Naked Mountain: Nanga Parbat, Brother, Death, Solitude

The ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1970 marked the beginning of Reinhold Messner's remarkable career in Himalayan climbing. But this expedition has always been shrouded in controversy and mystery; his brother Gunther, who accompanied him, met his death on the mountain. In The Naked Mountain Messner gives his side of the story in full for the first time. This most personal account is a story of death and survival and for those who want to understand what is the force that drives Messner on, this book is the key. 'Nothing if not passionate, Messner writes of the Himalyan experience with a nearly mystical fervour. His description of catastrophe at high altitude is page-turning' Rock & Ice. 'A gripping piece of writing ...the translation reads like a good thriller, drawing the reader back through historical epics; treading the footsteps of climbers right on the edge of things' Scottish Mountaineer.

Reinhold Messner is, simply, the world's greatest mountaineer and one of the most remarkable adventurers of our times. Born in 1944 in the South Tyrol, he served his apprenticeship in the Alps and the Dolomites and then climbed in the Andes, North America and New Guinea before embarking on his quest to become the first person to climb all the world's 8,000-metre peaks, a feat he completed in 1986. He has since completed a traverse of the Antarctic and as well as lecturing on his adventures throughout the world, became an MEP.