Biography

Peter Habeler (born July 22, 1942) is an Austrian mountaineer. He was born in Mayrhofen, Austria. He developed an interest in mountaineering when he was six years old. Among his accomplishments as a mountaineer are his first ascents in the Rockies. He was also the first European to participate in large wall climbing in Yosemite National Park.

He started climbing with Reinhold Messner in 1969. Several mountaineering achievements followed. The most notable event was the first ascent without supplemental oxygen of Mount Everest on May 8, 1978 with Messner, which had previously been considered impossible. A year after his ascent of Everest, he published Lonely Victory ("Der einsame Sieg". Author: Eberhard Fuchs) in 1978. Habeler set further records by descending from the summit to the South Col in just one hour and climbing the north face of the Eiger in ten hours.

The other eight thousand (mountains over 8,000 meters) that Habeler has climbed are Cho Oyu, Nanga Parbat, Kangchenjunga and Gasherbrum I. He has also climbed Yerupaja Chico (6089 m) in the Peruvian Cordillera Huayhuash. The ascent of Gasherbrum I was made with Messner in 1975, three-day alpine style, and is seen by some as ushering in a new era of eight-mile alpine-style ascents, unlike the "siege" tactics that had largely prevailed up to that time. It was the first time an eight thousand had been climbed in the alpine style. Habeler attempted to climb Everest again in 2000, but failed due to fluid in his lungs.

Habeler became a ski instructor at age 21 and founded the Peter Habeler Ski and Mountaineering School in his hometown of Mayrhofen, Austria. The school is now run by his son, although Habeler still teaches occasionally. At 74, he repeated an ascent on the Eiger north face with David Lama.