Fritz Wintersteller
Climber whose ascent of Broad Peak in 1957 ushered in a new phase of Himalayan mountaineering
FRITZ WINTERSTELLER, who has died aged 90, made arguably the most important contribution to the first ascent, in 1957, of Broad Peak, which at 26,401ft (8,047 metres) is the world’s 12th highest mountain. It was an achievement which heralded a new phase in Himalayan mountaineering.
He was born Friedrich Franz Wintersteller on October 21 1927 in the village of Guggenthal, near Salzburg, and was introduced to the hills, as were his four brothers, at an early age – he climbed the 6,473ft (1,972m) Untersberg with his father at the age of six. (All five brothers became climbers, known as “the bulls” for their strength and stamina.)
By the time he was 13 Wintersteller had made several first ascents, but when he was 15 he broke his left leg during a mountain rescue training exercise. After the war ended in 1945 he studied electrical engineering and took a job with BP, remaining with them until his retirement.
Already a member of the Alpenverein (the Austrian alpine club), he became head of the Salzburg mountain rescue team and joined the local Edelweiss climbing club, where he met Marcus Schmuck.
The older man was impressed not only by Wintersteller’s climbing ability and stamina, but also by his calmness in difficult situations and his “feel” for the mountains, which allowed him to sense the best routes and the ideal spot for a camp site. In 1955 Schmuck added him to his team to explore the interior of Spitzbergen, where they made several first ascents.
Schmuck had become the partner of one of the greatest mountaineers, Hermann Buhl, the pair making several important ascents. They wanted to break new ground in the Himalayas by climbing with a small team, without high-altitude porters or supplementary oxygen.
They decided to make an attempt on Broad Peak, one of the few then unclimbed 8,000m peaks. Schmuck was appointed leader of the expedition, which led to a rift with Buhl.
Wintersteller and another young climber, Kurt Diemberger, were added to the team, but once in Pakistan, the problems caused by the leadership issue meant that Schmuck shared a tent with Wintersteller, and Buhl with Diemberger. It became clear that Buhl was not in the best of health or form and that Diemberger lacked the stamina needed for the exhausting work of trail-breaking.
Wintersteller was also in quiet competition with Buhl, who left the younger man unimpressed by his diva-like attitude. On the rare occasions when Buhl was breaking trail, Wintersteller would make a point by leaving the broken trail to carve his own parallel line, rapidly overtaking Buhl.
With the summit of Broad Peak apparently in sight, Schmuck waited for Buhl while Wintersteller continued to break trail to the top, with Diemberger in his wake. But before Schmuck and Buhl could follow, the weather changed and the team had to retreat.
Back at Base Camp, two issues occupied the team. Firstly, it was not clear if Wintersteller and Diemberger had reached the true summit as there appeared to be a further ridge rising to another peak. Second, Schmuck was annoyed that after all the work he and Wintersteller had put in, it might be the weakest team member (as Schmuck saw it) who would claim the summit. The expedition effectively split into two teams.
Schmuck and Wintersteller broke trail to the foot of the wall to Broad Col. Leaving a rope in place (to aid their companions and to safeguard the descent), Schmuck and Wintersteller climbed to the peak reached a few days earlier. From there they could see the true summit a few hundred metres along a ridge. They reached the summit and left 45 minutes later, meeting Diemberger, who was still ascending: he had left Buhl, who was climbing much more slowly but reached the top as the sun was setting.
After Broad Peak had been cleared of equipment the Austrians had time before the porters were due to arrive to help them return to civilisation, and Schmuck and Wintersteller decided to attempt an unclimbed 24,311ft peak at the head of a nearby glaciated valley (unnamed at the time, it is now known as Skil Brum). In just over 52 hours, from leaving Base Camp to returning, they completed an astonishing ascent which would not be improved upon for 20 years.
Perhaps piqued by the achievement, Buhl and Diemberger set off, despite the refusal of official permission, to climb Chogolisa. Retreating when the weather turned, Buhl moved on to a cornice in poor visibility. The cornice collapsed and he disappeared. His body was never recovered.
After Broad Peak, Wintersteller returned to work, continuing to climb as an amateur. Schmuck began a trekking business offering trips to distant summits, and Wintersteller climbed Mount Kenya, Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua on these.
He and Schmuck also climbed Mount Rainier in Washington state, after which he confined himself to the Alps. He continued to climb and hike into his seventies, then when his hips began to curtail his walking he took up cycling. Although he climbed almost all the Alpine 4000m peaks there was a handful of summits he did not reach. Asked why he had not completed the full set, he replied that the missing summits were of no beauty or interest.
Fritz Wintersteller is survived by his wife Helga, and by their son and daughter.
Fritz Wintersteller, born October 21 1927, died September 15 2018