Reinhold Messner is as well known for his controversies as he is for his mountaineering exploits. He established the lightweight "alpine" style for high-altitude mountaineering and was the first person to summit all fourteen 8000-meter peaks –– many of them solo because he alienated all of his climbing partners.
Messner is listed as the author of My Life and the Limit, but it really a collection of interviews with the journalist Thomas Hüetlin. That's both good and bad. On the plus side, Hüetlin asks challenging questions that Messner would surely have glossed over in a traditional autobiography. On the down side, the format prevents Messner from elaborating on his worldview.
I've said before that the most interesting part of mountaineering stories is the psychology of the adventurer. My Life at the Limit assumes some familiarity with Messner's achievements and gives him the opportunity to explain his side of various controversies. Collectively, his answers paint a picture of a driven man who so relishes overcoming difficulties that he creates difficulties for himself. How is it possible that so many former partners tell lies about him?
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