Reinhold Messner facts for kids
Messner in 2024
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| Personal information | |
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| Nationality | Italian |
| Born | 17 September 1944 Brixen (Bressanone), South Tyrol, Italy |
| Climbing career | |
| Known for | First to climb all 14 eight-thousanders, first to climb all 14 eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen, and first to climb Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen |
| First ascents |
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| Major ascents | First solo ascent of Mount Everest and first ascent without supplemental oxygen |
Reinhold Andreas Messner (born 17 September 1944) is an Italian climber, explorer, and author. He comes from the German-speaking area of South Tyrol, Italy.
Messner is famous for many amazing climbing achievements. He was the first person to climb Mount Everest all by himself. He also climbed Everest without extra oxygen, along with Peter Habeler. Even more impressively, he was the first person to climb all 14 of the world's highest mountains, known as eight-thousanders, and he did it without using any extra oxygen.
Beyond climbing, Messner was the first to cross Antarctica and Greenland without using snowmobiles or dog sleds. He also crossed the Gobi Desert alone. Many people think he is the greatest mountaineer of all time.
From 1999 to 2004, Messner was a member of the European Parliament. He represented north-east Italy as part of the Federation of the Greens political party.
Messner has written over 80 books about his adventures. He has received important awards for his climbing, including the Piolet d'Or Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. In 2018, he shared the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports with Krzysztof Wielicki.
Contents
Early Life and First Climbs
Reinhold Messner was born in St. Peter, Villnöß, near Brixen in South Tyrol, Italy. His family spoke German. He was the second of nine children. His father, Josef, was a school director and took Reinhold on his first climb when he was just five years old.
Messner spent his early years climbing in the Alps. He especially loved the Dolomites, a mountain range in Italy. When he was 13, he started climbing with his younger brother, Günther. By their early twenties, Reinhold and Günther were among the best climbers in Europe.
In the 1960s, Messner became a big supporter of "alpine style" climbing in the Himalayas. This means climbing with very light gear and little outside help. He felt that the usual "expedition style" (which used lots of equipment and support) was not respectful to nature.
A Career of Mountain Adventures
Before his first big climb in the Himalayas in 1970, Messner was already famous for his climbs in the Alps. Between 1960 and 1964, he made over 500 climbs, mostly in the Dolomites. He was known for finding new and difficult routes up mountains.
In 1969, Messner went on an expedition to the Andes mountains. There, he and Peter Habeler were the first to climb the east face of Yerupaja. They also made the first climb of Yerupaja Chico. These climbs showed he was one of Europe's top climbers.
The Tragic Nanga Parbat Climb
In 1970, Messner joined a major expedition to Nanga Parbat, a huge mountain in the Himalayas. The goal was to climb the Rupal Face, the highest rock and ice face in the world. His brother Günther was also on this team.
Reinhold and Günther reached the summit together. But on the way down, Günther sadly died. Reinhold lost seven toes due to severe frostbite, which had to be removed. This event was a major turning point in Messner's life. A movie called Nanga Parbat (2010) was made about this difficult climb.
After this, Messner focused more on climbing higher, icy mountains. His frostbite made it harder to climb on rock.
Climbing Without Oxygen
Messner believed that climbing Mount Everest without extra oxygen was important. He wanted to do it "by fair means." In 1978, he and Peter Habeler reached the summit of Everest without using any oxygen tanks. Many doctors and climbers thought this was impossible.
Two years later, in 1980, Messner climbed Everest again, this time completely alone and still without oxygen. He did this during the monsoon season, which made it even harder. This was the first solo climb of Everest.
Conquering the Eight-Thousanders
In 1986, Reinhold Messner made history. He became the first person to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders. These are the 14 mountains in the world that are over 8,000 meters (about 26,247 feet) high. He achieved this amazing feat without using any extra oxygen.
His climbs included:
- 1970: Nanga Parbat (first climb of the Rupal Face)
- 1972: Manaslu (first climb of the South-West Face without oxygen)
- 1975: Gasherbrum I (first climb without oxygen, with Peter Habeler)
- 1978: Mount Everest (first without oxygen, with Peter Habeler), Nanga Parbat (first solo climb of an eight-thousander)
- 1979: K2 (partially in alpine style)
- 1980: Mount Everest (first solo climb without oxygen)
- 1981: Shishapangma
- 1982: Kangchenjunga, Gasherbrum II, Broad Peak (first person to climb three 8000m peaks in one season)
- 1983: Cho Oyu
- 1984: Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II (first time two eight-thousanders were crossed without returning to base camp)
- 1985: Annapurna, Dhaulagiri
- 1986: Makalu, Lhotse (completing all 14 eight-thousanders)
Other Expeditions and Achievements
Messner's adventures weren't limited to the highest peaks. He also:
- Crossed Antarctica on skis with explorer Arved Fuchs (1989-1990).
- Completed a 2,000 km (1,240 mi) expedition through the Gobi Desert (2004).
- Climbed Mount Vinson in Antarctica in 1986. This made him the second person to complete the "Seven Summits" (the highest peaks on each continent), and the first to do it without using oxygen on Mount Everest.
Messner is listed nine times in the Guinness Book of Records for his "World's Firsts." These are achievements that no one had done before.
Messner Mountain Museum
In 2003, Messner started a project to create a special museum about mountains. The Messner Mountain Museum (MMM) opened in 2006. It tells stories about mountains, the cultures of people living in mountain regions like the Himalayas, and the history of mountaineering.
The MMM has six different locations, each focusing on a different part of the mountain experience:
- MMM Firmian at Sigmundskron Castle near Bozen is the main museum. It explores how people connect with mountains.
- MMM Juval at Juval Castle focuses on the "magic of the mountains" and their religious meaning.
- MMM Dolomites (Museum in the Clouds) is located at Monte Rite. It teaches about rocks and how the Dolomites mountains were formed.
- MMM Ortles at Sulden is an underground museum about ice, glaciers, and ice climbing.
- MMM Ripa at Brunico Castle is about mountain peoples from around the world and their cultures.
- MMM Corones on top of the Kronplatz mountain is dedicated to traditional climbing.
Political Career
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Reinhold Messner
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| Member of the European Parliament for North-East Italy |
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| In office 20 July 1999 – 19 July 2004 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 September 1944 Brixen, Italy |
| Political party | Greens of South Tyrol |
| Other political affiliations |
Federation of the Greens |
In 1999, Reinhold Messner was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). An MEP is a person who represents their country in the European Parliament, which helps make laws for the countries in the European Union. He was part of the Federation of the Greens, an Italian political party focused on environmental issues. He served his full term until 2004, then decided to leave politics.
Personal Life
Reinhold Messner has been married three times. He has a daughter, Làyla, from a previous relationship. With his second wife, Sabine Stehle, he has three children. In 2021, he married Diane Schumacher.
Images for kids
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Rupal face of Nanga Parbat.
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Mount Everest north face.
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K2 seen from Concordia.
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Kangchenjunga.
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Broad Peak.
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Messner's attempt on the summit in 1977 failed on Dhaulagiri's South Face.
See also
In Spanish: Reinhold Messner para niños
- List of climbers
Interviews
- Gaia Symphony Documentary series (Japanese production).
- Reinhold Messner Biography and Interview on American Academy of Achievement.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New Zealand national rugby union team |
Princess of Asturias Award for Sports (with Krzysztof Wielicki) 2018 |
Succeeded by Lindsey Vonn |
| Preceded by n/a |
Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement 1987 {{{years}}} |
Succeeded by n/a |
