Reinhold Messner

At the age of fourteen he had already climbed more than 500 peaks. Messner led 100 first expeditions and climbed all eight-thousand meter high mountains of the world. He walked through Antarctica, North Pole, Tibeth and through the Taklamakan desert.

His peculiarity has always been that he did not use technical devices during his adventures. Always a challenge to the limit. With his brother Günther in 1970, he conquered Nanga Parbat in North Pakistan without need of oxygen masks. In 1978, he reached the top of Mount Everest together with Peter Habeler. They were the first ones to climb the highest peak in the world without additional oxygen.

Reinhold Messner was awarded with many prizes, has published numerous travel descriptions, biographies and was the co-producer of several films. He mainly lives in Meran, Munich and in Juval Castle. Between 2006 and 2015, he opened his 6 Messner Mountain Museums there are partially located at spectacular places (as for example in Juval Castle) and that are dedicated to the topics mountains and alpinism.

Today, Messner is primarily dedicated to preserving and passing on his mountaineering legacy. Having successfully established the six-part ‘Messner Mountain Museum’ project, he continues to break new ground in mountain journalism and mountaineering. Alongside global lectures and documentary films, the focus is currently on his latest major project: the ‘Reinhold Messner House’ on the Helm in Sexten. This is a former mountain station that has been extensively upcycled and serves as a centre for sustainability, art and alpine awareness. With this venue, Messner is creating another significant meeting place to bring traditional mountaineering and a respectful approach to nature to life for future generations.