Reinhold Messner Don't Care What You Think

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Lord of the Alps: Reinhold Messner in the Dolomites near Cortina, Italy, June 27, 2002. Photographer: Anton Corbijn

A quarter-century after he changed everything by summiting Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, Reinhold Messner is looking fit, feeling adventurous, and acting about as mellow as a snapping turtle. Ah, well: Great men aren't always sweethearts—and Messner is still the best there ever was.
Outside Magazine October 2002
Tuesday, October 01, 2002
By: Brad Wetzler

"FIFTEEN MINUTES," growls Reinhold Messner, the king of all climbers. We're standing outside his castle in the mountains of South Tirol, a region in extreme northern Italy that was once part of Austria. "I'll give you 15 minutes. And then you must go."

After traveling halfway across the world to see His Greatness, I resign myself to the strict time limit. It's actually 15 minutes more than Ruth, his German-speaking secretary and merciless gatekeeper, promised earlier on the phone.

"Mr. Messner has no time," she said. "Period."

More: http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/mountaineering/Reinhold-Don-t-Care-What-You-Think.html

I've been doing a fair deal of reading into climbing 8,000 meter peaks and this is one of the most interesting articles I came upon. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :

P.S. Reinhold Messner is now 67 and still kicking.