Reinhold Messner (born 17 September 1944) is an Italian mountaineer, adventurer, explorer, and author from the autonomous German-speaking Italian province of South Tyrol.
He made the first ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, along with Peter Habeler, and was the first climber to ascend all fourteen peaks over 8,000 metres (26,000 ft) above sea level. He was also the first person to cross Antarctica and Greenland with neither snowmobiles nor dog sleds. Furthermore he crossed the Gobi Desert alone. Messner also published more than 80 books about his experiences as a climber and explorer.