Kurt Diemberger
Kurt Diemberger is the only living mountaineer who climbed two eight--thousanders for the very first time. 1957 he vanquished with Hermann Buhl and two other companions the Broad Peak (8047 m), without supplementary oxygen or high altitude porters. With a team from Switzerland, again without supplementary oxygen he made the first ascent of the Dhaulagiri - one of the last virgin eight-thousander (in 1960). After a break of 18 years, which brought him to different places in the world – travels, exploration, expeditions, and adventures – he felt an urge to return to the highest summit of the world: In spring 1978 he reaches the Malaku (8481 m) – in autumn the Everest (8850 m)!
Photographer, filmmaker and winner of the American EMMMY
Kurt Diemberger reaches the Gasherbrum II (8035 m) in the following season. And finally after 27 years of the first ascent on the Broad Peak, he conquers it once more … This time Karl is accompanied by Julie Tullis, with whom in 1983 he founded the “highest film team of the world” on the K2. Their common ambition was to bring the experience of the big mountains closer to the people.
Earlier he travelled as mountain photographer in many countries where he held lectures, shoot the highest talkie scenes on the summit of the Everest with the French and was awarded the EMMY for his documentary about the first experiment of the difficult east-face of the mountain.
The globetrotter on extreme tour on the highest summits of the world
Rarely he’s at home in Salzburg (or Bologna), because he spends most of his time in the Himalaya, in the jungle, in the desert or maybe in Greenland. He had written 5 books: „Gipfel und Gefährten – zwischen null und achttausend“, „Gipfel und Geheimnisse“ and „K2 – Traum und Schicksal“. The latter is an anecdote about 30 years under the symbol of the big mountain… about the loneliness of the Baltoro Glacier, which he experienced with Hermann Buhl… about how the K2 (8611) the “big crystal” – of magic beauty, but more dangerous and more difficult than the Everest - became his favorite mountain, and later also Julies: Together they arrive at 8000 m at the north face, the following year they try to climb it up over the Abruzzensporn, in vain.
Then in 1986, they reach the summit – but Julie died during the ascent in a storm – the biggest tragedy on this mountain (“K2 – Traum und Schicksal” was awarded the ITAS-Prize for the best mountain book in Trento in 1989 and the “golden Enzian” Prize)
Diemberger today
In Tashigang, a town in Tibet, Julie und Kurt shoot their film about the “place of luck” of the native – it was one of their best films. And Kurt today? Climbs up mountains, and continues their common purpose….In his new books he speaks about now and then: “AUFBRUCH INS UNGEWISSE“ (Piper-Malik), „DER SIEBTE SINN“ (AS-Verlag) and „SEILTANZ – Geschichten eines Lebens“ (Piper-Malik).
