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{{Short description|Austrian mountain climber (1926-1959) who died on Cerro Torre, Argentina}}

{{Short description|Austrian mountain climber (1926-1959) who died on Cerro Torre, Argentina}}

”’Toni Egger”’ (12 September 1926 – 2 February 1959) was a prominent Austrian rock-climber and mountaineer, “one of the best climbers of his time”,<ref name=AAJ2004/> who made many significant ascents in the Dolomites, the western Alps, Turkey, and Peru.<ref name =NYT/>

”’Toni Egger”’ (12 September 1926 – 2 February 1959) was a prominent Austrian rock-climber and mountaineer, “one of the best climbers of his time”,<ref name=AAJ2004/> who made many significant ascents in the Dolomites, the western Alps, Turkey, and Peru.<ref name =NYT/>

==Early years==

==Early years==

Egger was born in the town of [[Bolzano]] in the [[South Tyrol]] on 12 September 1926. His father was a timber merchant from [[Mölten]], c. 20km north-west of Bolzano and his mother was from the settlement of Siebeneich in the [[Terlan]] area, a little closer to Bolzano. The family included Toni, 2 elder brothers and a younger sister, his parents and their predecessors had lived in the South Tyrol when it was part of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]], before the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye]] led to its annexation to Italy in 1919.<ref name=Douglas-Glass>{{cite book | title = The Magician’s Glass Character and fate: eight essays on climbing and the mountain life | date=2017| first = Ed| last = Douglas | isbn= 978-1911342489 |publisher =Vertebrate |chapter=Stealing Toni Egger |pages= 25-40 }}</ref>{{rp|page=36|style=ama}}

Egger was born in the town of [[Bolzano]] in the [[South Tyrol]] on 12 September 1926. His father was a timber merchant from [[Mölten]], c. 20km north-west of Bolzano and his mother was from the settlement of Siebeneich in the [[Terlan]] area, a little closer to Bolzano. The family included Toni, 2 elder brothers and a younger sister, his parents and their predecessors had lived in the South Tyrol when it was part of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]], before the [[Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1919)|Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye]] led to its annexation to Italy in 1919.<ref name=Douglas-Glass>{{cite book | title = The Magician’s Glass Character and fate: eight essays on climbing and the mountain life | date=2017| first = Ed| last = Douglas | isbn= 978-1911342489 |publisher =Vertebrate |chapter=Stealing Toni Egger |pages= 25-40 }}</ref>{{rp|page=36|style=ama}}

The [[South Tyrol Option Agreement]], which was struck between [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] and [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] in 1938 made life in the South Tyrol difficult for the German speaking Egger family and they moved to the Austrian [[East Tyrol]] where they settled in the village of [[Nußdorf-Debant]] just outside [[Lienz]].<ref name =Thenius/> When his eldest brother Franz was killed in the [[Battle of Monte Cassino]] Toni was still a teenager but he was himself [[Conscription|called up]] and served for a year in France, mainly at an airbase in the [[Ardennes]] before returning to Lienz.<ref name =Guardian/>

The [[South Tyrol Option Agreement]], which was between [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] and [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] in 1938 made life in the South Tyrol difficult for the German speaking Egger family and they moved to the Austrian [[East Tyrol]] where they settled in the village of [[Nußdorf-Debant]] just outside [[Lienz]].<ref name =Thenius/> his eldest brother Franz was killed in the [[Battle of Monte Cassino]] Toni was still a teenager but he was himself [[Conscription|called up]] and served for a year in France, mainly at an airbase in the [[Ardennes]] before returning to Lienz.<ref name =Guardian/>

==The European Alps==

==The European Alps==

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==Further afield==

==Further afield==

Later, in 1956, he participated in an expedition to the [[Kaçkar Mountains]] in north-east Turkey led by Hermann Köllensperger (who had been a member of the [[1953 German–Austrian Nanga Parbat expedition|1953 Nanga Parbat expedition]] when [[Hermann Buhl]] made the first ascent of that mountain).<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Thoma | first = Hans | date = 1966 | title= Bergland in Nordostanatolien | work =Jahrbuch des Österreichischen Alpenvereins | volume = 91 | page =102-114 | url= https://bibliothek.alpenverein.de/webOPAC/01_Alpenvereins-Publikationen/01_AV-Jahrbuch/AV_Jahrbuch_091.1966-web.pdf#page=116 |access-date =21 October 2025 | language =de}}</ref>{{rp|page=110|style=ama}}<ref name=Patguide/><ref name =Thenius/>

1956 he participated in an expedition to the [[Kaçkar Mountains]] in north-east Turkey led by Hermann Köllensperger (who had been a member of the [[1953 German–Austrian Nanga Parbat expedition|1953 Nanga Parbat expedition]] when [[Hermann Buhl]] made the first ascent of that mountain).<ref>{{cite magazine | last = Thoma | first = Hans | date = 1966 | title= Bergland in Nordostanatolien | work =Jahrbuch des Österreichischen Alpenvereins | volume = 91 | page =102-114 | url= https://bibliothek.alpenverein.de/webOPAC/01_Alpenvereins-Publikationen/01_AV-Jahrbuch/AV_Jahrbuch_091.1966-web.pdf#page=116 |access-date =21 October 2025 | language =de}}</ref>{{rp|page=110|style=ama}}<ref name=Patguide/><ref name =Thenius/>

in 1957 he was a member of a team from the [[Austrian Alpine Club]], led by {{ill|Heinrich Klier|de}}, which travelled to the [[Cordillera Huayhuash]] in the Peruvian Andes. The group also included Siegfried Jungmair, Erich Krenmayr and {{ill|Herbert Raditschnig|de}}, their primary objective was the [[first ascent]] of [[Jirishanca]] {{convert|6127 |m|ft|abbr=on}}, the last unclimbed 6000m peak in the Cordillera Huayhuash. Egger and Jungmair reached the snow ridge leading to the summit of Jirishanca in late June but snow conditions were so bad thet they were unable to continue to the top. After that failure the team decided to attempt other peaks in the area: Egger and Jungmair made the first ascent of [[Yerupaja Chico|El Toro]] {{convert|6121|m|ft|abbr=on}} via a ramp line on the east face of the mountain, while Krenmayr and Raditschnig attempted Nevado Carnicero {{convert|5980|m|ft|abbr=on}} but they only reached a high point of {{convert|5700|m|ft|abbr=on}}. In the hope that snow conditions might have improved the team then decided to make a second attempt on Jirishanca. Starting on 10 July Egger and Jungmair climbed by the east buttress and reached the summit on 12 July 1957, in one continuous push.<ref>{{cite book | title = Mountain World 1958/9 | date=1958| editor-first = Malcom | editor-last = Barnes |chapter= Nevado Jirishanca and el Toro | first =Klier |last = Heinrich | publisher =George Allen and Unwin Ltd |pages= 76-91 }}</ref><ref name=Patguide/> That ascent has been hailed as “one of the most difficult ascents in the Andes at the time”<ref>{{cite journal | title = South America, Peru, Jirishhanca and Yerupajá Chico, Cordillera Huayhuash, and Ascents in the Cordillera Raura | journal =American Alpine Journal| date=1958| issn= 0065-6925 | first = | last = | volume =#11 |issue = 32 | pages= | access-date =23 October 2025 |url = https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12195810603/South-America-Peru-Jirishhanca-and-Yerupaj-Chico-Cordillera-Huayhuash-and-Ascents-in-the-Cordillera-Raura}}</ref> and “one of the boldest climbing feats ever performed in the Cordillera”.<ref name=”frimer”>Jeremy Frimer, [https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200404800/Jirishanca-A-Climbing-History-of-the-Hummingbird-Peaks-Southeast-Face-Peru, A Climbing History of the Hummingbird Peak’s Southeast Face, Peru], AAC Publications December 2004</ref> [[Riccardo Cassin]] described their successful ascent as “one of the most outstanding achievements of valour, courage and endurance”.<ref>{{cite journal | title = The West face of Jirishanca, 1969 | journal =Alpine Journal| date= 1970| first =Riccardo | last = Cassin | issn= 0065-6569 |volume =#75 | issue =319 | pages=1-8 | access-date =25 October 2025 |url = https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1970_files/AJ%201970%201-8%20Cassin%20Jirishanca.pdf }}</ref> It was more than 25 years before a second party successfully climbed Jirishanca from the east.<ref>{{cite magazine | work = Climbing | date = 5 September 2024 | title = Retreat Was Out of the Question | first = Quentin | last = Roberts | url = https://www.climbing.com/travel/first-ascent-jirishanca-peru-southeast-ridge/ | access-date =23 October 2025 }}</ref>

in 1957 he was a member of a team from the [[Austrian Alpine Club]], led by {{ill|Heinrich Klier|de}}, which travelled to the [[Cordillera Huayhuash]] in the Peruvian Andes. The group also included Siegfried Jungmair, Erich Krenmayr and {{ill|Herbert Raditschnig|de}}, their primary objective was the [[first ascent]] of [[Jirishanca]] {{convert|6127 |m|ft|abbr=on}}, the last unclimbed 6000m peak in the Cordillera Huayhuash. Egger and Jungmair reached the snow ridge leading to the summit of Jirishanca in late June but snow conditions were so bad they were unable to continue to the top. After that failure the team decided to attempt other peaks in the area: Egger and Jungmair made the first ascent of [[Yerupaja Chico|El Toro]] {{convert|6121|m|ft|abbr=on}} via a ramp line on the east face of the mountain, while Krenmayr and Raditschnig attempted Nevado Carnicero {{convert|5980|m|ft|abbr=on}} but they only reached a high point of {{convert|5700|m|ft|abbr=on}}. In the hope that snow conditions might have improved the team then decided to make a second attempt on Jirishanca. Starting on 10 July Egger and Jungmair climbed by the east buttress and reached the summit on 12 July 1957, in one continuous push.<ref>{{cite book | title = Mountain World 1958/9 | date=1958| editor-first = Malcom | editor-last = Barnes |chapter= Nevado Jirishanca and el Toro | first =Klier |last = Heinrich | publisher =George Allen and Unwin Ltd |pages= 76-91 }}</ref><ref name=Patguide/> That ascent has been hailed as “one of the most difficult ascents in the Andes at the time”<ref>{{cite journal | title = South America, Peru, Jirishhanca and Yerupajá Chico, Cordillera Huayhuash, and Ascents in the Cordillera Raura | journal =American Alpine Journal| date=1958| issn= 0065-6925 | first = | last = | volume =#11 |issue = 32 | pages= | access-date =23 October 2025 |url = https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12195810603/South-America-Peru-Jirishhanca-and-Yerupaj-Chico-Cordillera-Huayhuash-and-Ascents-in-the-Cordillera-Raura}}</ref> and “one of the boldest climbing feats ever performed in the Cordillera”.<ref name=”frimer”>Jeremy Frimer, [https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12200404800/Jirishanca-A-Climbing-History-of-the-Hummingbird-Peaks-Southeast-Face-Peru, A Climbing History of the Hummingbird Peak’s Southeast Face, Peru], AAC Publications December 2004</ref> [[Riccardo Cassin]] described their successful ascent as “one of the most outstanding achievements of valour, courage and endurance”.<ref>{{cite journal | title = The West face of Jirishanca, 1969 | journal =Alpine Journal| date= 1970| first =Riccardo | last = Cassin | issn= 0065-6569 |volume =#75 | issue =319 | pages=1-8 | access-date =25 October 2025 |url = https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1970_files/AJ%201970%201-8%20Cassin%20Jirishanca.pdf }}</ref> It was more than 25 years before a second party successfully climbed Jirishanca from the east.<ref>{{cite magazine | work = Climbing | date = 5 September 2024 | title = Retreat Was Out of the Question | first = Quentin | last = Roberts | url = https://www.climbing.com/travel/first-ascent-jirishanca-peru-southeast-ridge/ | access-date =23 October 2025 }}</ref>

==Egger’s death on Cerro Torre==

==Egger’s death on Cerro Torre==

Towards the end of 1958 Egger returned to South America for what would turn out to be his final expedition. The team comprised [[Cesare Maestri]] and {{ill|Cesarino Fava|it}} in addition to Egger. On this occasion the target was the first ascent of [[Cerro Torre]] {{convert|3128|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

Towards the end of 1958 Egger returned to South America for what would turn out to be his final expedition. The team comprised [[Cesare Maestri]] and {{ill|Cesarino Fava|it}} in addition to Egger. On this occasion the target was the first ascent of [[Cerro Torre]] {{convert|3128|m|ft|abbr=on}}.

Fava had drawn Maestri‘s attention to Cerro Torre in 1953 and Egger had first met Maestri in the [[Sexten Dolomites|Tre Cima]] in 1956.<ref name =Thenius/> They attempted a route which started up the mountain’s east face.<ref name=AAJ2004/> From 5 January 1959 Egger, Maestri and Fava spent 10 days climbing towards the north [[col]] which lies between Cerro Torre and [[Torre Egger]], they had climbed about 300m (reaching an altitude of {{convert|2350|m|ft|abbr=on}) when bad weather forced them to descend. After 10 days of storm the weather improved and on 28 January they returned to the climb. Fava‘s role was primarily to help carry equipment and he descended to the base. Fava then spent six days waiting for the return of the other two climbers and was on the point of leaving to summon help when he found Maestri lying face down and almost buried in the snow. Maestri told Fava that he and Egger had reached the summit and that Egger had been swept to his death by an avalanche while they were descending. Maestri’s account was that during the descent, after reaching the summit with Egger, they reached a point where he was too tired to continue but Egger had reservations about a bivouac there when they were so close close to their fixed ropes which would have protected the rest of the descent. Whilst Maestri was lowering Egger down to the fixed ropes an avalanche fell and cut the rope between the two climbers and swept Egger down into the abyss, taking with him their only camera and much of the gear.<ref name=AAJ2004/><ref>{{cite journal | title = Alpine notes | journal =Alpine Journal| date= 1959| issn= 0065-6569 |volume =#64 |issue = 298 | pages=243-244 | access-date =24 October 2025 |url = https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1959_files/AJ64%201959%20237-250%20Alpine%20Notes.pdf#page=7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | work = Climber | url = https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/59433820/climber-september-october-2017 | date = September 2017 | page = 82 | title = Mountaineering Legends: Toni Egger | access-date =24 October 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | work = Mountain| date = September 1972 | issue = 23| title = Cerro Torre: A Mountain Desecrated | page =20-26 }}</ref><ref name =Guardian/>

had Maestri in the [[Sexten Dolomites|Tre Cima]] in 1956.<ref name =Thenius/> They attempted a route which started up the mountain’s east face.<ref name=AAJ2004/> From 5 January 1959 Egger, Maestri and Fava spent 10 days climbing towards the north [[col]] which lies between Cerro Torre and [[Torre Egger]], they had climbed about 300m (reaching an altitude of {{convert|2350|m|ft|abbr=on}) when bad weather forced them to descend. After 10 days of storm the weather improved and on 28 January they returned to the climb. Fava to help carry equipment and he descended to the base. Fava then spent six days waiting for the return of the other two climbers and was on the point of leaving to summon help when he found Maestri lying face down and almost buried in the snow. Maestri told Fava that he and Egger had reached the summit and that Egger had been swept to his death by an avalanche while they were descending. Maestri’s account was that, after reaching the summit with Egger, they reached a point where he was too tired to continue Egger a bivouac there they were close to their fixed ropes which would have protected the rest of the descent. Whilst Maestri was lowering Egger down to the fixed ropes an avalanche fell and cut the rope between the two climbers and swept Egger down into the abyss, taking with him their only camera and much of the gear.<ref name=AAJ2004/><ref>{{cite journal | title = Alpine notes | journal =Alpine Journal| date= 1959| issn= 0065-6569 |volume =#64 |issue = 298 | pages=243-244 | access-date =24 October 2025 |url = https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1959_files/AJ64%201959%20237-250%20Alpine%20Notes.pdf#page=7 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | work = Climber | url = https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/59433820/climber-september-october-2017 | date = September 2017 | page = 82 | title = Mountaineering Legends: Toni Egger | access-date =24 October 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | work = Mountain| date = September 1972 | issue = 23| title = Cerro Torre: A Mountain Desecrated | page =20-26 }}</ref><ref name =Guardian/>

When Maestri returned to Italy he was hailed as a hero and was awarded a medal for bravery. [[Lionel Terray]], a veteran of South American and Himalayan expeditions, told the world that Maestri and Egger had performed ‘the greatest climbing feat of all time’.<ref name =Guardian>{{cite news | work = The Guardian | url = https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/may/07/features.sport5 | first = Ed | last = Douglas | date = 7 May 2006 | title = Special report | access-date =21 October 2025 }}</ref>

When Maestri returned to Italy he was hailed as a hero and was awarded a medal for bravery. [[Lionel Terray]], a veteran of South American and Himalayan expeditions, told the world that Maestri and Egger had performed ‘the greatest climbing feat of all time’.<ref name =Guardian>{{cite news | work = The Guardian | url = https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/may/07/features.sport5 | first = Ed | last = Douglas | date = 7 May 2006 | title = Special report | access-date =21 October 2025 }}</ref>

Doubts about Maestri’s account arose immediately upon his return to Buenos Aires when an article in a local magazine directly implied that Maestri might be responsible for Egger’s death. This led to a request by the Italian Consulate in Buenos Aires for the members of the expedition to give depositions about the events.<ref name=AAJ2004/> By 1970 public statements casting doubt on Maestri’s ascent were published in Italy after the renowned alpinist [[Carlo Mauri]] returned from a failed attempt on Cerro Torre.<ref name=AAJ2004/>

Doubts about Maestri’s account arose immediately upon his return to Buenos Aires when an article in a local magazine directly implied that Maestri might be responsible for Egger’s death. This led to a request by the Italian Consulate in Buenos Aires for the members of the expedition to give depositions about the events.<ref name=AAJ2004/> By 1970 public statements casting doubt on Maestri’s ascent were published in Italy after the renowned alpinist [[Carlo Mauri]] returned from a failed attempt on Cerro Torre.<ref name=AAJ2004/>

[https://www.patagonia.com/product/the-tower-a-chronicle-of-climbing-and-controversy-on-cerro-torre/BK715.html] All the information is based on Maestri’s testimony, and, in the absence of a summit photo, it is not so clear whether the pair actually ascended to the top.<ref name = Donini/>

==Legacy==

====

[[File:Toni Egger memorial – Insteinhutte, Lienzer Dolomit.jpg|thumb|Memorial to Toni Egger (1926-1959) – Insteinhutte, Lienzer Dolomit]]

[[File:Toni Egger memorial – Insteinhutte, Lienzer Dolomit.jpg|thumb|Memorial to Toni Egger (1926-1959) – Insteinhutte, Lienzer Dolomit]]

In early 1961 Fava returned to the area. He hoped to recover Egger’s body. Although he found nothing, he placed a commemorative plaque near the base of Cerro Torre’s east face. [[Lionel Terray]] described Cerro Torre as “the most beautiful and luminous crypt in the world, the one that protects the unforgettable Toni Egger”.<ref name=AAJ2004/> A more prosaic memorial plaque was erected in the Lienz Dolomites, close to the Insteinhütte on the approach path between Egger’s home town of Lienz and the {{ill|Karlsbader Hütte|de}} which sits below the {{ill|Roter Turm|de|Roter Turm (Lienzer Dolomiten)}}, the rock wall on which Egger made some of his early first ascents, and now known as the Egger Turm.<ref name=Patguide>{{cite web | title = Torre Egger (ca. 2850 m) |url=https://pataclimb.com/climbingareas/chalten/torregroup/egger.html | website =PATAclimb.com: Patagonia online climbing guide | access-date =21 October 2025 }}</ref>

In early 1961 Fava returned to the area. He hoped to recover Egger’s body. Although he found nothing, he placed a commemorative plaque near the base of Cerro Torre’s east face. [[Lionel Terray]] described Cerro Torre as “the most beautiful and luminous crypt in the world, the one that protects the unforgettable Toni Egger”.<ref name=AAJ2004/> A more prosaic memorial plaque was erected in the Lienz Dolomites, close to the Insteinhütte on the approach path between Egger’s home town of Lienz and the {{ill|Karlsbader Hütte|de}} which sits below the {{ill|Roter Turm|de|Roter Turm (Lienzer Dolomiten)}}, the rock wall on which Egger made some of his early first ascents, and now known as the Egger Turm.<ref name=Patguide>{{cite web | title = Torre Egger (ca. 2850 m) |url=https://pataclimb.com/climbingareas/chalten/torregroup/egger.html | website =PATAclimb.com: Patagonia online climbing guide | access-date =21 October 2025 }}</ref>

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The most important achievements

The most important achievements

1953 – Première ascension de la face sud du Laserz

1954: the passage of the northern walls of the Cima Grande and Cima Ovest, (Westlicher and Großer Zinne) in one day (11 hours)

1954: the passage of the northern walls of the Cima Grande and Cima Ovest, (Westlicher and Großer Zinne) in one day (11 hours)

1955 – Première ascension de la face sud de la Cima Piccola (2 857 m) (Tre Cime di Lavaredo)

1955 – Faces nord de la Cima Ovest (2 973 m) et la Cima Grande (2 999 m) (Tre Cime di Lavaredo) dans la même journée

1955 – Faces nord de la Cima Ovest (2 973 m) et la Cima Grande (2 999 m) (Tre Cime di Lavaredo) dans la même journée

1956 – Ascension du pilier Bonatti avec un seul bivouac

1956 – Ascension du pilier Bonatti avec un seul bivouac

1956 – Première ascension du Spigolo sud de la Punta d’Ombretta (Marmolada)

1957: participation in the Austrian expedition in Andy, (Österreichische Kordilleren-Expedition). First climb to the top of Jirishanca (6094 m above sea level)

et du Jirishanca (6 094 m)

1959: the supposed first entrance to Cerro Torre with Cesar Maestri

⚫ ⚫ ⚫ ⚫

1951: Kellerturm-north wall, Karnickie Alps

1951: Kellerturm-north wall, Karnickie Alps

1952: Laserzwand – chimney in the south wall, Gailtal Alps

1952: Laserzwand – chimney in the south wall, Gailtal Alps

1953: Laserzwand-south wall, Gaital Alps

1953: Laserzwand-south wall, Gaital Alps

1954: Laserzwand-north wall, Gaital Alps

1954: Laserzwand-north wall, Gaital Alps

1955: Kleine Zinne -South Wall, Dolomiti di Sesto, (Sextener Dolomiten)

1955: Kleine Zinne -South Wall, Dolomiti di Sesto, (Sextener Dolomiten)

1956: Punta Ombretta – southern pillar, Dolomites

1956: Ombretta – southern pillar, Dolomites

1958: [[Patteriol]] South-Eastern Pillar, Verwallgruppe

1957: Jirishanca, Cordillera Huayhuash

1958: PatteriolPatteriol–South–Eastern Pillar, Verwallgruppe

1958: — ,

1958: Cima Bois-south-west of the border, Dolomites

1959: Cerro Torre, Patagonia (not confirmed)[[1]

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Austrian mountain climber (1926-1959) who died on Cerro Torre, Argentina

Toni Egger (12 September 1926 – 2 February 1959) was a prominent Austrian rock-climber and mountaineer, “one of the best climbers of his time”,^[1] who made many significant ascents in the Dolomites, the western Alps, Turkey, and Peru.^[2] He died whilst descending from the summit of Cerro Torre.

Egger was born in the town of Bolzano in the South Tyrol on 12 September 1926. His father was a timber merchant from Mölten, c. 20km north-west of Bolzano and his mother was from the settlement of Siebeneich in the Terlan area, a little closer to Bolzano. The family included Toni, 2 elder brothers and a younger sister, his parents and their predecessors had lived in the South Tyrol when it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye led to its annexation to Italy in 1919.^[3](p36)

The South Tyrolean resettlement, which was agreed between Mussolini and Hitler in 1938 made life in the South Tyrol difficult for the German speaking Egger family and they moved to the Austrian East Tyrol where they settled in the village of Nußdorf-Debant just outside Lienz.^[4] Then came the Second World War, when his eldest brother Franz was killed in the Battle of Monte Cassino Toni was still a teenager but he was himself called up and served for a year in France, mainly at an airbase in the Ardennes before returning to Lienz.^[5]

Egger’s first climbs were made in 1941, in the Lienz Dolomites, often climbing solo.^[4]

It was some years before he ventured much further for climbing but in 1950 he travelled the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, 70km from his home town. Only three months later with Franz Rienzer he climbed the north face of Cima Grande.^[6]

it was in the 1950s that he began to pioneer new routes.[4] 

on the Roter Turm, a summit that is now known as the Egger Turm.^[6]

His list of ascents is a long one and includes some of the most difficult routes in the eastern Dolomites at the time: Via Solleder in Civetta, the north face of Cima Ovest di Lavaredo, Spigolo Giallo, via “Cassin” in Cima Piccolissima, North Face of Grosslockner, etc. In 1954, after a short period of inactivity, Toni returned to the mountains with renewed motivation and with Mayr Gottfried climbed the north face of Cima Ovest and the north face of Cima Grande in a mere 11 hours. He also did several significant solo ascents including an hour long ascent of the Spigollo Giallo in Cima Piccola. In 1955 he climbs the NW face of Badile and Gran Capucin, and in 1956, in spite of a 150 meter fall in Ortler, he solos Aiguille Noire, Dent du Géant, the north face of Cima Grande (in four hours) and an ascent of the south face of the Aiguille du Midi just two days behind Rebuffat.^[6]

Some of his finest ascents include the northwest face of Piz Badile, countless ascents in the Dolomites (including a 95-minute solo ascent of Spigolo Giallo on Cima Piccola), and the heralded first ascent of Nevado Jirishanca in the Peruvian Andes.^[1]

Egger qualified as a mountain guide in 1951 and became a member of the climbing group “Alpine Gesellschaft Alpenraute” from Lienz.^[6] He later became the Director of the Hochgebirgsschule Tirol in Innsbruck (the Tirol Alpine school),^[6] a position he held from 1954 to 1957.^[2]

In 1956 he participated in an expedition to the Kaçkar Mountains in north-east Turkey led by Hermann Köllensperger (who had been a member of the 1953 Nanga Parbat expedition when Hermann Buhl made the first ascent of that mountain).^{[7](p110)[6][4]}

Later, in 1957, he was a member of a team from the Austrian Alpine Club, led by Heinrich Klier [de], which travelled to the Cordillera Huayhuash in the Peruvian Andes. The group also included Siegfried Jungmair, Erich Krenmayr and Herbert Raditschnig [de], their primary objective was the first ascent of Jirishanca 6,127 m (20,102 ft), the last unclimbed 6000m peak in the Cordillera Huayhuash. Egger and Jungmair reached the snow ridge leading to the summit of Jirishanca in late June but snow conditions were so bad that they were unable to continue to the top. After that failure the team decided to attempt other peaks in the area: Egger and Jungmair made the first ascent of El Toro 6,121 m (20,082 ft) via a ramp line on the east face of the mountain, while Krenmayr and Raditschnig attempted Nevado Carnicero 5,980 m (19,620 ft) but they only reached a high point of 5,700 m (18,700 ft). In the hope that snow conditions might have improved the team then decided to make a second attempt on Jirishanca. Starting on 10 July Egger and Jungmair climbed by the east buttress and reached the summit on 12 July 1957, in one continuous push.^[8][6] That ascent has been hailed as “one of the most difficult ascents in the Andes at the time”^[9] and “one of the boldest climbing feats ever performed in the Cordillera”.^[10] Riccardo Cassin described their successful ascent as “one of the most outstanding achievements of valour, courage and endurance”.^[11] It was more than 25 years before a second party successfully climbed Jirishanca from the east.^[12]

Towards the end of 1958 Egger returned to South America for what would turn out to be his final expedition. The team comprised Cesare Maestri and Cesarino Fava [it] in addition to Egger. On this occasion the target was the first ascent of Cerro Torre 3,128 m (10,262 ft).

Egger had first met Maestri at the Lavaredohütte [it] in the Tre Cima in 1956 but the first time that they climbed together was on Cerro Torre.^[13][4] They attempted a route which started up the mountain’s east face.^[1] From 5 January 1959 Egger, Maestri and Fava spent 10 days climbing towards the north col which lies between Cerro Torre and Torre Egger, they had climbed about 300m (reaching an altitude of 2,350 m (7,710 ft)) when bad weather forced them to descend. After 10 days of storm the weather improved and on 28 January they returned to the climb. Initially Fava climbed with Egger and Maestri but he did so only to help carry equipment and he soon descended to the base. Fava then spent six days waiting for the return of the other two climbers and was on the point of leaving to summon help when he found Maestri lying face down, semi-conscious and almost buried in the snow. Maestri told Fava that he and Egger had reached the summit and that Egger had been swept to his death by an avalanche while they were descending. Maestri’s account was that, after reaching the summit with Egger, snow and ice was avalanching down their descent route and they reached a point where he was too tired to continue, Egger was reluctant to make a bivouac there because they were close to their fixed ropes which would have protected the rest of the descent. Whilst Maestri was lowering Egger down to the fixed ropes an avalanche fell and cut the rope between the two climbers and swept Egger down into the abyss, taking with him their only camera and much of the gear.^{[1][14][15][16][5]}

When Maestri returned to Italy he was hailed as a hero and was awarded a medal for bravery. Lionel Terray, a veteran of South American and Himalayan expeditions, told the world that Maestri and Egger had performed ‘the greatest climbing feat of all time’.^[5]

Doubts about Maestri’s account arose immediately upon his return to Buenos Aires when an article in a local magazine directly implied that Maestri might be responsible for Egger’s death. This led to a request by the Italian Consulate in Buenos Aires for the members of the expedition to give depositions about the events.^[1] By 1970 public statements casting doubt on Maestri’s ascent were published in Italy after the renowned alpinist Carlo Mauri returned from a failed attempt on Cerro Torre.^[1] All the information is based on Maestri’s testimony, and, in the absence of a summit photo, it is not so clear whether the pair actually ascended to the top.^[17]

In early 1961 Fava returned to the area. He hoped to recover Egger’s body. Although he found nothing, he placed a commemorative plaque near the base of Cerro Torre’s east face. Lionel Terray described Cerro Torre as “the most beautiful and luminous crypt in the world, the one that protects the unforgettable Toni Egger”.^[1] A more prosaic memorial plaque was erected in the Lienz Dolomites, close to the Insteinhütte on the approach path between Egger’s home town of Lienz and the Karlsbader Hütte [de] which sits below the Roter Turm [de], the rock wall on which Egger made some of his early first ascents, and now known as the Egger Turm.^[6]

The Patagonian mountain Torre Egger (2,685 m (8,809 ft)), which sits between Cerro Torre and Cerro Standhardt, was named after him. It was Cesare Maestri who, in 1961, first proposed the name Torre Egger.^[6]

Late in 1974 the UK climber Mick Coffey, along with the American climbers John Bragg and Jim Donini were attempting Cerro Standhardt; when they were descending a glacier a couple of kilometers from the base of Cerro Torre on Christmas Day they discovered Eggers’s remains.^[1][17] Further search uncovered a rope, ice-axe, a hammer and further remains.^[18] His remains were buried at the foot of the west wall of Fitz Roy.^[19]

In early 2003 more of Egger’s remains were found not far from the 1975 location.^[1] Egger’s camera has never been found.^[1]

Egger was regarded as “one of the best climbers of his time”^[1] and “one of the leading alpinists of his generation”.^[6][2]

The most important achievements in the European Alps

   1954: the passage of the northern walls of the Cima Grande and Cima Ovest, (Westlicher and Großer Zinne) in one day (11 hours)

1955 – Faces nord de la Cima Ovest (2 973 m) et la Cima Grande (2 999 m) (Tre Cime di Lavaredo) dans la même journée
1956 – Ascension du pilier Bonatti avec un seul bivouac

The first ascents

   1951: Roter Turm [de] - North Wall, Gailtal Alps
   1951: Kellerturm-north wall, Karnickie Alps
   1952: Laserzwand [de] - chimney in the south wall, Gailtal Alps
   1953: Laserzwand-south wall, Gaital Alps
   1954: Laserzwand-north wall, Gaital Alps
   1955: Kleine Zinne [de] -South Wall, Dolomiti di Sesto, (Sextener Dolomiten) Tre Cime di Lavaredo
   1956: Cime di Ombretta [it] - southern pillar, Marmolada Dolomites
   1958: Patteriol South-Eastern Pillar, Verwallgruppe
   1958: Cima Bois-south-west of the border, Dolomite

Category:Austrian mountain climbers]]
Category:1926 births]]
Category:1959 deaths]]
Category:People from Lienz District]]
Category:Sportspeople from Tyrol (federal state)]]
Category:Mountaineering deaths]]
Category:Deaths in avalanches]]

https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2441775