In the Alps, Ernst Reiss, the first ascender of Lhotse (1920-2010), achieved significant first ascents, including the southeast face of the Kleines Wellhorn and the northeast face of the Gspaltenhorn. He often climbed with his partner Dölf Reist. During two expeditions to the Peruvian Andes in 1959 and 1965, Reiss made several first ascents. Growing up in simple conditions in Davos, Ernst Reiss remained a humble person despite his successes, never seeking the spotlight. A trained metalworker, he was a member of the Nature Friends and the Swiss Alpine Club; the Austrian Alpine Club, an association of high-performing mountaineers, honored him as an honorary member. He enjoyed writing and frequently contributed reports to alpine publications and the newspaper "Sport." The writer Erwin Heimann from the Bernese Oberland encouraged him to write his autobiographical work.