Horst Fankhauser

For locals, Nepalese Mt. Ama Dablam (6,814 m / 22,356 ft) is a holy mountain, for many others at least the world’s most beautiful. In 1978 Peter Hillary together with three friends hopes to open its west face, but the mountaineers are hit by an ice avalanche. Reinhold Messner and Oswald Oelz happen to be climbing on the same mountain on a different route. They terminate their tour immediately and try to achieve the impossible: to save the New Zealanders. A race against time ensues…

On the 8th of May 1978, Peter Habeler becomes worldwide famous. Together with his roped partner Reinhold Messner, he is the first man to reach the summit of Mount Everest without using oxygen bottles. Among the masterpieces of this top mountaineer one can rank most difficult tours in the Wilder Kaiser mountain range, being the first European on the Big Walls in the Californian Yosemite Valley, the biggest ascent of the Eiger North Face, the first ascent of an 8000m peak in Alpine style and successful ascents on three further 8000m summits. For his 75th birthday, he has a big goal: he wants to climb again the wall, which has been a highlight of his alpine career: the Eiger North Face. Habeler wants to dare his new attempt together with his disciple, David Lama.

Feature documentary about mountaineering icon Reinhold Messner and how he became what he is. This film is as much about his personality as it is about his extraordinary exploits - the psycho-gram of a controversial mountaineer.