Peter Habeler

Who is Peter Habeler?

Peter Habeler is an Austrian mountaineer. He was born in Mayrhofen, Austria. He developed an interest in mountain climbing at age six.

Among his accomplishments as a mountaineer are his first ascents in the Rocky Mountains. He was also the first European to climb on the Big Walls in Yosemite National Park.

He began climbing with Reinhold Messner in 1969. Several accomplishments in mountaineering followed. The most notable event was the first ascent without supplemental oxygen of Mount Everest in May 8, 1978 together with Messner, which had previously been thought as impossible. A year after his climb on Everest he published Lonely Victory in 1979. Habeler set further records by descending from the summit to the south col in only one hour and climbing the north face of the Eiger in ten hours.

Other eight-thousanders that Habeler has summited are Cho Oyu, Nanga Parbat, Kangchenjunga and Hidden Peak. He has also climbed Yerupaja Chico in South America.