Reinhold Messner: The Man Who Conquered Everest Alone – Without Oxygen
When mentioning Reinhold Messner (born September 17, 1944), the legendary Italian mountaineer, one thinks of a conqueror of peaks – one of the greatest in world history, with an unparalleled track record. He was the first person in the world to set foot on all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters on Earth. All 14 of these peaks belong to the Himalayas and Karakoram ranges in Asia.
What makes this feat extraordinary is that when Reinhold Messner conquered these 14 peaks, he did so without the aid of supplemental oxygen. For the scientific community and amateur climbers, entering the “Death Zone” (above 8,000 meters) without an oxygen tank is practically a death sentence.
The Death Zone: Where Oxygen Becomes a Luxury
The “Death Zone” is a term used by professional climbers worldwide to describe altitudes above 8,000 meters above sea level. At this height, oxygen becomes the most expensive and rarest commodity for human lungs.
An amateur climber reaching this altitude can lose consciousness or die within a few dozen seconds. For professional climbers, without supplemental oxygen, severe headaches quickly set in. Oxygen deprivation combined with sub-zero temperatures causes vomiting, disorientation, and hallucinations. Death is almost certain if the person does not receive oxygen and warmth within minutes.
Statistics show that more than 200 climbers have died after entering the Death Zone on Everest. Dying at this altitude indicates they were already experienced climbers, because according to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), altitude sickness affects people at different levels:
At 2,440 meters: Symptoms include nausea, headache, dizziness, and fatigue.
At 3,600 meters: More severe symptoms include shortness of breath, loss of control of legs, coughing up blood, confusion, or loss of consciousness.
At 5,400 meters: Oxygen levels drop to 50% of those at sea level. A person can die within 30 minutes without supplemental oxygen.
Above 8,000 meters (Death Zone): Oxygen levels drop to 30% of sea level. American mountaineer David Breashears, the first American to summit Everest more than once, described it this way: In the Death Zone, even with an oxygen tank, you feel like you’re running on a treadmill while breathing through a tiny straw.
So what made Reinhold Messner so “iron-willed” – unafraid of death and bold enough to climb Everest without oxygen? Let’s find out.
Born to Conquer the “Roofs of the World”
Few know that the legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner developed his passion for conquering peaks as early as age five.
At an age when his peers were only concerned with eating and sleeping, Reinhold Messner completed his first expedition in the Dolomites of Italy (over 3,300 meters high, part of the scenic Alps) – a place of unparalleled beauty.
By age 20, Reinhold Messner and his brother Günther Messner had established themselves as two of the most talented mountaineers in Europe.
The youthful energy fueled his desire to conquer other legendary peaks around the world. Not wanting to limit himself to Europe, he now wanted to go to Asia – to the border between Nepal and Tibet – to conquer the “roof of the world.”
On October 16, 1986, at exactly 42 years old, Reinhold Messner set a world record as the first person to set foot on all 14 peaks above 8,000 meters without supplemental oxygen. Naturally, among them was the legendary 8,848-meter Mount Everest.
Conquering Everest: Alone – And Without Oxygen
After the death of his brother Günther in 1970 during their expedition to Nanga Parbat (the world’s 9th highest peak at 8,126 meters, in Pakistan), Reinhold Messner was the first to propose climbing Everest without supplemental oxygen.
Despite opposition from fellow climbers and scientific explanations warning against it, on May 8, 1978, a two-man team consisting of Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler (an Austrian mountaineer, born July 22, 1942) set foot on Everest without oxygen tanks.
“Truly, at that moment, I was no longer myself. Everything became blurry before my eyes. My mind went numb. Standing on the roof of the world, my ears could only hear the sound of heavy, rapid breathing. We were gasping for the rare oxygen in that extremely thin air…” Reinhold Messner recalled that moment in the summer of 1978.
The Solo Climb: One Man Against the Mountain
As risky as that was, and despite his success, it seemed that for Reinhold Messner, this was still not enough. The feeling of absolute victory had not yet fully filled his veins.
So, just two years later, on August 20, 1980, Reinhold Messner set out to conquer Everest again. This time, he went alone.
“The feeling of ‘single-handedly’ conquering Mount Everest was the most difficult thing in my life. I climbed to the summit alone and returned safely, alone. While climbing, I slipped and fell into a crevasse at night and almost gave up due to hunger, cold, and fear. Then, the burning desire within me to ‘conquer Everest alone’ lifted me up and made me continue fighting. When I reached the summit, that feeling of joy was no different from the moment of setting foot on the Moon…” Reinhold Messner shared his story with The Guardian in 2003.
Legacy
Reinhold Messner’s achievements revolutionized high-altitude mountaineering. Before his historic 1978 ascent with Peter Habeler, it was widely believed that climbing Everest without supplemental oxygen was impossible – that the human brain would simply shut down from oxygen deprivation.
Messner proved that with proper acclimatization, extreme physical conditioning, and sheer force of will, the human body could survive – and even perform – at altitudes previously thought to be unsurvivable.
His solo ascent in 1980, without a partner and without oxygen, remains one of the greatest feats in mountaineering history.
Today, at over 80 years old, Messner continues to inspire climbers around the world – not just because of what he achieved, but because of how he achieved it: by pushing the limits of human endurance, by refusing to accept conventional wisdom, and by daring to dream bigger than anyone else.
Primary Sources:
Reinhold Messner, The Crystal Horizon: Everest – The First Solo Ascent (1989)
Reinhold Messner, Free Spirit: A Climber’s Life (1991)
The Guardian – Interview with Reinhold Messner (2003)
Himalayan Database – Messner’s 14 peaks records
Wikipedia – Reinhold Messner / Eight-thousanders / 1978 Everest expedition