In 1953 Hermann Buhl made the first ascent of Nanga Parbat - the ninth-highest mountain in the world, and the third 8,000-metre peak to be climbed, following Annapurna and Everest. It was one of the most incredible and committed climbs ever made. Continuing alone and without supplementary oxygen, Buhl made a dash for the summit after his partners turned back. On a mountain that had claimed thirty-one lives, an exhausted Buhl waded through deep snow and climbed over technical ground to reach the summit, driven on by an 'irresistible urge'. After a night spent standing on a small ledge at over 8,000 metres, Buhl returned forty-one hours later, exhausted and at the very limit of his endurance. Written shortly after Buhl's return from the mountain, Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage is a classic of mountaineering literature that has inspired thousands of climbers. It follows Buhl's inexorable rise from rock climber to alpinist to mountaineer, until, almost inevitably, he makes his phenomenal Nanga Parbat climb. Buhl's book, and ascent, reminded everyone that, while the mountains could never be conquered, they could be climbed with sufficient enthusiasm, spirit and dedication.

Nanga Parbat, The Killer Mountain, is the ninth highest mountain in the world and second highest peak in Pakistan. The Sanskrit word parvata means mountain rocks and nanga means bare, in reference to the exposed rock buttresses of the south face.The north face is equally intimidating but in contrast to the south face's steep rock and ice, the snowy north face is guarded by a broad barrier of seracs that extend the width of the mountain.

A study of how Nanga Parbat, the ninth-highest peak on earth, became the German "mountain of the mind."

The story of Nanga Parbat is long and multifaceted. It was often personified as implacable and unapproachable. Attempts to climb it were made as early as the 19th century. Between the First and Second World Wars it was named the 'mountain of destiny for the Germans' and abused by National Socialist propaganda. The best mountaineers lost their lives in large numbers. In the 1950s, the decade of the first ascents of 8,000m peaks, "Nanga" also fell. Its first climber, the unforgettable Hermann Buhl, would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2024. This story from a long-forgotten time up to the days of modern mountaineering is dedicated to him.