It’s May, and May is time for Everest. If you keep up with the Everest gossip, you know about the achievement of a 13-yr old reaching the summit just last week. It seems like every year there’s some new record on that peak. Though today’s records are certainly great achievements, I also like to recognize achievements of old, remembering amazing revolutionary climbers and alpinists like Reinhold Messner. Messner, with is continuous successes at high altitude climbing solo, and without oxygen, pushed the sport to new levels. His solo no-oxygen climb on Everest proved to the world that humans can accomplish the near-impossible. The video below highlights his achievements and also gives a deeper insight into Messner’s mind. Messner’s attitude is different than many mountaineers- he views that in climbing mountains he is not battling the mountain, he is battling himself and his own mental capabilities. His successes are due more to finding the mental strength within himself than just brute physical strength. Great video to watch- inspiring for all athletes as we each battle our own mental demons.
great video, thanks for posting this. Free Spirit is THE book that inspired me to get into climbing and mountaineering.
[...] some of you took the time to read and watch Brittany’s recent post about Reinhold Messner. In the video, Reinhold talks about seeing a line on a mountain, and then being able to make it a [...]