Photo: Ptolusque / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Reinhold Messner sits at the absolute edge of what I think humans are capable of. The first solo ascent of Everest, the first oxygen-free Everest climb with Habeler, and the first person to summit all fourteen eight-thousanders without bottled oxygen, these are not records so much as redefinitions of possibility. To enter the death zone with nothing but your own body is closer to philosophy than sport. That he also became a serious writer, explorer and politician only deepens my admiration. I find his obsessive purity slightly terrifying and completely inspiring, the work of a man determined to test the limit itself.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Reinhold Messner
- Name (Japanese)
- ラインホルト・メスナー
- Reading
- らいんほると・めすなー
- Born
- September 17, 1944 (age 81)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Monkey
- Origin
- Brixen, South Tyrol, Italy
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- explorer / politician / writer / mountaineer / film director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2001 Patron’s Medal
- 2018 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports
- 2019 Romy
- 2014 Courage Award
- 2010 Lifetime Piolet d'Or
- 2024 Bambi Award
- 1985 Bancarella Sport Prize
- 1988 Silver Olympic Order
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Reinhold Messner born?
Born September 17, 1944 (age 81).
Where is Reinhold Messner from?
Reinhold Messner is from Brixen, South Tyrol, Italy.
What does Reinhold Messner do?
Reinhold Messner works as explorer, politician, writer, mountaineer, film director.
Explorer — see all → · Politician — see all → · More people from Italy →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.