Peter Habeler

Peter Habeler (born July 22, 1942) 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 1978 together with Messner, which had previously been thought as impossible. A year after his climb on Everest published Lonely Victory in 1979. Habeler set further records by descending from the summit to the South Col in only one hour and climbing Northface of Eiger in ten hours.

Other eight-thousanders (mountains over 8,000 meters) that Habeler has summited are Cho Oyu, Nanga Parbat, Kangchenjunga Hidden Peak. He has also climbed Yerupaja Chicho 6089 meters in South America. The ascent of Hidden Peak was made with Messner in 1975, Alpine-style in three days, and is seen by some as ushering in a new era of Alpine-style ascents of eight-thousanders, in contrast to the "siege" tactics which had largely prevailed to this time. It was the first time an eight-thousander had been climbed Alpine-style. Peter attempted to climb Mt. Everest again in 2000 but failed to do so due to fluid in his lungs.

Peter became a skiing instructor at age twenty one and founded the Peter Habeler Ski and Mountaineering School in his hometown of Mayrhofen, Austria. The school is now run by his son, though Peter still teaches on occasion. Now aged 70, Peter is still passionate on mountaineering and climbing.