Messner, Reinhold

(1944– )

   Born in the Alto Adige town of Bressanone (Brixen), Messner is probably the most famous living mountaineer. An ardent environmentalist, he insists that climbers should scale peaks, not dominate or damage them. As a result, he has always used the minimum possible artificial assistance on his many climbs. In 1986, Messner was the first climber to scale all 14 peaks over 8,000 meters high in the world; in 1978 he was the first climber, together with his friend Peter Hebeler, to climb Everest without oxygen; and, in 1980, he climbed Everest alone without oxygen. In all, he has climbed several thousand peaks, with more than a hundred of his ascents opening fresh paths for climbers to follow. His life has not been free of controversy, however. During the descent from Nanga Parbat (8,125 meters) in 1970, his brother Gunter was killed, and Messner was unjustly accused of having left his brother in the lurch (Messner himself lost his toes to frostbite during this descent). Messner has achieved several other remarkable feats of exploration. In 1990, he became the first man to cross the Antarctic without using either dogs or mechanized transport; in 2004, he crossed the Gobi Desert on foot. Between 1999 and 2004, he served as a deputy for the Greens in the European Parliament.