Albert Hirschbichler, born on August 18, 1957, in Bad Reichenhall, was employed as a psychologist in a pneumological specialist clinic in Bad Reichenhall until his retirement. From his early youth, he went hiking and climbing in the mountains of his homeland and also made some first ascents. In May 1997, he fell 30 meters to the ground, due to a misunderstood rope command in a climbing area near Lake Garda. He has been paralysed from the waist down since then but continues to engage in sports, especially with a handbike. In 2008, he rode his handbike on the Karakoram Highway from Gilgit to the Kunjerab Pass on the Chinese border.