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”He is not just a climber. The mountains have also turned him into
a philosopher and poet”
Die WELT. Germany
Thomas Bubendorfer, born on May 14, 1962, of Austrian nationality, grew
up in a small town 35 miles south of the city of Salzburg, Austria, as the
eldest of four siblings. His talent for languages was encouraged at an early
age: summers were spent in his family’s house by the Mediterranean
Sea in Italy, and Thomas was sent to a private boarding school in Cornwall,
England, for one year.
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Thomas, a rather chubby child until pubescence, was a late starter. At the age of 12 he began his intensive climbing. He also became a successful amateur ski racer and table tennis player.He tried to live up o the classic Latin principle "mens sana in corpore sano" (a healthy mind in a healthy body). To compensate for his intense physical activities, which included running marathon distances, work-outs in gyms and 300 chin-ups daily, he chose to read a minimum of 100 pages of classical literature a day. He graduated from high school in Austria at the age of 18, specializing in Latin, French, English, history, and literature. |
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1981-1984: A young professional climber in Florence,
Italy |
In 1981, after eight months of mandatory military service, Thomas moved to Florence, Italy, to study Italian and history of art. At the age of 19 he became a professional climber who supported himself by writing articles for magazines and winning his two first sponsorships in Italy and Germany.
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1985: The Principality of Monaco, Monte Carlo |
As he loved the sea, the wonderful rocks and the fine weather of the French
Riviera and was determined to learn French as his fourth foreign language,
he moved to the Principality of Monaco, Monte Carlo, in January of 1985,
where he has been living since.
with painter Matta |
In addition to the mountains, which remain
the starting point of all his thinking, he loves both classical and
modern literature. His all-time favorite writer is William Faulkner;
the present-day writers he admires most include T.C.Boyle, Salman
Rushdie and Saul Bellow. Thomas Bubendorfer is enthralled by history,
philosophy, mythology chaos theory. He draws inspiration from the
work of the American mythologist Joseph Campbell and above all the
great role model in his life, Austrian philosopher Viktor Frankl,
author of "Man’s Search for Meaning” (one of the ten
most important New York Times books), originator of logotherapy and
founder of the Third Viennese School of Psychoanalysis. Professor
Frankl was Thomas’ mentor and friend until his demise in 1997.
Thomas Bubendorfer has two sons, Laurens, 16 years of age, and Tim
Thomas, born in May 2002. He is devoted partner to Christine. He loves
books, his old piano, English cloth, Italian tailors, his Viennese
shoemaker, and French red wine. |
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Thomas Bubendorfer is a celebrity in Europe and has appeared on countless television shows. His life and his achievements as a climber have been portrayed in more than a dozen documentaries. In the USA, he worked for Turner Original Production (on Mount McKinley)
with Prince Albert of. Monaco |
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High profile sponsorships |
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Given his high profile, he has also been working for a wide range of companies on a sponsorship basis and as a testimonial for advertising campaigns and TV commercials. Over the years, these companies have included the Italian clothes company Ciesse Piumini, Porsche Design and Porsche cars, Sony, Mercedes, Audi, Rolex and Baume & Mercier watches in Switzerland, a variety of national Austrian and German companies, and German corporate giant Siemens. |
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Mental Mount Everest: "Conquest" |
The English version of his fourth book, "Conquest of the Invisible”,
remains an ongoing project, Thomas Bubendorfer’s "mental Mount
Everest”.
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