of alpine literature.

His career as an alpinist other is initially hindered by Nanga Parbat suffered frostbites with his right foot, resulting in foot amputations. In the years 1954 to 1956, Hermann Buhl again but the most difficult routes, again only in local mountains, the Dolomites and in the Mont Blanc region.

In 1957, he planned with Marcus Schmuck, Fritz Wintersteller and Kurt Diemberger his second Himalayan expedition, this time to Broad Peak in the Karakorum. Trendsetting and ahead of schedule is to carry out with a small team in the style of the Western Alps from base camp to the summit, without high altitude porters. On the 9th June 1957 to reach the summit of Broad Peak (8047 m) without oxygen. Back to base camp take Kurt Diemberger and Hermann Buhl an attempted ascent of Chogolisa (7654 m), southeast. A snowstorm forces them, but on 27 June 1957 7300 m altitude to turn back. In the descent in low visibility Hermann Buhl blocks with a ledge from the North Face. Kurt Diemberger rescues himself in the Basislager and starts with the other expedition members a search operation, which remains unsuccessful. Hermann Buhl remains missing in the north face of the Chogolisa. A great climbing career thus finds its tragic end. The man who has mastered innumerable dangers gets stuck in a relatively harmless situation to death.
Hermann Buhl belongs with Kurt Diemberger (Broad Peak, 8047 m, 1957 / Dhaulagiri 8167 m, 1960) and the Sherpa Gyaltsen Norbu (Makalu 8463 m, 1955, in the second group of the French Expedition / Manaslu 8163 m, 1956) to the only person who The two eight-thousanders have first climbed.
Hermann Buhl recorded a particular hardness, determination, tenacity and ability to last the maximum of yourself,. Hermann Buhl's willpower to achieve his goal under the most adverse conditions was unprecedented. Among his contemporaries, he may have been true because of his hardness against self and others harder than the individualist, in the hearts of mountaineers he found his place. Hermann Buhl was the role model for many mountaineers and his vision of the eight-thousand-metre climb in the style of the Western Alps was followed by Reinhold Messner and perfected. His spectacular ascent of the first Nanga Parbat in 1953 secured him a place of honour in the history of mountaineering along with other pioneers such as Paul Preuss, Ludwig Purtscheller, Albert F. Mummery, Edward Whymper, Willo Welzenbach, Edmund Hillary, Riccardo Cassin, Walter Bonatti and Reinhold Messner.