Willy Merkl (6 October 1900 – 15/17 July 1934) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

mountain climber who is most notable for his attempt to lead a

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team up

Nanga Parbat Nanga Parbat ( ur, ) (; ), known locally as Diamer () which means “king of the mountains”, is the ninth-highest mountain on Earth, its summit at above sea level. Lying immediately southeast of the northernmost bend of the Indus River in ...

(the Naked Mountain) in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

in 1932. His team were known to be very experienced in

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and

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an mountain expeditions, but were unprepared for the trials of the Himalayas. Despite being forced to turn back, the team did make excellent progress and found a way through the

Rakhiot Peak Rakhiot Peak is a peak in the Himalayas range of the Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. It is one of the many subsidiary summits of the Nanga Parbat massif. Location It lies just south of the Indus River in the Diamer District. Not far to the north is t ...

and the main ridge.Mountaineering > Nanga Parbat. Hindu Kush Trails. http://www.hindukushtrails.com/mountaineering-nanga-parbat.php. June, 2012 In 1934 he led another expedition up the same mountain that proved to be fatal. Although this expedition was better prepared and financed by

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, due in large part to the Nazis' desire to symbolically 'conquer any peak', the weather proved too strong and overtook the climbers. On July 6, the team was at a good point to attempt the final stretch of the climb. Had the climbers set out right then, some could have likely been well on their way to the top. However, Merkl wanted the entire team to arrive at the same time, so they waited a day to rest the group, assuming all would be well. Instead, the next day saw the beginning of a snowstorm and blizzard that lasted for nine days. When it let up, Merkl, two other members of the team, and six

sherpa Sherpa may refer to: Ethnography * Sherpa people, an ethnic group in north eastern Nepal * Sherpa language Organizations and companies * Sherpa (association), a French network of jurists dedicated to promoting corporate social responsibility * ...

s were dead. It is apparent that their deaths had been slow and extremely arduous, caused by an extended exposure to cold and starvation. Merkl's frozen body, and that of Sherpa Gaylay, were found in 1938 after another German expedition stumbled upon the snow cave in which they had taken refuge. , Merkl's half-brother, initiated and then led the ''Willy-Merkl-Gedächtnisexpedition'', the 1953 German–Austrian Nanga Parbat expedition which was the first to reach the summit.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merkl, Willy 1900 births 1934 deaths German military personnel of World War I German mountain climbers Mountaineering deaths Sport deaths in Pakistan