All 14 Eight-Thousanders

This book details Messner's ascents of all 14 8000m peaks documented with his photos. He also includes route diagrams and some basic history of the first few ascents. Messner was the first climber to summit all 14 mountains over 8000 metres in height, beginning with Nanga Parbat on June 27, 1970 and finishing with Lhotse on October 16, 1986. The cover photo is on the ascent of Kangchenjunga. The photos are very good.

Back in the '70's and early '80's, I eagerly awaited each issue of Mountain Magazine. It was my link to the climbing world. Time after time, a small paragraph or two would appear about another 8,000 meter peak that Messner had summited - all without bottled oxygen, all in exemplary style. The editor of Mountain was no fan of Messners, so the write-ups were overly brief. Still, I knew I was witnessing the work of a master. This book compiles Reinhold's views on his biggest alpine climbs and still, we are sandbagged. What this man and his partners achieved is difficult to fathom two decades later because his impact has been absorbed into the whole. Before Messner, oxygenless attempts on the big mountains had fallen out of style but now, few world class mountaineers would dare consider it's use. Before Messner, huge seige expeditions were the norm but today, many emulate Reinhold's gutty, stripped down approach and the environment has benefitted. Reinhold is the man !

This is one the best books about mountaineering that I have and I do have a lot of them. It just has it all, about all the 14 eigth-thousanders and Messner's climbs on these mountains.Lots and lots of excelent easy reading information about the eight-thousanders(historical highlights, geographical informations, technical informations, drawings of the most famous routes, etc); interviews(stories) with some other excelent climbers (Doug Scott, Chris Bonington, Hans Kammerlander, Kurt Diemberg, etc. ); filled with quotations; superb pictures of all the 14 eight-thousanders(really really great pictures - high quality paperprint).Aside all that you also have some good "short" narrations (stories) about Messner's climbs on all the eight thousanders, some comments about mountaineering, about the critics made toward him, and others aspects of his career. For instance he talks about the death of his brother in Nanga Parbat, about traditional alpine style, about his partners, about solo climbings, about the use of oxygen and about much others subjects(traverses, new routes, human limits, etc). But don't expect to find a detailed, extensive narration about the climbings and I think that is because you would have at least 14 books inside a single book, it would be just to big for printing.You won't find any other book with the climb stories of the first person(Messner) to climb all 14 and also with great pictures and information about the 14. This is a must have in any moutaineering collection.

This by far is the best compendium of eye-witness account, photographs, maps and statistics from the first climber who ever scaled all 14 highest mountains in the world. Maps, topography, geography and route descriptions are concise and up to the point. Messner is not at his best when he is trying to put a philosophical spin on things, but on the other hand, who is? In summary, a very good book.

I strongly disagree with comments about the writing of this unsurpassed mountaineer. His writing is clear. Someone expecting a minute-to-minute account of each climb will be disappointed, but Messner conveys a remarkable amount of emotion and wisdom in each short chapter. He inspires with the bare truth. Soloing Everest without oxygen: "My tempo had become so slow that I despaired of ever making it. I could not manage the last few metres--I crawled on hands and knees." In the chapter on Manaslu (two expedition members died): "After this experience on Manaslu, I decided not to go on expeditions with other people again. If I wanted to go, I told myself six months after I had recovered to some extent, then I must go alone." This is one of my favorite books, perhaps my favorite mountaineering book--and replete with insights into Reinhold Messner by people who know him well. I thank him for following his dreams and writing about his insights, which enrich us all.