It was a devastating rumour that plagued one of the world's most celebrated alpinists for decades - that he had left his less experienced brother to die on the mountainside in a selfish bid to reach the summit of Nanga Parbat, in , back in 1970. While Italian Reinhold Messner, 77, had always insisted his sibling was swept away by an avalanche during their descent from the 26,660ft (8,126m) peak, known today as 'killer mountain', an air of suspicion followed him throughout his career. Much of the controversy came after two climbers who were on the same expedition - Hans Saler and Max von Kienlin - both wrote books in the early 2000s which accused Reinhold of abandoning his brother, Guenther Messner, after he became delirious and consumed by frostbite.
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