| Kurt Diemberger | |
|---|---|
Kurt Diemberger in 2005 |
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| Nationality | Austrian |
| Occupation | Mountaineer |
Kurt Diemberger (March 16, 1932 in Austria) is an accomplished Austrian mountaineer and author of several books.
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As of 2008, Kurt Diemberger is the only remaining person alive that made the first ascents on two mountains over 8,000 metres. In 1957, he made the first ascent of Broad Peak and in 1960, the first ascent of Dhaulagiri.[1] Diemberger was also the last person to see Hermann Buhl alive before he fell through a cornice on Chogolisa.[2] This attempt to climb Chogolisa was illegal and subsequently Diemberger was banned from entering Pakistan for an extended period of time.
Diemberger was one of only two survivors in the 1986 K2 Disaster. On August 4, 1986, Diemberger and Julie Tullis reached the summit of K2 very late in the day. Shortly after starting their descent, Tullis fell and dragged Diemberger down with her. Fortunately, they somehow stopped from going over the edge and spent the night above 8,000 metres. They managed to reach Camp IV the next day, where they were forced to share a tent with six other climbers after their tent had collapsed from hurricane force winds. Unfortunately, Tullis died later that night, possibly from high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and only one other climber, Austrian Willi Bauer, survived the descent with Diemberger.[3] Both climbers suffered severe frostbite during the descent and had to undergo amputations to heal from the ordeal.
Diemberger is still active in the mountaineering world and works on film projects with his daughter.
Diemberger has written the following books: