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Reinhold Messner

Origin: Tyrol, Italy
(September 17, 1944)

Heroic Values: Achievement, Courage, Perseverance, Vision

Background

Reinhold Messner was raised in Tyrol, Italy where his father was a teacher and his mother stayed at home.  His father took him up his first mountain at the age of 5 and by the age of 13 he surpassed his fathers skills.  His brother Günther was one of his best friends.  They would climb together and they always pushed each other.

On June 27, 1970 his life changed in a great way.  He and his brother reached the top of a mountain called Nanga Parbat from the hardest side of the mountain.  Two days after the victory his brother was killed in an avalanche.  Reinhold took it hard but since then he has pushed his limits in a new way.

After his brother's death he would only climb alone.  In 1980 he became the first person to accomplish a solo climb to the top of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.  Since then he has been the only one to climb all fourteen 8,000 meter mountains.

Even after all of his success he continues to push himself to new feats that many perceive impossible.

Submitted by: James Parent

Sources

Wikipedia
The online encyclopedia

National Geographic
A story excerpt

Time.com
60 years of heroes