My father had been a Wehrmacht officer in the second world war and was a violent and damaged man.

I learned to ski in the Dolomites at the age of five. Ski lifts didn't exist then, so I did everything on foot.

I produce schnapps on my farm but I'm not fond of drinking it.

Albert Frederick Mummery and Chris Bonington are the British climbers I most admire.

Fame is very heavy. When there are large crowds, I'm unable to handle it.

A 30-year-old rock climber is an old man. At 40, one is in the middle of his high-altitude power. At 50, a crosser of deserts is at his best age. But at 60, each of us is out of the game.

For me, imagination is more important in climbing than muscle or daredevil antics.

I became famous for the fact that I would break many, many limits. People said, 'He does all these crazy things.' But oddly it was a crazy thing only because scientists and climbers said, 'Everest and the 8,000-meter peaks without oxygen - impossible. Messner is becoming sick in his head.'

I'm a rock climber, a high-altitude climber, an adventurer, a storyteller through my museums, and a writer of more than 50 books.