As of: February 11, 2024, 6:16 a.m
By: Hannes Niemeyer
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On his expeditions, Reinhold Messner only narrowly escaped death - now the mountaineer revealed in "Ina's Night" how he wants to be buried.
The presenter looked away in disgust.
Hamburg – Those who climb the highest peaks in the world often live dangerously.
Reinhold Messner experienced this.
The mountaineering legend is the first person to climb all of the world's 8,000-meter peaks without oxygen.
An achievement that even got him into the Guinness Book of Records - although the entry was recently questioned by a “mountain chronicler”.
During his numerous expeditions, Messner has faced death time and again, as he reports.
In addition to all his successes, the mountaineer himself states that he also often failed.
He had to abandon a total of 13 expeditions on the way to an 8,000 meter summit, reveals Messner in the NDR program “Inas Nacht” during a red wine conversation with host Ina Müller.
Today he is happy to have failed every now and then.
The now 79-year-old South Tyrolean reveals that he “could have died” five times.
Müller also mentions that he has already arranged everything regarding inheritance and will for his death.
Then Messner reveals a special wish for his death - and it makes the presenter grimace.
Reinhold Messner wishes for a “burial in heaven” – when asked, Ina Müller looks away in disgust
Be burned?
In the ground in a coffin?
Not with Reinhold Messner.
“I want the sky burial,” reveals the mountaineer.
This form of burial is not exactly common in Europe.
Rather, it is a tradition from Central Asia that belongs to air burials.
It is said to be particularly widespread in Tibet and in the mountainous regions of the Himalayas.
Messner immediately explained on the NDR broadcast what this was about.
Reinhold Messner explains the sky burial in “Ina’s Night”.
Moderator Ina Müller is visibly disgusted.
© Screenshot ARD media library
“After about ten days, the dead body is prepared on an altar by a monk,” explains Messner.
“Every finger, every leg, every spinal vertebra, every rib” is then slashed.
“And then hundreds of huge vultures come flying down from the nearby mountains, they position themselves around the dead person until the monk gives access and then they attack the corpse and within a minute there is only the white skeleton left.”
A detailed description that causes Ina Müller to look away in disgust and then take a very deep sip of wine.
Messner's funeral wish with “hundreds of vultures” at “Ina's Night” – “clean, ecological”
Ina Müller mentions that it is at least fast.
Messner recognizes further advantages: “And clean, ecological”.
But the unusual-sounding ritual is far from over.
“Then the bones are crushed.
Nothing remains.
In the end, the skull is smashed, mixed with the brain matter and thrown to the vultures,” says Messner, describing the somewhat bizarre-looking spectacle.
Then the vultures rise into the sky: “They become dots and disappear, that’s why they are buried in the sky,” continues Messner – who then closes the circle: “The droppings fall from the sky, a plant grows below, an animal eats this plant Man eats the animal and in the end everything continues.”
However, there is still a problem with the matter, as Messner reports: “Since the EU has not allowed me to import these vultures, I have to let myself be burned,” explains the mountaineer – and the whole bar laughs.
The fans of the mountaineer - who recently spoke out in favor of further bear killings in Italy - will certainly have been pleased with the TV appearance.
It was only at the end of last year that Messner's words caused concern.
By the way: For Messner, the hiking program continues straight after the show.
As he reveals, he's going on tour again in the next few days - with former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
(han)