My Life at the Limit
A good overview of Messner's accomplishments, from the Alps, to the Himalayas, to his long-distance adventures in cold and hot places, EU politics, and the museums. I was familiar with the first two, having read his earlier books, but knew nothing of what he did after finishing off the eight-thousanders and the seven summits. I enjoyed catching up and for the first time saw the philosophical side of Reinhold (it was probably there in the earlier books, but I was more focused on the details of climbing back then). So I liked “My Life at the Limit,” but I am not sure if just the highlights of his life would satisfy someone not already familiar with Herr Messner.
Some quotes that stood out to me:
“...if I use bolts, there's no such thing as ‘impossible' anymore, and without this, adventures are unthinkable. I only experience real adventure when I don't know what the outcome will be.”
“We'd learned how to survive, and it was this that gave us the self-assurance that made us strong in normal life. I was never scared that I might not get my life sorted out, whereas my father was always scared.”
“It is through resisting death that we humans experience what it is to be human. And it is in the seeming paradox that the most fundamental reasons for climbing mountains or seeking out extreme situations are to be found...“
“...I can't live without the experience of pushing things to the limit. The symptom of my disorder is defined by a lust for life that comes from putting my life at risk.”
“Having everything is boring; I'm convinced of that. Once you have something—knowledge, skills, possessions—or have achieved something—climbing Mount Everest, for example—it becomes banal... The experience remains, for a while at least, but for me the feeling of curiosity about the next challenge, the next question, is always stronger... When I am identifying an objective, the summit is everything... Once this has been achieved, I need a new task, a new idea, a new project. I've been lucky so far—I've always been able to get myself motivated for the next new thing.”
“...Even when I fell off the castle wall... I simply told myself I'd find something else to do, even if I had to do it in a wheelchair. As long as I have my set objectives, I am confident. ...Owning things is boring—obligations and responsibilities. It interests me less than creating things... Throughout my life I've usually realized when it was time to say, “That's enough of that; I need something new.”
“Perhaps the true purpose of life is simply to express ourselves as best we can. Maybe my ability to keep finding new challenges appropriate to my age is part of the happiness, the thing that keeps me young, creative, and full of life.”