CitiSpot: Greatest mountaineer of the world

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Greatest mountaineer of the world

Messner_summit_Chooyu

Reinhold Messner (born September 17, 1944) is an Italian mountaineer and explorer from South Tyrol "whose astonishing feats on Everest and on peaks throughout the world have earned him the status of the greatest climber in history." He is renowned for making the first solo ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen and for being the first climber to ascend all fourteen "eight-thousanders" (peaks over 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) above sea level). He is the author of at least 63 books (in German, 1970–2006), many of which have been translated into other languages.

Amanda Marcum not just dumb hot Babe!

Up to 1970 Reinhold Messner had made a name for himself mainly through his achievements in the Alps. Between 1950 and 1964 he led over 500 ascents, most of them in the Dolomites.

Reinhold Messner was the first man to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders in the world and without supplemental oxygen. His climbs were also all amongst the first 20 ascents for each mountain individually. Specifically, these are:

Year	Peak (height in metres)	Remarks
1970	Nanga Parbat (8,125)
1972	Manaslu (8,163)
1975	Hidden Peak (Gasherbrum I) (8,080)
1978	Mount Everest (8,848), Nanga Parbat(8,125)	First ascent of Everest without supplementary oxygen. Nanga Parbat: first solo ascent of 8000er from basecamp
1979	K2 (8611)
1980	Mount Everest (8,848)	First to ascend alone and without supplementary oxygen - during the monsoon
1981	Shishapangma (8,027)
1982	Kangchenjunga (8,586), Gasherbrum II(8,034), Broad Peak (8,051)	Also failed summit attempt on Cho Oyu during winter
1983	Cho Oyu (8188)
1984	Hidden Peak (Gasherbrum I) (8,080),Gasherbrum II (8,034)	At one time without returning to basecamp
1985	Annapurna (8,091), Dhaulagiri (8,167)
1986	Makalu (8,485), Lhotse (8,516)

Dhaulagiri Mountain

Everest

In 2003 Messner started work on a project for a mountaineering museum. On 11 June 2006 the Messner Mountain Museum (MMM) opened, a museum that unites the stories of the growth and decline of mountains, culture in the Himalayan region and the history of South Tyrol within one museum.

The MMM consists of the main museum at Sigmundskron Castle, which majors on the relationship between man and mountain, and four branches with different themes:

Juval Castle in the Burggrafenamt looks at mystical mountains, such as Mount Kailash or Ayers Rock and their religious significance.

The MMM on the Monte Rite (2181 metres high) is dedicated to the subject of rocks, particularly in the Dolomites. Here, the history of the formation of the Dolomites is explained. It is housed in an old fort.

The fourth MMM is located in Sulden on the Ortler. Here, everything revolves around the theme of ice. It deals with the history of mountaineering on ice and the great glaciers of the world. Next to the MMM is the "Yak und Yeti" inn.

The fifth MMM is still in development. It is due to be opened in the spring of 2011 at Bruneck Castle in the South Tyrol. In addition to the presentation of various hill tribes, such as Sherpas,Tibetans and Hunza, each year guest speakers from mountainous areas of the world will talk about their lives in the castle.

(source)