LEBENSZEIT– On the Value of Transience
The new book by Diane and Reinhold Messner (publication date: 7 October 2026)

‘We counter the longing for eternal life with the value of transience.’

Reinhold Messner – the most famous mountaineer and adventurer of our time – and his wife Diane Messner write in *Lebenszeit* about growing older and staying young, about loss and happiness, about grand expeditions and the little adventures of everyday life. The result is a book about the preciousness of our time on earth – and about how to make the most of it with openness, courage and curiosity

Currently available only in German


“I CLIMBED MOUNTAINS AS A CHILD, AND NOW IT IS TOO LATE TO STOP.”

Messner Vita

“MY LIFE IS FOCUSED ON DOING ONLY WHAT I LIKE TO DO.”

Messner Panorama

“I HOPE TO REMAIN ABLE TO FIND NEW DREAMS AGAIN AND AGAIN.”

Reinhold Messner Film

“THE WORLD CAN ONLY BE CHANGED IF EVERY SINGLE PERSON CHANGES.”

Reinhold Messner Stiftung

“FOR ME, WRITING IS THE PROCESSING NEEDED TO GET MUCH CLOSER TO THE MATTER.”

Books

Reinhold Messner - Insights

Reinhold Messner about his life at the limit and what drives him to look for new challenges.

Cross-Border. Storyteller. Human being.

What remains when the summit has been reached?
What sustains you when certainties fade and only courage, instinct and personal responsibility remain?

This page tells the story of a life in dialogue with the wilderness. Of rock and ice, of storm and silence. Of a man who never saw nature as a backdrop, but as a teacher. A person who sought out its limits and at the same time pushed his own in the Dolomites, on the eight-thousanders, in the deserts and polar regions of the world.

Reinhold Messner has redefined mountaineering: as a radical form of self-knowledge. As an expression of a self-determined life and in harmony with risk, renunciation and the depth of experience.

Today he is a storyteller. A preserver. A questioner.
He shares his legacy not in the form of records, but through stories. As an author, filmmaker, and boundary-pusher of thought. And as the founder of the Reinhold Messner House. A place where values are passed on: responsibility. Mindfulness. Freedom.

This page is both an invitation and a guide.
To the lines of a life that has started over and over again.
To an attitude that demands rather than pleases.
And to a message that is more urgent than ever:

The mountains must remain wild.
Just like us.

Dear visitors,

© CR Anna Heupel JW

REINHOLD MESSNER HAUS

The mountains must remain wild - even in our mind

A place of quiet grandeur: the Reinhold Messner Haus am Helm

Where cable car gondolas once arrived, a new chapter is beginning: the Reinhold Messner House is an impressive example of how the future can grow from the existing. The former mountain station at Helm was not demolished, but upcycled – transformed into a visionary centre for sustainability, environmental awareness, art and culture.

More information + picture gallery

Reinhold Messner Horizonte

The legacy of traditional alpinism

With the Reinhold Messner Horizons, Reinhold and Diane Messner want to keep the legacy of traditional alpinism alive.

Picture gallery

NEWS

23. March 2027

Reinhold Messner Final Expedition 2027 Bratislava

Bratislava Stars Auditorium 23 & 24 March 2027

07. January 2027

An Alpine Symphony with Reinhold Messner - The world of the mountains in music and words

Thu · 7 January 2027 · 7.30 pm Fri · 8 January 2027 · 5.00 pm · 8.30 pm Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg

13. November 2026

All news

The newest book by Reinhold Messner

Publication date: Autumn 2025

AGAINST THE WIND

Reflections on a Self-Determined Life

One, if not the constant in Reinhold Messner's life is the headwind: whether as heavy storms on the way to the South Pole with Arved Fuchs or with his brother Hubert across the Greenland ice, whether alone when pitching a tent or on the steepest walls. Above all, back in civilisation, where his actions have always provoked opposition. Even as a young mountaineer he was discredited; time and again he experienced hostility - as an opinionated individualist, author and museum organiser. Drawing on eight decades of experience, Messner reflects on friendships and intrigues, mountaineering and private highlights and setbacks. He impressively conveys how headwinds can grow wings. And the ability to realise dreams even in old age.

Tour dates

Get the current dates for the tours: including "ÜberLeben", "Weltberge", "Berge versetzen" and "Pole".

Lectures & Incentives

Reinhold Messner gives company presentations to staff and managers, as well as organising incentives and seminars.

Contact

If you have any questions or wishes, please do not hesitate to contact our office:

NEW ADDRESS / NEW TELEPHONE NUMBER

Office Reinhold Messner
c/o Reinhold Messner Film GmbH
Otto-Huber-Straße Nr. 12
39012 Meran (BZ), Italien
Tel.: +39 0473 /868183

Ursula Elbling
Officemanagerin Büro Messner

info@reinholdmessner.com