Reinhard Karl

Karl died on 19 May 1982 in an ice avalanche at Camp II 6,900 metres (22,600 ft) on Cho Oyu, during his attempt to climb his third eight-thousander.

In 1980 Karl's attempt, with Hans Martin Götz, to climb Cerro Torre failed when they spent the night at only 250 meters from the top. Also his attempt to climb the Supercanaleta on Fitz Roy with Luis Fraga did not succeed. His last mountain was Fitz Roy, which he climbed in 1982 with Peter Luthy on the south-west face (route Chouinard) two weeks after the failed attempt on Supercanaleta.

Karl was the first German to reach the summit of Mount Everest (with oxygen) on 10 May 1978, with Oswald Olz. He was part, as photographer, of the same expedition which saw Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler climb Mount Everest for the first time without supplemental oxygen. Karl's second eight-thousander was Gasherbrum II, in Karakorum, with Hans Schell in 1979.

After his experience at Yosemite, he applied his new vision of climbing in Battert crag. In 1977, Karl and Helmut Kiene realised the first grade VII climbing with the free ascent of the Pumprisse on the Fleischbank, on the Kaisergebirge.

Karl visited Yosemite several times, where he experienced both Big wall climbing and free climbing. He climbed several big walls. In 1975, he climbed Half Dome north-west face and the Nose on El Capitan, Salathé Wall in 1977 and Son of Heart in 1978 on El Capitan. He also got in contact with American climbers spending their summers in Yosemite, such as Ron Kauk and John Bachar, masters of bouldering.

Reinhard Karl (3 November 1946 – 19 May 1982) was a German mountaineer, photographer and writer.