Most people, even non-climbers, know the name Reinhold Messner. He is arguably the finest Alpinist of all time. His firsts in climbing are legendary and include the first summit of Everest without supplemental oxygen and then he reported the feat on the North side – solo. He was the first climber to summit all fourteen of the 8000 meter peaks without supplemental oxygen. The Italian climber defined what today we call style with his minimalist approach; climbing without ropes or support staff (porters, Sherpas) when possible. In the attached excellent documentary, he speaks a length on the mental challenge of [continue reading]