Schloss Trautenfels, Peak Pioneers!

Schloss Trautenfels

Opening hours

13th April to 31st October 2019 4th April to 31st October 2020 27th March to 31st October 2021 Daily from 10 am to 5 pm

Schloss Trautenfels, Universalmuseum Joanneum Trautenfels 1, 8951 Stainach-PĂźrgg T +43-3682/22233-0, F + 43-3682/22233-44 trautenfels@museum-joanneum.at, www.schloss-trautenfels.at

English

Marmorsaal Marble Hall

Stiegenhaus Staircase

Kapa Gyalzen Sherpa, Khumjung, Solu Kumbu, Nepal Kapa Gyalzen Sherpa, Khumjung, Solu Kumbu, Nepal Pencil on paper, tempera painting

Der Khumbu Eisbruch The Khumbu Icefall

Painting has a long tradition in the valleys of the Himalayas. The style is Far Eastern, naive-realistic and follows a representation rule handed down from the ancestors. This can be seen most notably in sacred paintings found primarily in monasteries and house altars. The seemingly fantastic natural landscapes and situations of everyday life are presented in a similar way.

The originals displayed here were created on behalf of Reinhold Messner and Wolfgang Nairz in the course of the 1st Austrian Mount Everest Expedition in 1978 by Kapa Gyalzen Sherpa. He was part of the team and documented the expedition in pencil sketches on site, which later served as a template for the paintings in his studio.

On loan: Messner Mountain Museum, Sigmundskron, Bolzano; Wolfgang Nairz; Robert Schauer

A glacier is a huge, almost imperceptibly flowing system. In those zones where the ice moves over terrain edges and curves, it cracks open over a wide area, breaking into thousands of ice chunks, and becomes a highly challenging obstacle for all alpinists. Overcoming this is often the first major hurdle on the way to the summit. The Khumbu Icefall, which blocks the way to the Western Cwm and the southern saddle, is one of the most dangerous sections when climbing Mount Everest from the south side. Without fitting this section with fixed ropes and aluminium ladders, it would be impossible to cross. In 1978, the Austrian Everest Expedition had to fit the section themselves and therefore brought the necessary material all the way from Europe. In order to connect several ladders safely, a solid construction was designed and built in advance. In the course of the 1978 expedition, ice steps and cracks of up to 16 metres (!) had to be overcome in this way. Today, the fitting work is done by special Sherpa groups, the “Icefall Doctors�, who are hired and paid by all commercial expedition agencies.

Vorhaus 2. Obergeschoß Hallway 2nd floor

Room 1

Gipfelstürmen!

Peak Pioneers!

Erzherzog Johann und die hohen Gipfel der Alpen Archduke Johann of Austria and the High Peaks of the Alps

You would think that the desire to stand on top of the world was as old as humanity itself, but this is not the case. In fact, mountaineering only started about 150 years ago, and only became a popular sport in the last 60 to 70 years.

Ever since, the development of this fascinating hobby, which challenges both motor function and physical constitution, has progressed even further. On those peaks where no one had ever set foot before 1950 – atop the highest mountains in the world – an almost ready-made high-altitude tourism has taken root in many places today. Nevertheless, there are still spaces on the “roof of the world” that are yet untouched. There, you can fulfil the dream of climbing one of these coveted peaks in the most fundamental spirit of alpinism.

This exhibition presents and shows the most important stories of those Styrian men and women who played a very active part in opening up and ascending the highest mountains on our planet.

In Archduke Johann of Austria’s day, most of the alpine world of Styria was still a wilderness. Only hunters, loggers and amateur geologists pressed forward into those higher-altitude regions.

Mountaineering and the drive to reach summits for purely athletic reasons did not emerge until about 1800 as a leisure activity for enlightened and wealthy nobles or the bourgeoisie. The term “tourist” also originates from this time, when larger numbers of people began to travel for purely educational purposes or personal interest for the first time.

Thus, most of the more than 4,000-metre-high peaks in the Alps were conquered between 1850 and 1870. Mostly, English travellers played a leading role in those activities, enlisting the help of competent guides among the local population of the respective valley. In the Eastern Alps, it was Archduke Johann of Austria, as the first tourist, who climbed many mountains. Retrospectively, he wrote: “At the beginning of our 19th century, our mountains were completely unknown to us; there were no tourists at all; I was the first to behold the Styrian Alps as seen from the Austrian

Schneeberg mountain, to face those Alps, and the first to come to know the peaks of Neuberg, then the higher chains of Aflenz and Weixelboden (for the first time in 1804), and over time the Alps of Admont, those between the rivers Enns and Mur, those of Aussee, Hallstatt, and finally Tyrol.”

(Jagd-Zeitung, 1858, p. 664) Archduke Johann also recruited competent and experienced guides to prepare more elaborate tours.

Occasionally, as in the case of the Ortler, Großvenediger or the Hochwildstelle, he did not personally climb to the summit, but instead ordered and funded the ascent. This made him a significant supporter of mountain tourism and the opening of the Eastern Alps. At the same time, he had those exploratory “expeditions” eternalised on canvas with oil and brush by his royal painters. In this way, the first documents about the explored areas were created, which made a later opening possible.

Zur Vermessung des Landes Surveying the Land Trigonometry (from Greek trigōnon, “triangle” and metron, “measure“) is a branch of geometry and therefore of mathematics. The basic task of trigonometry is to calculate other possible sizes of a triangle based on three sizes of a given triangle (side

lengths, angles, lengths of triangle transversals, etc.).

Triangulation (splitting a surface into triangles and calculating them) is the standard geodesic method for carrying out a national survey. In Europe and America, trigonometric surveying networks were established by almost all states in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Josephinian Land Survey (1760s to 1780s) was the first land survey on the territory of the Habsburg monarchy. It is named after the Archduke of Austria and Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II. This mapping project was originally initiated due to military considerations.

The Francisian Land Survey (1810s to 1850s) was the second major mapping project of the Habsburg monarchy. It is named after the first Emperor of Austria Francis I. The Francisian land survey was to replace the Josephinian land survey from 1806 on.

The Francisian land survey was able to process the land survey in the Francisian land registry using triangulation for the first time. A first triangulation took place from 1807 to 1829, another with improved methods from 1848. At the beginning of the process, different triangulation systems were still in use in the individual Austrian crownlands, which made an overall representation

beyond the borders of these crownlands impossible.

Francisian Land Survey: served primarily military purposes (military geography) Francisian Land Registry: aimed to create a uniform basis for the assessment of property tax.

Zur geologischen Karte der Steiermark On the Geological Map of Styria During his trip to the England in 1815/16, Archduke Johann of Austria recognised the significance of a geological survey for the exploration of deposits and the associated consequences (energy supply, founding industries, etc.). Already in 1819, he commissioned Matthias Anker to draw a “mountain map of Styria”. This map is considered the oldest geological map of Styria.

It soon became apparent that the “anchor map” was not accurate enough for the intended practical purposes.

Intensive further efforts for geognostic explorations by Archduke Johann led, among other things, to the founding of the “Geognostic-Montanistic Association for Styria” in 1850, which the Archduke himself took charge of until his death in 1859.

In 1854, he was able to recruit the Swiss geologist Theobald Zollikofer for a three-year employment. In the course of his mapping work, Zollikofer

also conducted extensive altitude measurements, which he wanted to display on a hypsometric map.

Zollikofer, however, died unexpectedly in 1862. The process was interrupted until Dionys Stur, Chief Geologist at the Imperial Geological Institute, completed the work and drafted explanations for it. The map was finally published in 1865.

In accordance with the wishes of Archduke Johann, who had died in the meantime, the Styrian provincial diet was presented with a hand-coloured 24-page copy of the map on a scale of 1:144,000.

Stur also published a 654-page catalogue of explanations for his “Geological Overview Map of the Duchy of Styria” in 1871.

Lit.: Bernhard Hubmann, 175 Jahre geologische Karte der Steiermark. In: Mitteilungen des naturwissenschaftlichen Vereins für Steiermark, Graz 2005, volume 134, page 5–22.

Erzherzog Johanns private Mineraliensammlung Archduke Johann of Austria’s Private Mineral Collection After donating the primary collection with approx. 4,000 minerals to the Joanneum museum in 1811/12, Archduke Johann continued to curate a private collection. This collection covered about 600 objects and was finally given to the Joanneum by his descendants in commemoration of the 100-year anniversary in 1911. It contains many selected showpieces, some of which were certainly collected during his numerous Alpine ascents or acquired from local collectors.

Room 2 Nationaler Wettlauf an den höchsten Bergen der Welt National Competition on the World’s Highest Mountains With pronounced nationalism rising across Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, mountaineering had become a vehicle for promoting the national image. Thus, even the highest mountains in the world became the setting for a national race. The English were keen to climb Mount Everest and the Italians concentrated their efforts on the K2, while the Germans wanted to stand triumphant atop the Nanga Parbat. For the Nazi propaganda machine, a successful

conquest of the peak would have been highly welcomed: “The conquest of the summit for the glory of Germany is expected.” (Eric Roberts, Willo Welzenbach, 1981, p.245) However, none of the 14 eightthousanders could be conquered until 1939, and then the Second World War largely interrupted European mountaineering ambitions. Once the political situation had gradually returned to normal and Europe had recovered from the turmoil of war, mountaineers again began to focus on the eight-thousanders. In 1950, the Annapurna I (8,091 metres) was the first eight-thousander to be conquered, when a French roped party reached its top. Finally, in 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay stood on the highest point on earth, Mount Everest, at a height of 8,848 metres.

Hermann Buhl from Tyrol was the first to climb the 8,125-metre-high Nanga Parbat in 1953 as part of a German expedition, making alpine history. Thus, the Austrian Himalaya Society was founded in 1953, and an expedition led

by Fritz Moravec reached the 8,034 metres high peak of Gasherbrum II in the Karakoram in 1956. Following the sensational ascent of the 8,201 metres high Cho Oyu in the Himalayas

by Herbert Tichy and Sepp Jöchler in 1954, the small country of Austria had already chalked up the third first ascent of an eight-thousander!

The Austrian Himalaya Society had planned an expedition to the 8,080 metres high Gasherbrum I (also known

as Hidden Peak) as early as 1954.

However, the climbing permit was awarded to an American expedition team. In 1958, the group therefore set their heart on the 7,397-metre-high and extremely difficult Haramosh. This expedition, which involved sea travel to Pakistan, was joined by two Styrians for the first time: Franz Mandl from Graz and Rudolf Ebner from Leoben.

HARAMOSH (7.397 Meter) Österreichische Expedition 1958 HARAMOSH (7,397 metres) Austrian Expedition 1958 27th April 1958 – Arrival After the long journey from Austria by ship and a subsequent domestic flight from Karachi to Rawalpindi, the team continued with jeeps to the last village of Iskere, where carriers were to be hired. As an English expedition in the previous year had ended in disaster with many deaths, the local fortune-teller foretold misery and calamity to all who would help the Austrians as carriers. Of the originally planned 125 carriers, there were hardly any left to set up the base camp.

12th May 1958 – Base Camp For two weeks, the mountaineers had to haul the material from a forest camp to the base camp on the glacier. The plan was to build a chain of camps with the help of carriers in order to bring the necessary equipment for the ascent

to the highest possible point on the mountain.

15th June 1958 – Camp I Again and again, avalanches destroyed the established camps or thundered down the tracks of the ascent route, resulting in injuries and material losses. The carriers were hardly any help and so the five-member team was dependent on itself. Once Camp I had finally been set up at the Haramosh La (a saddle at an altitude of 4,800 metres) after a month’s work, some of the expedition participants occasionally became altitude sick.

25th July 1958 – Mousetrap Due to the difficult terrain, Camps I, II and III were very close together.

When Heini Roiss and Franz Mandl first saw the entire route behind the intermediate peaks, they named the following section “Mousetrap”, as only a long, difficult ridge connected them to the summit of the Haramosh. In the event of the weather suddenly turning for the worse, a retreat would be a dangerous and difficult undertaking.

3rd August 1958 – Camp III Once the chain of camps was finally established after two and a half months, only one last weather window remained for a summit attempt. While Ebner and Hammerschlag had to turn back in Camp III due to altitude sickness, Roiss, Pauer, and Mandl fought their way along the ridge.

Physically emaciated, they moved to a

final camp on the ridge, 1,400 metres below the summit. Since their throats were completely dried out, they could not eat anything, just drink.

waiting there. Without their help, the exhausted alpinists would probably never have made the remaining descent to the valley.

4th August 1958 Haramosh 7.397 metres At midnight, the cold already drove the mountaineers out of the tent, and they started their journey to the summit. The wind grew stronger and they had to take turns every few metres to create a track in the snow.

At 2:00 pm, Roiss, Pauer and Mandl, who were totally exhausted, reached the summit of Haramosh (7,397 metres). However, there was neither enough time nor room to jump for joy on the summit, as the clouds were growing denser and denser by the minute. Relieved but utterly worn out, they began their decent after only 15 minutes of rest.

Carriers Without Ambition Following the English example, carriers were hired and equipped locally; however, they had little ambition to help. Soon, the Austrians realised that they themselves would have to haul the equipment to the high-altitude camps.

Extract from the report of the expedition leader, Heini Roiss: “I should make it clear that we were not at all satisfied with the Hunzas as carriers. They were unwilling to work, obvious simulants who faked every kind of illness just to get a day off.

They made grand demands and stole everything that was unattended. The first Hunza carriers immediately sold the equipment we had brought for them at the bazaar in Gilgit, although we had explicitly told them that it would only be theirs once the job was done.”

6th August 1958 – Descent The long descent was a sheer fight for survival! The mountaineers finally managed to reach the top camp tent on all fours. They just lay there, trying to drink, waiting exhausted for the night. Drenched to the skin, Roiss, Pauer, and Mandl fought their way back to Camp III, which they had to clear from snow first, and survived another night in the raging storm. With the last of their strength, they struggled back to the Haramosh La saddle the next day, reuniting in the evening with Ebner and Hammerschlag, who had been

“Soon, we realised that we would probably have to haul the equipment to the high-altitude camps ourselves.”

(Heini Roiss – Haramosh 1958) “Rather than cold, we had it too hot on this expedition.“ (Rudolf Ebner – Haramosh 1958) Hot-Cold Although temperatures at high altitudes drop well below 0°C at

night, this can change quickly as soon as the sun comes out and one’s body is exposed to the scorching heat. Only in the evening, just before sunset, do temperature and light change, rewarding mountaineers with a magnificent panorama of the surrounding peaks against the towering eight-thousanders on the horizon. As soon as the sun sets, it is time to crawl into the down sleeping bag as temperatures fall drastically below freezing point.

Room 3 Der Traum von hohen Bergen Dreaming of the Highest Heights Inspired by reports, books and slide shows of the first climbers of eightthousanders – especially Hermann Buhl – young Styrian mountaineers, almost timidly, dreamed of trying the ascent of a “high mountain” in the 1960s. Especially students from Leoben and Graz started to organise longer trips. With small budgets, but sufficient time and great enthusiasm, they drove their own cars over land mainly to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The journeys to and from the mountain were perhaps even bigger adventures than the ascent attempts and the successful climbs of the six- and seven-thousand-metre-high mountains themselves.

At that time, many peaks of the Hindu Kush and Karakoram had still not

been climbed. Information about the mountains was rare, and even summit heights were sometimes indicated inaccurately on the few existing maps.

Over the years, many first ascents of Styrian expeditions were able to be recorded, and a network of alpinists and scientists formed who exchanged information about these mountains, effectively laying the foundations for new goals and ideas.

MOMHIL SAR (7.342 Meter) Karakorum/Pakistan 1964 MOMHIL SAR (7,342 metres) Karakoram/Pakistan 1964 The Advance Seventy-five carriers haul the equipment across the long Trivor Glacier towards the base camp.

On the fourth day, most of the carriers are on strike, so the remaining carriers have to go back and forth to haul the loads to the base camp.

Ski Expedition The journey across the glacier is accomplished with the help of skis, but the open labyrinth of ice crevices makes orientation a big challenge.

Almost every day, there is fresh snow and the track needs to be carved anew.

Climb to the Ridge From Camp II at an altitude of 5,900 metres, the ascent over the snowy slopes to the ridge is arduous and steep. Here, too, there is no direct

route, as ice crevices and high ice walls are frequently encountered on the way.

Dead End/First Summit Attempt From Camp III at 6,500 metres, the mountaineers attempt to reach the peak following the steep eastern ridge. In deep snow, every step costs strength and there is too much snow on the rocks to climb over. Provisions run out; disappointed, the team must descend to the base camp.

Second Summit Attempt The only way to reach the summit is to cross a large snowy slope and ascend in a wide arc. Hours go by with tedious track work.

The Summit in Sight After long hours of ascent, all expedition members reach the summit ridge. Weeks of bad weather and a change of plans did not break the team’s determination and willingness to reach the summit.

Momhil Sar – 7,342 metres All five expedition team members reach the summit on 29th June 1964: Hanns Schell, Horst Schindlbacher, Rolf Widerhofer, Leo Schlömmer and Rudolf Pischinger have scaled one of the first seven-thousanders conquered by Styrians.

Grazer Alpinisten Netzwerk Hindukush- und KarakorumBesteigungen 1961 bis 1971 Graz Alpinist Network Hindu Kush and Karakoram Ascents 1961 to 1971 In 1962, Graz student Roger Senarclens de Grancy was the first to come up with the idea of driving a car to the Hindu Kush mountains to climb a seven-thousand-metre peak. As a destination, he chose the Koh-e Keshni Khan, which was marked with a height of 7,200 metres on the only available map. Three students of mining and metallurgy from Kapfenberg completed the team.

A Steyr-Puch Haflinger served as an expedition vehicle, however, the journey with this small vehicle was so difficult that they arrived at the mountain too late in the season and could not climb it.

One member of that expedition, Sepp Kutschera, wanted to try again a year later. He organised a bigger bus to get the men to their destination faster, but Roger Grancy did not have time to join them in 1963. This time, everything went smoothly for Kutschera and his three companions from Kapfenberg, and they successfully completed the first ascent of Koh-e Keshni Khan and two other peaks in the area.

Noshaq 1963 Also in 1963, a five-member team led by Gerald Gruber and Rudolf

Pischinger set out from Graz to Kabul in two old VW buses. There, they had to apply for an ascent permission, then continued to the Wakhan Corridor, where the Noshaq (7,492 metres) is the second highest mountain in the Hindu Kush. Their journey was tedious and characterised by car breakdowns. In Istanbul, they even left some of their equipment behind, as the weight was too much for the cars.

On site, however, everything went smoothly. An Upper Austrian expedition happened to be on site at the same time and lost their sleeping bags at a river crossing.

Fortunately, the Styrian team still had replacements, so the two teams banded together and climbed the Noshaq – for the third time in history and for the first time on their new ascent route.

Momhil Sar 1964 In the mid-1960s, a group of excellent mountaineers came together in Graz.

They undertook expeditions and completed first ascents in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rudolph Pischinger planned to combine two expeditions with Horst “Wik” Schindlbacher in 1964: First, they wanted to climb the Momhil Sar in Pakistan and then continue into the Hindukush to try another seventhousander with Gerald Gruber and Rainer Göschl.

The trip to Momhil Sar (7,414 metres) was the first expedition

planned by Hanns Schell. He would go on to become one of the most prominent expedition leaders. The Momhil Sar team consisted of Schell, Schindlbacher and Pischinger as well as Leo Schlömmer from Bad Mitterndorf and the Tyrolean Rolf Widerhofer, who was studying in Graz.

The ascent of Momhil Sar proved to be extremely difficult and the planned route had to be changed on site. It was an extraordinary moment when on 29th June 1964 all five expedition members were happily able to reach the summit.

Three Seven-Thousanders in the Hindu Kush 1964 Pischinger and Schindlbacher said goodbye to their friends in Rawalpindi, changing to the Puch Haflinger with which they drove to the base camp in the Hindukush. Once there, the fourman team climbed Kohe Shakhawr (7,100 metres), Udren Zom (7,131 metres) and Nadir Shah (7,116 metres).

In doing so, they noticed that the nearby Koh-e Keshni Khan was much lower and could not possibly be a seven-thousander. This observation led geodesist and scientist Roger de Grancy to re-organise an expedition to climb and, above all, survey this mountain. Under the name of “Explora 1970”, this project would go on to map and measure the entire surrounding environment.

Diran 1968 In 1968, another team of three from Graz travelled to Pakistan: Hanns Schell, Rudolf Pischinger and Rainer Göschl. Interestingly enough, their destination had not been clearly defined at the outset of the journey.

Having arrived there, they decided on the Diran (7,266 metres), which they were able to climb for the first time.

1968 saw another expedition in Pakistan: The “Expedition of the HighAltitude Tourist Group Graz” climbed a number of peaks around the sixthousand-metre limit. For the first time, Hilmar Sturm from Graz joined, who would soon go on to become a top alpinist.

Malubiting 1971 In 1971, Schell, Sturm, Schindlbacher and Kurt Pirker banded together to form a small team and climbed Malubiting (7,453 metres) for the first time.

In 1974, Hilmar Sturm went on an expedition to Pakistan with fellow mountaineers from Upper Austria and Salzburg. This team also included the young Styrian Robert Schauer, who would soon become a renowned mountaineer, too. Their original plan was to climb the Pumari Chhish (7,492 metres) for the first time, but ultimately, they decided on the Skirish Sar (“Lord of the Snow Grouse”, 6,500 metres).

Eight Seven-Thousanders Climbed in 1971 Hence, small teams from Styria have undertaken expeditions to the Northeast of Afghanistan and North of Pakistan since 1961, collecting a lot of knowledge about the topography of the mountain ranges there as well as about the organisation and realisation of an expedition. Some of these climbers did not participate in any further expeditions for personal reasons; however, a few of them followed the call of the eightthousanders.

Die “Gesäuse-Truppe“ Von der Nationalexpedition zur eigenständigen Erstbesteigung The “Gesäuse Group”: From the National Expedition to an Independent First Ascent After the Austrian Himalaya Society had organised the first ascent of the eight-thousander Gasherbrum II (8,034 metres) in 1956 and the Haramosh (7,397 metres) had already been conquered in 1958, the society again planned a first ascent of an eight-thousander in 1959.

Of the 14 highest mountains in the world, only two remained unclimbed: The ascent of Hidden Peak, also called Gasherbrum I (8,080 metres), had long been planned by the Austrian Himalaya Society, but was ultimately first climbed by Americans in 1958.

The Shishapangma (8,027 metres) –

entirely located on Chinese territory – was out of the question because they would not receive a permit. One last option was to try the still unconquered Dhaulagiri I (8,167 metres) in Nepal.

The expedition, which was organised

by Fritz Moravec from Vienna, was ill-fated: Heini Roiss fell into an ice crevice near Camp 2 and froze to death. Four weeks later, the expedition was cancelled due to bad weather.

Dhaulagiri II Unsuccessful 1963 The Dhaulagiri was climbed by a Swiss expedition in 1960 due to the preliminary work of the expedition and the knowledge gained from it.

Nevertheless, the goal was to exploit the accumulated knowledge of the area, and so the Austrian Himalaya Society set the 7,751-metre high Dhaulagiri II as their target for 1963.

The group made the time-consuming journey – as was normal at the time – per ship. Alongside the Viennese mountaineers and scientists, Franz Huber and Adi Weissensteiner from the Gesäuse mountains were also on board. After a long journey, they reached their goal in winter. It had snowed more than usual at this time of year. The distances between the camps set up on the mountain were short and progress in this “terra incognita” was not sufficient to get close to the summit. The expedition had to return home without having achieved anything.

Dhaulagiri II 1971 However, what Franz Huber and Adi Weissensteiner had taken home with them was their great enthusiasm for the highest mountains on earth.

Infected by the euphoria, Franz Huber and his brother Adi organised a Hindu Kush trip of their own in 1965, this time by car. Further expedition trips were to follow. The Austrian Himalaya Society did not organise expeditions between 1964 and 1968, as the Kingdom of Nepal did not grant entry permits.

In 1971, Dhaulagiri II had become the highest still unconquered mountain in the world. The Austrian Himalaya Society therefore then planned an expedition managed by Franz Huber and Adi Weissensteiner. Again, they made little progress due to bad weather, but their experience from 1963 allowed them to finally reach the 7,751-metre high summit.

Mount Everest Unsuccessful 1972 Inspired and motivated by this success, Adi Huber and Adi Weissensteiner joined an international Mount Everest expedition in 1972.

Under the guidance of a German expedition leader, a group of Austrians, Germans and English attempted a direct ascent via the mighty southwest face. Due to tensions in the inhomogeneous team as well as bad weather, they did not reach the summit.

Lasting Relationships In 1973, Alois Huber, the youngest brother of Franz and Adi, drove to Rakaposhi (7,788 metres) in Pakistan for the first time, while his two brothers travelled with Adi Weissensteiner and other participants to the still unconquered Dhaulagiri IV (7,268 metres) in Nepal. Both expeditions remained unsuccessful despite enormous efforts, but what became clearer and clearer in the years after the expeditions was their love of Nepal and its people. The Huber brothers often visited the country and the friends they had made, stayed in personal contact and even created a very successful aid organisation after the devastating earthquake.

Room 4 Exploration 1970 Wissenschaft auf hohen Gipfeln Exploration 1970 Science on High Peaks The expeditions of the 1950s often also had scientific goals. On their travels to faraway lands, top alpinists were joined by geologists, ethnologists, biologists and specialists in geodesy. In 1970, an expedition from Graz committed to this tradition set out with the goal of surveying and mapping the area around the Koh-e Keshni Khan in the extremely remote Wakhan Corridor in north-eastern Afghanistan.

At the time, many universities worldwide had a strong interest in exploring the remotest mountain ranges.

“The fascination of immediacy emanating from these images from space was indescribable and initially unsettled our efforts. Were the difficulties ahead, the financial expenditures for our goals, the overcoming of the many political borders between our homeland and our field of work still justified in light of the wealth of data produced by LANDSAT 1 in no time at all?” (Roger Senarclens de Grancy in: “Großer Pamir”, Akademische Druck und Verlagsanstalt Graz/Austria 1975, p. 36 ff.)

The Wala Map In the 1960s, only crest course maps indicating ridges and peaks were available to European mountaineers.

Details about the terrain and contour lines were not recorded. Therefore, the Koh-e Keshni Khan was still listed as a seven-thousander on this map by the Polish surveyor Jerzy Wala.

The Exploration 70 Map Only through elaborate surveying work such as the one conducted by the “Exploration 70” expedition was it possible to create detailed maps of individual mountain ranges. In that way, not only the actual summit height of the Koh-e Keshni Khan was determined, but a close-knit elevation profile of the entire area was also

created. When the first land surveying satellite was sent into space in 1972, this drastically changed the possibilities of obtaining information about the most remote areas of the world.

Google Earth Animation Today, thanks to the Internet, it is possible to view any corner of our planet in high-resolution satellite photos on Google Earth. While some details are not always clear, it is still possible to get an unbelievable overview within seconds. If you then navigate on site using GPS devices, it is hard to imagine how much work went into measuring a relatively small local area 50 years ago.

Höhenbergsteigen Die Gefahren im lebensfeindlichen Raum High Altitude Mountaineering The Hazards of a Hostile Environment Altitude/Oxygen The so-called “death zone” begins at an altitude of 7,000 metres: Here, even an optimally acclimated person cannot regenerate without suffering from physical exertion. The organism starts degrading even during sleep.

A permanent stay is impossible, as a human would die of “altitude sickness”. An ascent of peaks over 7,000 metres must always be done within a limited timeframe.

Cold/Heat At high altitudes, extreme temperature differences are a permanent physical challenge. Special clothes or a down sleeping bag provide good protection, however, there is still a risk of frostbite in case of a lack of exercise or a storm.

Not just the cold, but also heat should not be underestimated, as the solar radiation at high altitudes is very strong. It is important to always cover the head and to protect the lips and neck from dehydration. Temperature differences between +70°C radiant heat and -30°C air temperature within a period of four hours are not uncommon in summer.

Avalanche/Falling Rocks/Falling Ice Although mountains may appear rigid, they are subject to constant change due to temperature shifts, precipitation and wind. These changes are known as erosion. Frost and thawing lead to rockfall or debris avalanches. Precipitation remains as snow masses at high altitudes and may later thunder down towards the valley as an avalanche. These unpredictable events have been many a mountaineer’s doom in the past, especially when venturing unknowingly into dangerous areas.

Ice Crevices Glaciers flow slowly but steadily.

They break into stress zones, which creates ice crevices. When fresh snow falls on these crevices, they they

are often hard to spot. Therefore, it is indispensable to always be roped together on glaciers to be able to immediately rescue anyone falling into a crevice.

Weather Changes/Orientation/Wind Sudden changes in the weather are highly dangerous. In foggy weather, it is easy to lose one’s orientation, and making progress in extreme cold or precipitation is very difficult. Winds in exposed locations with gusts well over 130 km/h can be so violent that mountaineers are hardly able to move freely. Even though weather forecasts are very reliable today, alpinists sometimes still make the wrong decisions.

Ego/Group Dynamics Mountaineering also means making decisions which challenge, encourage and shape a person. Naturally, the climbers are mentally prepared for objective dangers, but subjective dangers emanating from their comrades are often disregarded. If the desire to reach the summit is too great, all signs of danger are often ignored, or schedules are discarded.

The group provides a deceptive sense of security. First and foremost, it is essential for the group to clearly define common goals, strategies and procedures.

Skyang Kangri 1975 Den Gipfel um jeden Preis Skyang Kangri 1975 The Summit at All Costs In hindsight, the biggest problem turned out to be that the mountain was really far away from civilisation, tucked away “behind” the Karakoram in Pakistan in the so-called Baltoro Glacier Labyrinth to the north – still one of the most remote mountains in the world.

Due to the very long march, setting up the camp was delayed, and we were surprised by bad weather when attempting to reach the summit from Camp 2. As a result, we were forced to stay in the tent for six days. The tents were snowed in to the top, effectively turning them into a snow cave. When there was a brief improvement in the weather, part of the team left and started clearing the base camp. The day for the carriers to re-join us for the way back came closer and closer.

Ferdinand Deutschmann, Valentin Caspaar and I – all from Graz – had one last chance to reach the summit.

But I turned back relatively soon, because firstly, I was afraid my toes would freeze due to the extreme cold, and secondly, because I also had this bad feeling. As a mountaineer, you develop a very pronounced “gut feeling”, which later often proves to come true! Valentin and Ferdl climbed up to Camp 3, which we set up at over 7,000 metres. I was to wait in Camp 2 for my two comrades until they returned from the summit after two

days. After waiting for three days at the so-called “Windy Gap” – one day longer than planned – I had to climb down, otherwise I would have eaten up the last bit of food left for my friends.

Unfortunately, fate had it that Ferdl and Valentin never found Camp 3 because it was buried under the snow.

They then bivouacked in a snow cave.

Valentin was physically exhausted the next day and Ferdl – as if attracted by a magical power – went on, never to be seen again! After a day of waiting, Valentin, on his last legs, also had to start the descent, and had the dubious “fortune” to survive a “downhill ride” on an avalanche, practically unscathed. He had not been buried by the avalanche and was able to fight his way back into Camp 2 with severe frostbite.

After a few days, our friend Mischa climbed up to Camp 2 and discovered Valentin in a very critical physical and mental condition. We forged a rescue plan. Mischa would rope across the entire glacier, catch up with the group already descending, and organise a helicopter. I was to take Valentin to the glacier edge 40 (!) km away – partly carrying him – where the helicopter would pick him up.

I was able to pep up Valentin a bit with glucose and saline infusions.

He began to hallucinate, apparently already suffering from blood poisoning, and his feet and fingers were already discoloured in deep frostbite black. Half supporting, half

carrying him, I was able to get him to the edge of the glacier over the course of several days. There, he was fortunately picked up by a helicopter and flown to Europe, where he received proper care.

He lost almost all his fingers and toes because of the severe frostbite.

Ferdinand Deutschmann has been missing ever since, and none of the participants took part in another expedition as a result.

Based on an interview with Siegfried Gimpel Makalu 1981 Sturz in die Orientierungslosigkeit Makalu 1981 Falling into Disorientation The highest point of the Makalu (8,481 metres) – the fifth highest mountain in the world – is shaped like a small snowy sugarloaf. I marked it with a bamboo stick and snapped its top as prove of my solo ascent. It was late, I had reached my destination overjoyed, but my journey was not yet over. I was worried about the impending descent, the exhaustion, the thin air, and immense thirstiness. Quickly, but carefully, I climbed down the rocky summit corridor and started slowly, following the track left from my ascent across a steep glacier basin.

It was already dark, and my field of vision deteriorated even further due to rising fog that was enveloping the

whole mountain. Suddenly, despite wearing crampons, I slipped and fell.

Before I could react, my ice pick and later my ice axe were knocked out of my hands. One thought shot through my mind: “Now it’s all over!” It did not seem possible to control my fall.

I skidded across some glacial grooves at high speed. Instinctively, I slowly spread my arms out, stabilising the fall.

The head facing upwards, my elbows and knees pressed into the softening snow, slowing the fall. Then, I carefully dug in my feet with the crampons and was able to stop this “hell ride” after 150 metres – shortly before falling down the impending seracs.

“Saved by the bell!” I thought to myself. I just lay there for a long time, completely exhausted but otherwise unharmed. Luckily, I found my ice axe again, however, I had to climb about 50 metres to get it. Due to the fall, I had lost my orientation completely.

Lost on this huge snow slope in the dark and heavy fog, I had no idea where I was, and so I just started to cross the slope horizontally. I figured that I would encounter my ascent track this way.

After about half an hour, I suddenly realised that the slope was getting steeper and steeper. Either I was crossing too high or too low – was I perhaps approaching the dangerous icefall again? I would have to follow my ascent track to reach a snow-filled ice corridor that was the only “escape route” from that glacier basin.

I could not find the corridor and

therefore decided to bivouac at 8,150 metres.

I did not want to take another risk and thought that I would be able to find the track immediately at dawn.

I excavated a small snow pit where I put my backpack, tramped down a snow ledge for my feet and then laid down on my backpack in my bivouac bag. I wrapped my arm around the ice axe I had lodged into the ground in order not to slip out of the pit. There was no strong wind, but due to the cold – about minus 20°C – I started to shiver all over. I kept myself awake through periodic phases of movement and was thus able to survive the night without serious frostbite.

Based on a newspaper report by Robert Schauer in the “Krone Bunt”, 1981 Nanga Parbat 1983 Von der Lawine erfasst Nanga Parbat 1983 Caught by the Avalanche The “Hilmar Sturm Memorial Expedition 1983” to the Nanga Parbat (8,125 metres) wanted to reach the summit of this gigantic mountain via the southwest ridge – the so-called “Schell route” – to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of its first ascent

by Hermann Buhl. The expedition team consisted of mountaineers from Salzburg, Lower Austria and three climbers form Styria, all of whom had

accompanied Hilmar Sturm from Graz on local mountain expeditions. At the same time, Japanese mountaineers started an equally ambitious expedition on the same route.

In the first camp, the members of both expeditions set up their tents for the first time on very steep terrain. The Styrians Christian Brückler and Ewald Lidl set up theirs next to a tent occupied by four Japanese mountaineers. Walter Lösch, another Styrian, set up his tent in the immediate vicinity, but partially protected by a stone.

Once the tents were standing, a heavy storm rolled in and within hours, more than a metre of fresh snow fell. As a result of this sudden drop in temperature, at around 5:30 am, a huge avalanche broke off about 700 metres above the campsite. It crashed with full force into the alpinists’ tents, and only that of Walter Lösch was spared.

Christian Brückler, Ewald Lidl and the Japanese climbers were swept downhill for a total of 1,000 vertical metres before the avalanche came to a standstill. Miraculously, the two Styrians suffered only slight abrasions. However, three of the Japanese mountaineers died immediately, and one survivor called for help with his radio. Walter Lösch was completely spared and was able to help recover the victims. The injured Styrians were transferred to Rawalpindi and subsequently to Austria, while the rest of the team

tried to climb the mountain – albeit without success.

Based on a newspaper report in the Kleine Zeitung Annapurna 2 1983 Vom Berg geblasen Annapurna II 1983 Blown off the Mountain From the highest camp at Annapurna II (7,937 metres), Klaus Schlamberger and I wanted to reach the summit with a bivouac; however, bad weather forced us to ski back down.

On 4th May, we climbed up again to a snow cave where we stayed the night. The next morning, we finally reached Camp 3 and, after a short rest, continued towards the connecting ridge between Annapurna IV and Annapurna II. On the exposed northwest ridge of Annapurna IV, which we both climbed with skis over the only moderately steep ridge length in fine weather.

However, we were taken by surprise by a thunderstorm front coming in from the south with violent storm gusts. I was about 100 metres in front of Klaus in a slope hollow and was waiting for my friend just below the connecting ridge at about 7,450 metres altitude.

The storm became more violent and when there was still no sign of Klaus after 20 minutes, I lodged my skis and descended to check on him.

Sudden fog reduced visibility to a few metres. Calling and wandering around, I tried to find Klaus in the violent storm. Hoping to find him in Camp 3, I decided to descend further.

Once I got there, I froze: Klaus was not there.

At first light, I continued the search in nice but cold weather, climbing to the point where I had last seen him. Once there, I climbed down the slope, which was inclined at an angle of 35 degrees. After 400 metres, I found his backpack, another 200 metres deeper the already lifeless body of Klaus. Since I was separated from him by a wide gap, I had to wait for his brother Jochen and Hannes Gsellmann, who ascended to Camp 3 as planned that day. It was not until the afternoon that Jochen and I buried our friend Klaus in a nearby ice crevice as recovery and transportation at this altitude was not possible. This was my worst experience and the grief over our dead friend had a profound effect on all of us.

I assume Klaus was seized by a mighty gust of wind and thrown off balance by the heavy backpack, which hurled him violently across the entire icy steep slope and into the deep. The expedition was aborted immediately.

Based on an expedition report by Robert Schauer

Ogre 1991 Erst eine Eislawine und dann ein Bär Baintha Brakk 1991 First an Ice Avalanche, then a Bear The expedition goal of Christian Stangl and me was to climb one of the most difficult mountains in the world: the Baintha Brakk, or Ogre, in Pakistan.

We had little money and tried to keep everything as small as possible.

Therefore, it was just the two of us in the base camp, together with a cook and a goat as a living source of food. As a special piece of equipment, we had a shotgun for fending off bears living in this area.

After setting up Camp 1 at the foot of the mountain face in the morning, an ice avalanche came thundering down on our left and right. Stray chunks of ice hit us and when it was finally quiet again, it became clear that Christian’s thigh had been hit and broken!

The rescue was very tedious, we braced his leg with ski poles and a sleeping mat. I tied him up in a sleeping bag and carried him to base camp along with the remaining equipment. As the terrain got flatter, it was hardly possible to pull it through the deep snow. I had to create a track, breaking into ice crevices again and again, and then coming back to pull the “package” along.

At some point, I went ahead to base camp and sent the cook to Askole, the nearest settlement, to call for a helicopter. Once I had got Christian to the base camp, we waited for six days without being rescued. So, I went to

Askole myself and left Christian alone.

In the late afternoon, he was paid a visit, or rather witnessed how a full-grown bear killed our goat. That was good, the animal was busy, at least for a while, but then the animal pestered him all night.

Christian found himself helplessly lying in the tent, burning kerosene and pounding pots together. He had the shotgun ready for the final moment.

The next day – the bear had moved away in the meantime – Christian dragged himself a few hundred metres away from camp. There, the Pakistani army picked him up on a supply flight and he received medical treatment for the first time twelve days after the accident.

Story by Wolfgang Göschl, shortened from the book “Skyrunner” Ernst Kren, Leykam 2009 p. 24 ff.

Portal Wood, elaborately carved Swat Valley, Pakistan, 18th century On loan: Schell Collection Graz Swat is the name of a small high valley in the mountainous region of northwestern Pakistan, at the intersection between the cultures of Central Asia, China and the Indian subcontinent.

Located near the side branch of the Silk Road, in ancient times the region was already known for its fertile gardens and is considered one of the early centres of Buddhist Gandhara culture.

Hanns Schell bought this portal in 1989 in Maydan (Pakistan) for the Schell Collection in Graz.

Since travelling through Iran and Pakistan in 1965, Hanns Schell has been collecting keys, locks, boxes and castiron art. He bought small padlocks at the bazaars of Tehran and Isfahan as well as numerous objects from almost every country in the world. The passionate collector founded the Schell Collection in 1965 and continuously expanded the collection.

Today, the Schell Collection Graz is the world’s largest specialist museum for keys, locks, boxes, cassettes and cast-iron art. Over 13,000 exhibits are displayed on 2,500m² of exhibition space spread over three floors. www.schell-collection.com

Room 5 Im Thronraum der Götter In the Gods’ Throne Room Amongst the successful Styrian mountaineers, one in particular made a name as an important expedition leader: Hanns Schell from Graz. From 1964 to 1989, he organised many important expeditions to the highest mountains in the world. Having successfully climbed several six- and seven-thousanders for the first time, he began planning the first Styrian expedition to an eight-thousander in Pakistan in the early 1970s.

He put together a team, planned the logistics and organised the permit for the 8,080 metres high Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak). He reached the summit together with Robert Schauer and Herbert Zefferer on 11th August 1975 as the first roped party from Styria.

This was only the 3rd ascent ever!

They were keen to follow up on this success: One year later, Schell organised an expedition to the 8,125-metre-high Nanga Parbat, which was to be climbed via the 4,500-metre-high southwest “Rupal Flank” on a new route. This expedition also succeeded on 11th August 1976, exactly one year after the Gasherbrum I! All the Styrian expedition participants reached the summit: Hilmar Sturm, Siegfried Gimpel, Hanns Schell and Robert Schauer. After this success, Schell and Schauer participated in the first

Austrian Mount Everest Expedition in 1978, which was organised and led by Tyrolean Wolfgang Nairz.

Gasherbrum I 1975 8,080 metres Gasherbrum I, the Hidden Peak, was climbed in 1975 by the Styrian expedition for only the third time in history. As the expedition leader, Hanns Schell has chosen the route of the first climbers, which leads over the IHE spur onto a high plateau. From there, the entire team was able to climb the Urdok I (7,250 metres) for the first time. The path to the summit on skis led over the huge plateau to Camp 4.

Karl Hub had to stop on his way to the summit due to a pulmonary oedema.

Hanns Schell, Robert Schauer and Herbert Zefferer reached the summit only in the evening and had to find their way back to the highest camp in the oncoming darkness.

Styria: Hanns Schell (summit) Herbert Zefferer (summit) Robert Schauer (summit) Lieselotte Schell Helmut Prevedel Bavaria: Karl Hub “God, please let me get up there and back down again safely!”

(Herbert Zefferer, most heartfelt wish, which was also fulfilled)

Nanga Parbat 1976 8,125 metres The Nanga Parbat has always had the reputation of a “death mountain” due to its ascension history. The new route attempted by the Styrians was objectively dangerous, but the flexibility of the small team and the courage to spend the night in snow caves and an exposed bivouac at an altitude of over 7,500 metres led to the success of this expedition. The route was named “Schell-Route” after the expedition leader.

Styria: Hanns Schell (summit) Siegfried Gimpel (summit) Gerhardt Mayer Robert Schauer (summit) Hilmar Sturm (summit) “... it’d be a dream to get on that mound!”

(Hanns Schell’s wishful thinking, which came true in the end)

Raum 6 Die ersten steirischen Versuche am Mount Everest (8.848 Meter) 1971 First Styrian Attempts on Mount Everest (8,848 metres) 1971 First Styrian to try his hand at the highest mountain in the world in 1971 was the army mountain guide Leo Schlömmer from Bad Mitterndorf.

He had already proven himself on the most difficult mountain faces of the Alps and had made quite the name for himself. Among other things, he developed the „Direttissima“ (way of the falling drop) climbing route on the southern Dachstein face together with Peter Perner from Ramsau, one of the toughest climbing routes.

In 1970, this roped party managed to complete the twentieth ascent on the famous “Nose” route of El Capitan in the North American Yosemite Valley.

In the following year of 1971, Leo Schlömmer was able to join a largescale international expedition led by famous expedition leader Norman Dyhrenfurth. The goal: The first climb through the 2,500 meters high, highly difficult Mount Everest southwest face. The 32-member team was designed to make the idea of a multinational expedition to the highest mountain in the world a success. Another objective was also to climb the west ridge directly for the first time, which tragically led to one participant’s death.

After a long struggle and fast

differences of opinion within the team, they finally managed to reach a height of 8,350 metres via the southwest face. The climb was enormously difficult, the logistical challenges barely solvable and furthermore, the assembled team of several highranking mountaineers was constantly infighting. There were arguments and the expedition was cancelled.

Three other Styrians who were tried and tested, Adi Huber, Adi Weissensteiner and Peter Perner, experienced a similar fate on the same route in 1972. They participated in an expedition organised by Karl Maria Herrligkoffer, an experienced but also controversial expedition leader from Munich. His team also selected 20 of the best alpinists from Germany, Austria and Great Britain in order to be successful. On the mountain, however, the opposite was the case, as constant rivalry prevailed between the British and the Austrians. When Adi Huber, together with the Tyrolean Felix Kuen, finally had the wall and the ridge behind him and a summit ascent seemed possible, an abrupt change of weather put a spoke in their wheel.

Doug Scott and Dougal Haston, as part of a purely British expedition lead by Sir Chris Bonington, finally conquered the southwest face of Mount Everest for the first time in 1975.

A View of the Grimming The Grimming (2,351 metres), once called “Mons maximus et altissimus Styriae”, majestically dominates the valley in Trautenfels. It has challenged mountaineers to try their hand at the walls and ridges since the 19th century. Ascents and crossings in extreme winter conditions often served training purposes to prepare for the highest summits in the world.

Robert Schauer has also developed personal enthusiasm for the steeply rising massif since his youth. A summer ascent was followed by a two-day winter crossing that served as preparation for the first Karakoram expedition in 1974. He and his partner Alois Furtner gained important knowledge that proved to be invaluable on the “roof of the world”.

Mount Everest 1978 8,848 metres The two Styrians Hanns Schell and Robert Schauer took part in a grand expedition in order to climb the highest summit in the world. Robert Schauer arrived early to help with the preparations and the securing of the Khumbu Icefall, as well as expanding the chain of camps. Once the entire expedition team had arrived at base camp, small teams formed and tried to reach the summit individually.

This tactic resulted in a high success rate. Apart from the fact that, for the

first time, Austrians had reached the summit of Mount Everest, Messner and Habeler managed to climb Mount Everest for the first time without artificial oxygen, which many had previously thought impossible.

Styria: Hanns Schell Robert Schauer (summit) South Tyrol: Reinhold Messner (summit) Tyrol: Wolfgang Nairz (summit) Josl Knoll Horst Bergmann (summit) Heli Hagner Raimund Margreiter Peter Habeler (summit) Franz Oppurg (summit) Vorarlberg: Oswald Ölz (summit) “... the third pole is not the end of the world” (Robert Schauer)

Die Last der Last: Gestern und Heute Heavy Weighs the Load: Yesterday and Today During the course of a classic expedition, every alpinist and the Sherpas carry hundreds of kilos of material and equipment from the base camp to the higher camps.

The backpacks used for this purpose usually have special carrying racks in order to transport the load ergonomically and thus save energy.

Due to developments in functionality and therefore reduced weight of the entire equipment in the last decades, these heavy loads were able to be “relieved”.

With small teams pursuing their goals in Alpine style, the chances of success have increased significantly.

Estimated weight comparison: 1970s Frame backpacks “Kelty-Bag” (60 lt.) with typical content = 16 kg since 2010 Mammut “Trion Zip” (42 lt.) with the same content = 12 kg

Erste Österreichische MountEverest-Expedition 1978 Profil der bis dahin erfolgsreichsten Gruppe First Austrian Mount Everest Expedition 1978 Profile of the Hitherto Most Successful Group 25 years after the first conquest of the world’s highest peak, Austrian climbers also wanted to reach this coveted destination for the first time. The Austrian Mount Everest Expedition 1978, which was under the patronage of the Austrian Alpine Club, was organised and led by Wolfgang Nairz from Innsbruck.

In comparison to the previous trips abroad and small Styrian expeditions in the 1960s and 1970s, it was a large undertaking in the style of national expeditions that had been organised until then. While these earlier expeditions had the declared goal to put at least one participant on the summit to celebrate a success, Wolfgang Nairz put together the participants in small rope teams, each of which would have the opportunity to reach the summit. A very ambitious goal indeed, as 13 expedition participants were potential contenders to reach the “Third Pole” – as the summit of Mount Everest with 8,848 metres is also called.

The strategy proved successful and a total of nine expedition participants were able to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Robert Schauer from Graz with his rope partner Ang Phu from Nepal as well as Wolfgang Nairz and cameraman Horst Bergmann, both from Innsbruck, were the

first Austrians to stand on the highest point of the Earth on 3rd May 1978.

Only five days later, the South Tyrolean Reinhold Messner and his long-time rope partner Peter Habeler from Tyrol were the first men ever to prove that climbing at such heights is possible without using artificial oxygen.

Together with the Vorarlberg altitude specialist Oswald Ölz, Reinhard Karl reached the summit a few days later as the first German ever to set foot on the highest point of the Earth.

Finally, on 14th May 1978, the Tyrolean Franz Oppurg completed the success story when he managed to reach the summit alone from the highest camp at 8,500 metres after his partner Josl Knoll from Innsbruck had to turn back due to a faulty oxygen device.

Thus, despite the extraordinary success, some disappointed participants returned home without experiencing “peak happiness”. Comforted by the knowledge that that all of them were able to leave the mountain unscathed, they began their journey home.

Expedition participants: Tyrol: Wolfgang Nairz, Josl Knoll, Horst Bergmann, Heli Hagner, Raimund Margreiter, Peter Habeler Vorarlberg: Oswald Ölz South Tyrol: Reinhold Messner

Styria: Hanns Schell, Robert Schauer Germany: Reinhard Karl Nepal: Ang Phu Additional participants: Werner Kopacka (journalist of the Kronen Zeitung newspaper) Eric Jones (film team) Leo Dickinson (film team) Dawa Nuru Sherpa (high-altitude camp carrier)

Room 7 Neue Herausforderungen an den Bergen der Welt New Challenges on the Mountains of the World In the late 1970s, a new era began: The summits of the eight-thousanders had already been climbed several times, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler had ascended Mount Everest without bottled oxygen, and “highaltitude tourism” began on the established “normal routes” 20 years later. Agencies organised expeditions, offered high-altitude camping and material logistics, all bookable as a package deal. Participation in commercial guided expeditions became a consumer service. At the same time, however, new and extreme developments began to unfold in genuine top-class alpinism.

While in the 1950s, it was highly time-consuming and difficult to organise expeditions in order to even attempt to climb an eight-thousander, a mountaineering elite had developed since the 1970s that was undertaking large and technically difficult ascents every year. “Had someone claimed back then that one and the same person would stand on top of all eight-thousanders, he would have been called a Utopian,” the famous expedition leader Fritz Moravec of the Austrian Himalaya Society wrote retrospectively.

It is not only a desired target to

“collect” all eight-thousanders, however, even the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of all continents, are set as the declared goal. Various styles are also developing: Especially the use of bottled oxygen is seen as one of the basic decisions to make, another the question of which route to take up a high mountain.

On the “normal routes”, which are increasingly equipped with fixed ropes, a race for the best time has begun. Off these “beaten tourist paths”, mountaineers try to find and open technically highly difficult and sometimes objectively dangerous new routes.

At present, one declared goal of the “elite” is to ascend an eightthousander in winter. To date, all eight thousand except the K2 with 8,611 metres have been climbed in the most adverse conditions and great cold in winter. Only a few succeeded in such an undertaking and many even lost their lives. It is a special challenge that is often linked to questions around the meaning of life.

Gasherbrum 4-Westwand Keine Worte, nur Emotionen – vier Tage lang!

Gasherbrum IV West Face No Words, Just Emotions – for Four Days!

In 1985, following some successful expeditions to eight-thousanders, Robert Schauer wanted to make a long-cherished dream come true: to open the first route through the 3,000-metre-high and mighty west face of Gasherbrum 4. In pure alpine style with a rope partner, they set off, carrying everything they needed in their backpacks. No camp chain, no help from carriers – a method that the best mountain climbers, past and present, try to follow on high and difficult mountains.

Day 1 Voitek Kurtyka from Poland and I start on the “Shining Wall”. No one before us has climbed all the way up, only a few had dared to try. Even the summit of the 7,925-metre-high Gasherbrum 4 was first reached over one of the ridges in 1958.

In perfect weather, we enter a long and steep ice corridor. By the first evening, we already have almost half of the wall below us. There, we are bivouacking with the great hope of reaching the summit ridge in two to three days.

Day 2 Big technical climbing difficulties slow down our progress, mostly due to

brittle rock covered with a thin layer of snow. We have to concentrate hard on climbing and belaying, and later reach a very narrow bivouac site. Voytek and I spend the night 30 metres apart. Our slow progress on this day causes us to worry about not achieving our goal as quickly as hoped.

Day 3 Again, this day begins with difficulties, because the rock is still brittle, and it is hardly possible to mount solid nuts or pitons. Since we are no longer on schedule, we start rationing the food.

I hope that the steep ice ravines in the upper wall section are as good as those at its foot so we can reach the summit ridge faster and gain time again.

Day 4 Wrong! We move slowly, only 150 metres in 12 hours, and the point of return is definitely way behind us. The way down would be far too dangerous.

The only way is up – and that worries me. The flight upward often leads into a hopeless trap.

Days 5 & 6 In the uppermost section of the wall – contrary to all expectations – deep snow on the rocks prevents faster progress. The high altitude takes a lot out of us, but the lack of food and liquids is now even worse. Since we also lack gas for the cooker, we have nothing left to drink. We suck snow to get some liquid, but the cold and dry air is rough on our mucous membranes.

The side effects of exhaustion are noticeable in addition to the slowly changing weather.

Days 7 & 8 We are sitting in the bivouac sack on a small ledge that we have cleared in the ice. A storm is raging around us that makes it impossible to move forward.

It is gruelling, because there are “only” about 200 vertical metres left to the top of the wall by the north ridge. I do not sleep, I fantasise about food, warmth and company – hallucinations that give me a sense of security. I can only hope that the weather improves, that we “wake up” and make same headway, otherwise it’s over!

Day 9 Fortunately, in the morning, the sun slowly penetrates the dense fog. Soon after, we take turns tracking to the ridge and stand at about 7,800 metres, our highest point. No reason to cheer.

It is clear that we will no longer be able to climb the few metres to the presummit and over the summit ridge to the highest point. We are practically at the end of our tether.

The descent is gruelling. We are climbing cautiously, and I hope to find the right route. There is no panic, everything runs smoothly and concentrated. We are aware that now, every step down counts. The possibility of actually surviving this adventure gives us wings. Nevertheless, hallucinations intervene again, and confused thoughts accompany us

on our way. It’s getting dark, so we’ll have to spend another night in this terrible cold.

Day 10 At first light, we descend further on the north ridge. For acclimatisation, we had climbed this route before up to this point and deposited sweets and a gas cartridge in a crevice. More by accident, I find the place again and we finally have something to drink. Slowly, we get a grip of reality again, our minds become a little clearer, and after reaching the base camp, we are just happy to be alive.

The Skyrunner Christian Stangl Christian Stangl grew up in the Gesäuse mountains and has been an enthusiastic mountaineer since a teenager. He has made a name for himself not just in his homeland Austria, especially as a rock climber.

Difficult routes, solo sessions and winter climbs shaped him, but also required him to develop exceptional physical fitness and mental strength – characteristics that would soon be important for his later destinations on the mountains of the world.

Shishapangma 1998 After his first trip to the Andes with rope partner Wolfgang Göschl, it was time for the pair to tackle one of the objectively most dangerous

mountains in the world: Baintha Brakk (7,285 metres), also known as the Ogre, in the Karakoram mountains of Pakistan. Because of a broken leg caused by an ice avalanche, the injured Stangl had to abort the expedition. Similarly ambitious goals followed, before the pair decided to tackle a really high mountain, the eight-thousander Shishapangma, for the first time in 1998.

However, they decided not to follow the normal route from camp to camp but try the ascent in so-called alpine style where everything needed on the mountain is carried by the person or in the backpack. The mountaineer can move “freely” and, more importantly, on his own. Stangl, however, miscalculated, taking much longer than planned and having to manage the last three days without food and water. Nevertheless, he reached the summit via the south wall.

Cho Oyu 2001 After two unsuccessful attempts at the Karakoram peaks Gasherbrum I and II, Stangl was again able to conquer the Cho Oyu, an eightthousander, in the alpine style, again on his own. During these expeditions, he also learned that this kind of mountaineering is very risky.

Spending time on the high mountains also means being exposed to all kinds of hazards. Therefore, Stangl increasingly developed into a speed climber – the Skyrunner.

K2 2008 What followed has made alpine history! Stangl wanted to double up and climb the second-highest mountains of all continents as well.

Several times, this ambition led him to probably the most difficult eightthousander, the K2. After attempts in 2008 and 2009, what followed in 2010 was probably the biggest negative media attention in his career: the K2 lie! He claimed to have stood alone on the summit of the K2 and submitted two photos to prove it. These photos, however, aroused suspicion and other mountaineers on site did not believe his success story.

With his later confession of not having reached the highest point on K2, his image took a heavy blow, comparable to a media “campaign”.

K2 2012 It was assumed that Stangl would disappear from the international “alpine stage” after such a disgrace.

When he actually reached the summit of the K2 in 2012 without artificial oxygen and proved this with solid evidence, this was only worth a side note to many media outlets.

Completing his most ambitious goal – climbing the Triple Seven Summits, the third-highest mountains on all continents, in 2013 – earned him an entry in the Guinness World Records.

Gerfried Göschl Too Big the Goals, too Short a Life The Göschl children were born into a family with a passion for expedition mountaineering. Father Rainer had managed the first ascent of some seven-thousanders in the Karakoram in the 1960s. One of his two sons, Wolfgang, was a rope partner of Christian Stangl on many mountains in the world, whereas initially, his brother Gerfried was not really interested in high-altitude mountaineering. His activities only began after leaving university, and by 1999, the “Göschl Trio” were on their first expedition together. In 2002, the two brothers were already on their first eight-thousander, the Cho Oyu (8,201 metres), followed

by Gasherbrum II (8,035 metres) in 2003. While Wolfgang Göschl and his father Rainer gradually renounced the eight-thousanders, Gerfried began to develop a certain ambition for it.

Shishapangma & Mount Everest Solo 2005 In order to undertake expeditions and to use infrastructure for larger projects, Gerfried Göschl started his career as an expedition leader.

The first trip he organised led to Shishapangma (8,027 metres) in Tibet.

The idea was to use the successful ascent of this eight-thousander as an intermediate stage and for acclimatisation before climbing Mount Everest. The Shishapangma

ascent went according to plan, but on Mount Everest he suffered first setbacks. Later, Gerfried Göschl was actually able to reach the highest point in the world without bottled oxygen in a solo ascent over the existing chain of camps.

Nanga Parbat – Traces for Eternity 2009 Gerfried Göschl had gained a lot of knowledge on alpine-historical conditions which he wanted to use to open new routes. In 2009, he organised a Nanga Parbat ascent, using the expedition to open an additional new route through the Diamir flank to the summit. However, the expedition participant Wolfgang Kölblinger slipped and fell during the descent and disappeared into the depths – a drop of bitterness in this successful expedition.

Hidden Peak in Winter 2012 Back in 2011, Gerfried Göschl had tried to climb Gasherbrum I (or the Hidden Peak, 8,080 metres) in winter.

Winter ascents of eight-thousanders are the hardest discipline in alpinism, but one of the last ways to set world records. Although he did not manage to reach the summit in 2011, the experience he gained was significant.

In July 2012, he then managed to reach the summit of Gasherbrum I under “normal” circumstances. This expedition was connected to another destination: In the winter of 2012, Gerfried knew

the mountain well enough to not only plan an ascent, but to also try a winter ascent of an eight-thousander on a new route for the first time in history.

Together with Nisar Hussain from Pakistan and Cedric Hählen from Switzerland, he started his journey in icy temperatures via the established chain of camps. Subsequently, a hopeful radio message was sent to the crew in the base camp from a few hundred metres below the summit.

Success seemed within arm’s reach despite extremely low temperatures and stormy weather. A few hours later, another radio message followed which caused great confusion.

After that, silence – the team around Gerfried Göschl has been considered missing ever since. What exactly happened is likely to remain a mystery forever.

“Mountain Film“ The opening of summits has been documented extensively, from the royal painters of Archduke Johann of Austria in the 19th century, to photography and film, to videographers and digitisation in the 21st century.

Films with alpine themes have high information and entertainment value.

The emotional gravity of the great alpine adventures is often conveyed in a very moving way. The importance for mountaineers to have cameras with them has grown today, and their further technical development and the urge for tangible proof has made them into a ubiquitous instrument for documentation.

The film festival “Mountainfilm Graz”, founded by Robert Schauer in 1986, is dedicated to this genre and awards the “Grand Prix Graz” to the best film each November. www.mountainfilm.com Der Mensch in großer Höhe Humans at High Altitude At over 7,000 metres above sea level, humans face a highly hostile environment: The weather conditions are extreme and the oxygen content of the air very low. Although humans can tolerate these altitudes for a short time, they could never settle there, as this

environment his highly dangerous for the human organism. To some extent, however, our body can adapt to the low oxygen saturation in the blood.

This process is called acclimatisation.

What Happens Inside the Body When Adjusting to High Altitude?

At first, the body tries to compensate for the lack of oxygen by increasing the respiratory rate.

The pulse rate also increases, and this initiates the actual adjustment.

The proportion of red blood cells that carry oxygen increases and blood becomes more viscous. Only three to four weeks after the compensation process, which can only happen at high altitudes, is the acclimatisation process completed and the body adjusted for three to four weeks. In any case, a permanent stay leads to massive physical degradation and subsequently to death.

How can the Acclimatisation Process be Influenced?

Time is one of the most important factors in acclimatisation. The more time there is to slowly acclimatise, the better the body can adapt to the lack of oxygen. A slow pace is therefore appropriate when ascending.

Furthermore, it is important to drink a lot during this phase to help the body adapt, while carbohydrate-rich food provides the necessary energy.

In addition, it is essential to pay attention to certain symptoms: Do I get a headache? Does the headache

disappear overnight? How does my resting heart rate behave? Mutual observation among team members is just as important: Does my climbing partner have breathing problems or swelling in the face? Is he/she talking confused and out of context?

Meteorology

What is Altitude Sickness and What are its Consequences?

The term “altitude sickness” refers to the symptoms of hypoxia: Most notably, these are headache, dizziness, loss of appetite or, subsequently, pulmonary or cerebral oedema. Hypoxia is also associated with side effects such as an increased risk of frostbite and thrombosis.

There is hardly a sport where the weather is so crucial to success and failure as is the case with mountaineering. While it is possible to physically prepare well and put together the appropriate equipment, athletes are exposed to the whims of nature in the mountains – but are not completely at its mercy. Dividing the route into stages based on a good weather forecast can contribute to the achievement of the defined goals.

What are Treatments for Altitude Sickness?

The best and most effective treatment of all forms of “acute altitude sickness” is increased intake of oxygen, either by descent or transport to lower altitudes or with bottled oxygen. In any case, affected people must reach an oxygen level to which the body has already been acclimated.

A hyperbaric bag – also sometimes called a “Gamow Bag” – is in principle a portable, inflatable pressure bag that can improve altitude sickness by simulating a lower altitude. In order to recover fundamentally, it may take a few days in lower-altitude valleys.

Entscheidungsfaktor Wetterbericht und die Prognose am “Dach der Welt” Meteorology Decision Factor Weather Report and the Forecast for the “Roof of the World“

Weather Forecasts in the Early Days In the 1950s, it was common practice to have the weather forecast for one’s own expedition transmitted once a day via the regional longwave radio stations. It sounded like something along the lines of: “... and now the weather forecast for the Austrian Karakoram expedition!“ However, the information provided was not very specific. Mountaineers were largely dependent on their own weather observations on site and on the altimeter, which showed the pressure differences in the air.

Experienced alpinists were able to draw conclusions based on these measurements, but not always the correct ones. In this way, an

important decision often turned into a question of luck!

Predicting the weather for specific regions of the world has improved tremendously over the last 50 years due to technological advances. The accuracy rate of a 5-day forecast in the 1970s was still 30% – and was therefore hardly better than simply guessing. Today, such predictions are highly reliable, especially the information on large-scale tendencies.

If an accurate weather report for a specific summit day is needed via satellite phone, Austrian alpinists turn to a very experienced man: Dr Karl “Charly” Gabl. For decades, the Innsbruck meteorologist and mountain guide has provided and supported the most important national and international expeditions with detailed weather forecasts. This has certainly contributed significantly to successful summit ascensions, but perhaps also helped prevent possible disasters.

Weather Phenomena When climbing high mountains, mountaineers venture into an unprotected space in which weather phenomena are perceived much more strongly: Storms, precipitation, cold, but also heat have a more intensive effect on the human organism.

Wind speeds around 140 km/h in the summit regions of the Karakoram and Himalayan eight-thousanders are

not uncommon both in winter and summer. In extreme circumstances, socalled jet streams can reach speeds of around 260 km/h! The air temperature is usually between -30°C and -45°C – a temperature that is difficult to protect oneself against, especially as perceived temperature is usually much colder due to the “wind chill factor”. At a wind speed of 45 km/h, a temperature of -35°C feels like -55°C to the human body, which makes it very likely that frostbite will occur.

Stable summer days are warmer on the highest mountains in the world.

Summit ascents are possible in these few weather windows. With nocturnal temperature drops and in case of sudden bad weather, it cools down very quickly to about -40°C. Furthermore, heat is also a great burden on the body, especially in connection with the high UV radiation.

It is crucial to protect the skin in these cases, as “good weather” is not always a blessing. The planned ascent, in which the mountaineer’s full strength is required, should therefore not be attempted in the midday heat.

Jet Stream Along the latitudes of our planet there are compensatory movements between different temperature regions or high- and low-pressure areas. These are the strongest naturally occurring winds, but they are very reliable and stable over several days compared to other weather phenomena. If a so-called jet stream

prevails, strong winds can be expected that may prevent ascending to higher mountain regions.

Monsoon Essentially, the monsoon is a wind system, but it is mainly known for the humid air masses that it carries from the Indian Ocean across the Indian subcontinent. The result is heavy rainfall that even reaches the Himalayan mountain chain in the north. While an average of 8 mm (= 8 litres per square metre) of rainfall can be expected in the dry months, this amount increases to 200 mm between June and August – in June even to over 300 litres per square metre. For this reason, there are two ascent periods in the Everest region and the Himalayas: The pre-monsoon season from April to the end of May and the post-monsoon season from late August to mid-October.

Room 8 Flash-Expedition In 21 Tagen auf das Dach der Welt Flash Expedition In 21 Days on the Roof of the World In 2018, Reinhold and Philipp Pucher from Trofaiach were among the first “tourist alpinists” to participate in a “flash expedition” to Mount Everest.

The Tyrolean mountain guide and travel agency manager Lukas Furtenbach, who developed this format, offers it to welloff, well-prepared mountaineers with limited time resources.

The basic idea is to prepare the body long before leaving for high altitude regions. For this purpose, acclimatisation already takes place at home in a special tent that simulates the low oxygen saturation of the mountain air. Therefore, on the mountain itself, less time needs to be spent in the base camp and the risk of altitude-related illnesses or “cabin fever” at camp is reduced.

The first weather forecast window can theoretically be used to start a first summit attempt, provided that the entire ascent route is already set up with fixed ropes and high camps.

Reinhold and Philipp Pucher were able to reach the summit of Mount Everest 21 days after their departure from Austria.

This form of mountaineering was criticised by many, arguing that this had nothing at all to do with a conventional “expedition”. In fact, the

highest mountains in the world as coveted alpinist targets have changed dramatically over the past 25 years.

This raises the question of whether an “expedition” on these mountains in the traditional sense is still possible.

Looking back in time, the summits of the Alps at the turn of the century were in the focus of alpinist commercial “utilisation”. It is therefore only logical that this is now happening in the Himalayas to an increasing extent, as climbing them has become much easier due to the rapid development of today’s technology. However, those who choose their targets on the “roof of the world” based on holistic alpine experience developed over years can be distinguished clearly from the majority of tourists.

Could there still be “Real” Expeditions today?

About 50 years ago, all eightthousanders were conquered. Each of these peaks can be reached via a more or less difficult route, and every year, many climbers try their luck. Meanwhile, a tourist-oriented commercial infrastructure has been developed and permanently established on the world’s highest mountains. Anyone can join an expedition if they book the offer and pay the indicated prices. But can these trips really be called expeditions? There are hardly any undiscovered spots left on the map:

no high unclimbed mountains or walls that would justify an expedition in the traditional sense.

Today’s mountaineering generation has a hard time finding any meaningful new goals in the mountains of the world. Nevertheless, there are still (!) areas where one can experience adventure in the sense of an expedition, alone amidst overwhelming and magnificent nature. One must actively go on search for them though, as expedition adventures are not listed in a catalogue. The generation of active summiteers from the 1950s to the 1980s experienced the luxury of climbing unexplored peaks long before commercial offers became popular.

Concepts of space and time have today developed in opposite directions in modern society. Much is subordinate to the dictate of “instant satisfaction”. Today’s abundance of possible experiences leads to a lack of space and ideas for real adventures!

In the spirit of Archduke Johann of Austria, every sentient person can challenge himself or herself, tackling difficult routes and experiencing real summit intoxication, far away from the “roof of the world“: in Styria!

“The tourist destroys what he seeks by finding it!”

(Hans Magnus Enzensberger)

Heinrich Harrer Ein bewegtes Leben Heinrich Harrer A Wild Life Heinrich Harrer (1912 – 2006) gained particular prominence as one of the first climbers of the North Face of the Eiger1 as well as with his book “Seven Years in Tibet” and its film adaptation.

In it, he describes his adventurous escape with Peter Aufschnaiter from a British internment camp in India to Lhasa, where he became personal adviser to the young Dalai Lama. He participated in numerous expeditions and published a number of works.

In 1962, he succeeded in his first ascent of the Carstensz Pyramid (4,884 metres) in the west of New Guinea, the highest peak of the Australian plate. Among other ventures, he founded a ski school on the Tauplitzalm Alpine chalet, where he also worked as an innkeeper.

Harrer is still considered one of the pioneers who spread Tibetan culture in the West, both in terms of the reception of Buddhism and the political situation in the country.

His Nazi past, as with many of his contemporaries, is still discussed today. Several films depict his life, and the Heinrich Harrer Museum was established in Hüttenberg in 1983.

From 21st to 24th July 1938, he succeeded in climbing the North Face of the Eiger together with Anderl Heckmair, Fritz Kasparek and Ludwig Vörg. The four successful mountaineers were then received by Adolf Hitler and given a photo with a personal dedication.

1

The activities and entanglements of Heinrich Harrer with Nzis were researched in advance of the film Seven Years in Tibet (1997). Above all, the journalist and author Gerald Lehner has dealt with it in several articles and radio contributions.

Heinrich Harrer joined the Sturmabteilung (SA) underground paramilitary group in October 1933, and became a member of the Schutzstaffel (SS) on 1st April 1938.

As of 1st May, he was a member of the Nazi Party and later sports inspector of the SS in the rank of SSOberscharführer.

Alpinismus und Expeditionen in der Zeit des Nationalsozialismus Alpinism and Expeditions in the Nazi Era The 1920s and 1930s are marked by an unprecedented idealisation of alpinism by the Nazi party.

Despite their liberal tradition, the German and Austrian Alpine Clubs gradually became a mouthpiece of German nationalist ideas, leading almost seamlessly into National Socialism. Despite the resistance of some functionaries and members, the exclusion of Jewish mountaineers took place well before the Nazis rose to power in Germany and Austria. What followed was a stark dissociation from the socialdemocratic Friends of Nature club and in particular from foreign clubs.

Many officials propagated mountaineering in youth work for the military and combat readiness of the (male) population. As the only mountain sports club in Nazi Germany, the Alpine Club’s organisation was finally incorporated into the fabric of the regime. The clubs have dealt extensively with their history and published the book “BERG HEIL! Alpenverein und Bergsteigen 19181945” (Mountain Hail! The Alpine Club and Mountaineering 19181945) in 2011, a cooperation of the German, Austrian and South Tyrolian Alpine Clubs.

Mountaineering served as military training and an ideal stage for displaying “Nordic” toughness and masculinity. Several expeditions to Tibet, however, also specifically served Nazi racial ideology and war preparations. Thus, two expeditions were sent to Tibet to prove that the “Aryan master race” originated in the Himalayas and to find ancient crops and especially resistant breeds of horses.

Heinrich Harrer’s enthusiasm for Tibet can be interpreted as a continuation of the esoterically disguised Nazi fascination with Tibet.

Texts for the special exhibition Peak Pioneers!

Styrian Expeditions to the Roof of the World Schloss Trautenfels Universalmuseum Joanneum 13th April to 31st October 2019 4th April to 31st October 2020 27th March to 31st October 2021 Curated by Robert Schauer Assisted by Matthias Aberer Design: Michi Pletz - VONNEBENAN In cooperation with: Schell Collection Graz Texts: Schloss Trautenfels Translation: Y`plus Graphics concept: and design: Lichtwitz – Büro für visuelle Kommunikation Layout: Michi Pletz - VONNEBENAN