Dr. Victor Wessely

Born: circa 1870.

Died:  4 May 1949.

Dr. Victor Wessely along with Pfannl, Keidel and Maischberger, was one of the great Austrian alpinists at the turn of the century. His most famous first ascent was the first ascent of the Hochtor north face in the Gesäuse in 1896.

Wessely, Hans Lorenz, and W. Merz were the first to ascend the Dolomite rock ridge Langkofelkarspitze (9,268 feet) in 1892. He was Heinrich Pfannl's frequent climbing partner, joining him, for example, on his 1896 first ascent of the Hochtor-Norwand (7,861 feet), and his 1899 ascent of Mont Blanc; on 27 December 1900, the two of them climbed the Hoch Arn (10,676 feet) in snowshoes. In 1902 Wessely took part in the Oscar Eckenstein Karakoram Expedition to the Baltoro Glacier and Peak K2.

Aleister Crowley found him to be myopic (he was the only one in the party who wore glasses), and was revolted by his eating habits, which he likened to hunching over a plate and shoveling food into one’s mouth. Perhaps in response to this unflattering characterization, Wessely, in his account of the expedition, fails to mention Crowley at all.

Victor Wessely died of malaria in 1949.

The K2 Expedition.

From left to right is

Victor Wessely,

Oscar Eckenstein,

Jules Jacot-Guillarmod,

Aleister Crowley,

Heinrich Pfannl

and Guy Knowles.

The K2 Expedition.

From left to right.

Guy Knowles,

Aleister Crowley

and Victor Wessely.

20 June 1902.