The Wall of Life and Death Summary and Analysis

On August 5, 1952, Austrian climbers Erich Vanis, Hans Ratay, and Karl Lugmayer arrived at the North Face. The next day, they climbed to the Ramp and bivouacked in the rain, which turned to snow in the night. They proceeded in the snow, but on the Ice Bulge, they met an avalanche. Then, they made a bad choice and had to retrace their steps and bivouac. Despite Lugmayer being hit with a stone, they made the summit the next day, bivouacking on their way down.

Karl Blach returned to the North Face and offered to guide Jürgen Wallenkamp and Bernd Huber as far as the Difficult Crack. However, when they started, Huber was feeling unwell. Blach took his place, and by 1 p.m., Blach and Wallenkamp were at the Ramp. They stopped...