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For the first time, the mountaineer looks deeply into his soul
A visit to the most famous mountaineer in the world. Openly, as never before, he speaks about his eventful life and death.
It is a beautiful, but still quite fresh spring day in South Tyrol. But Reinhold Messner, 68, wears only his shirt and jacket when he meets us for a private hike . At his home in Bolzano, at Sigmundskron Castle. Here, where the mountaineering legend has arrived after the adventures of his life.
Mr. Messner, you have climbed all eight thousand, lived with the danger. How does life as a pensioner feel?
Reinhold Messner: Pension is not for me! "Making the impossible possible" is my life motto. Today I run farms and run museums. Tasks that satisfy me just as much as the mountains used to. Besides, I never deposited in the pension fund. There were times when I did not think that I would even be 70 years old ...
Do you sometimes miss the special kick of the high mountains?
Reinhold Messner: No, I have finished with everything. I can leave things behind that have meant a lot to me before.
How does the fear of death feel?
Reinhold Messner: There is no fear of death. When something happens in the mountain, you react like a wild animal. Then the instinct comes to fruition and it's done so that we do everything we can to survive. And instinct can not afford to be scared to death.
He touches the red suit with which he once climbed Mount Everest without an oxygen device. Reinhold Messner becomes very quiet, lost in his thoughts and memories. It seems like he's on the top of the world again.
What is your legacy?
Reinhold Messner: My museums are my life's work, my legacy. They are all my lifeblood, many memories - my moving life.
Please tell us your biggest victory - and the worst defeat ...
Reinhold Messner: That was both the "Nanga Parbat Expedition" in the Himalayas in 1970. Exceeding this mountain was the craziest thing we have ever done. And my brother Günther († 24) had to pay with his life on the descent.
In the chapel, which is reminiscent of the deceased brother, soft tones are blowing. It's the melody of Bob Dylan's "Blowin 'in the Wind". Suddenly Reinhold Messner is very moved. You can feel that the drama is still incredibly close to him today.
Are you really afraid of death?
Reinhold Messner: No! I had moments when I had no hope of getting through it. But there was no fear. On the contrary. It was like falling to his death. A kind of salvation. I have had experiences of how I left my body looking down on me from above. Yes, I've been dead before ...
