The next morning, Reinhold recalls that Günther was delirious. Reinhold says that he started shouting for help at 6 a.m. and about three hours later, he saw Felix Kuen and Peter Scholz in the Merkl Couloir, heading for the summit. The two parties got to within about 100 yards of each other and with difficulty there was some communication. Are you both OK? Kuen yelled. Yes! Everything's OK, Reinhold controversially replied. Unfortunately in a misunderstanding Kuen and Scholz continued to the summit. Reinhold and Günther were then forced to do a second bivouac at the Mummery Rib. By the next morning, the third day without shelter or water, Günther could only stumble slowly along. The multi-day descent had brought the two climbers to the limit of their physical and mental strength, and was to end in tragedy when Günther disappeared at the bottom of the Diamir face, most likely killed by an ice avalanche during the descent. Reinhold, walking ahead and facing exhaustion, severe frostbite and the loss of his brother, continued down along the Diamir valley until he found some local shepherds, who helped him.