Reinhold Messner inspires in St. Anton: Stories of a life as a mountaineer

Reinhold Messner inspires in St. Anton: Stories of a life as a mountaineer

The World Cup hall in the Arlberg Wellcom was filled to the last place on September 30th when the famous extreme mountaineer and author Reinhold Messner gave his lecture "About Life". The reason for this event was not only the fascination for mountaineering, but also Messner's recent 80th birthday, which he had only celebrated on September 17th. With his distinctive style, he told about his career from the small South Tyrolean farm boy to one of the most famous adventurers in the world.

In the course of the lecture, Messner let his listeners participate in his experiences and impressively conveyed why the Dolomites are the most beautiful place in the world for him. At the age of five he rose his first summit and became what he himself describes as a "horizontal" - someone who is always looking for new perspectives and experiences. "Another reason to climb from the valley to the mountain was curiosity," he said, making it clear his unshakable love for climbing and exploring nature.

The teachings of childhood

Messner mentioned that he had learned a lot from the way of life of the South Tyrolean farmers, which still shapes him today. He remembered how his mother left him and his brother freedom, which she drove to climb on rock walls as children. He still wears this encouragement in his heart and revealed: "I lived as a conqueror of the useless", which underlines his passion for climbing.

He was optimistic when he described the beginnings of his mountaineering, and continued: "By doing, I grew into the mountaineering." Messner is a living legend because he made rock climbing his first passion before it also became significant for ice climbing, especially on Mont Blanc. His motto "The way is the goal, not the summit" brings his philosophy to the point and shows that he is not only about achieving goals, but also about the experiences and adventures on the way.

experiences and challenges

The lecture took a more emotional turn when Messner shared his tragic experiences during his expeditions. The death of his brother Günther on Nanga Parbat in 1970 shaped him sustainably, and the memory of it led to a deep thinking about the risks of mountaineering. "Locals carried me to the valley with this expedition," he said, creating a picture of pain and loss that touched everyone present.

But Messner did not allow himself to be discouraged and invested his energy in the social field by founding schools in Nepal to give children, especially girls, to access education. "The mountains are becoming more dangerous because of global warming today," he warned the audience when he pointed out the influence of climate change on mountaineering. With critical comments on mass tourism, Messner emphasized how important a respectful way of dealing with the mountains is. He emphasized the need for good preparation: "Before I broke up for Mount Everest, I read all of the literature", which shows that knowledge and planning are crucial for survival in extreme nature.

Messner reflected on aging and the associated ability to let go. "All my adventures start in the head," he said, taking the audience on a mental journey around the globe to locations such as the Himalaya, the pole, the Sahara and Tibet. The event was an impressive testimony of his life and a call to appreciate the beauty and challenges of the mountains.