Reinhold Messner returns to the place of memory of his brother Günther at Nanga Parbat

An emotional return on the trail of his own history and the memory of his brother Günther: Reinhold Messner climbed up to the rock in Pakistan from which, 56 years ago, the two brothers saw the imposing mass of Nanga Parbat (8,126 meters) in the distance for the first time.

The famous South Tyrolean mountaineer himself - who turns 82 today - documented the climb through a video and a message posted on his social profile. "Today I returned to the rock from which Günther and I saw Nanga Parbat in the distance for the first time. Today I climbed up there. This is where it all began. For me, Nanga Parbat has become much more than just a mountain", wrote Messner on social media.

The story linked to Nanga Parbat remains one of the most dramatic pages in world mountaineering: on 29 June 1970, after having conquered the summit, the two brothers began the descent along the opposite side, but during the crossing Günther tragically lost his life, overwhelmed by an ice avalanche.