Xtreme Profiles: Reinhold Messner “The World’s Greatest Mountaineer”

Reinhold Messner has played many roles in life.  World famous mountain climber, Arctic and Antarctic Explorer, desert trekker, speaker, politician, and even museum curator.  Messner’s epic climbs will forever be remembered as some of the most grueling, horrifying, and glorious moments ever achieved by a true adventurer and a true mountaineer.

• First to Climb Mt. Everest without Oxygen
• First To Climb Mt. Everest Solo
• First To Scale all 14 of the world’s 8,000 meter peaks
• Third person to summit the Seven Summits (highest mountain on all seven continents)
• First Ascent North Face The Eiger
• First Ascent and new route up Nanga Parbat
• First AScent and new route up Gasherbrum I

Besides his great mountaineering achievements, later on in life Reinhold embarked on many more  Xtreme adventures:

He has been to the top of the world’s highest mountains, stopped in at the North and South Poles, and continues to embark on adventurous journeys to the far ends of the world.

Reinhold’s adventures have not come without a price.  In 1970, while attempting to climb a new route on Nanga Parbat, Reinhold’s brother Günther Messner would tragically be killed while trying to navigate the descent of Nanga Parbat’s Diamir Face.  Reinhold and his brother had successfully summited and put up a new route by way of the Rupal Face.  Reinhold Messner would come leave Nanga Parbat with three less fingers, seven less toes, and a brother that would be forever on the mountain.  Reinhold stayed behind to search for his lost brother, while his teammates packed up and left the mountain.  Reinhold Messner would go home empty handed.

In 2000, Reinhold returned to Nanga Parbat.  He still wanted to try to become the first person to summit from the Diamir Face.  His expedition would end due to bad weather.  A team member of Messner’s would come across a human bone.  In 2004, that bone would be attributed to Günther Messner through genetic testing.  Reinhold’s brother had been found.

Günther Messner really did descend Nanga Parbat’s Diamir Face, just as his brother Reinhold has always sustained. The confirmation arrives after genetic analysis on human remains discovered by the South Tyrolean mountaineer Hanspeter Eisendle at the foot of the West Face of Nanga Parbat. According to the anatomopatologo Eduard Egarter, in all liklihood the fibula belonged to Günther Messner. 100% confirmation.

This is coming from an original report published on January 25, 2004 at PlanetMountain

Reinhold Messner suffered 34 years for accusations that he had abandoned his brother on Nanga Parbat for a chance at the summit.  Many had thought that he had left his brother to die, while he walked away with the glory.  For 34 years, he would still climb.  The testament to his strength is that through the ridicule and torment of so much suffering, Reinold Messner still accomplished some of the greatest feats in mountaineering history.

To read an interview from Reinhold Messner. Click Here>>>

More Biographic Information Click Here>>>

Everest Unmasked:  First Ascent of Mt. Everest Without Supplemental Oxygen-1978  Click Here>>>

Reinhold Messner’s Personal Website  Click Here>>>

Reinhold Messner “The Chuck Norris of Mountain Climbing” Facebook Fanclub  Click Here>>>