Annals of Slander–Messner Fights Back…With a Fibula: Regular readers of TWC may remember the controversy over whether Reinhold Messner abandoned his brother Gunther on Nanga Parbat in 1970 (previous TWC story here (scroll down)). Brief summary: In a new book–The Naked Mountain—Messner claims his brother died in an avalanche as the two brothers descended the Diamir Face. Other expedition members are contradicting Messner, saying that he abandoned Gunther on the mountain so he could make the first traverse to the Diamir side. Lawsuits ensued. Now Outside Online reports that Messner has produced a fibula bone that was unearthed in 2000 at the base of the Diamir Face, and has submitted it for genetic testing. If it is Gunther’s it will support Messner’s claim that Gunther was with him after the summit, and on the descent to the Diamir Valley. The testing should take a month or so. This heated mountaineering spitball fight gets stranger and stranger. Stay tuned….



Funky Fibula: “Gunther, is this yours……?