Eight-thousander
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates
The eight-thousanders are 14 mountains recognized by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) with summits that exceed Template:Convert in elevation above sea level and are sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks as measured by topographic prominence. There is no formally agreed-upon definition of prominence, however, and at times the UIAA has considered whether the list of 8,000-metre peaks should be expanded to 20 peaks by including the major satellite peaks of the canonical 14 eight-thousanders. All of the Earth's eight-thousanders are located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia, and their summits lie in the altitude range known as the death zone, where atmospheric oxygen pressure is insufficient to sustain human life for extended periods of time.
From 1950 to 1964, all 14 of the eight-thousanders were first summited by expedition climbers in the summer season (the first to be summited was Annapurna I in 1950, and the last was Shishapangma in 1964); from 1980 to 2021, all 14 were summited in the winter season (the first to be summited in winter was Mount Everest in 1980, and the last was K2 in 2021). As measured by a variety of statistical techniques, the deadliest eight-thousander is Annapurna I, with one death (climber or climber support) for every three summiters, followed by K2 and Nanga Parbat (each with one death for every four to five summiters), and then Dhaulagiri and Kangchenjunga (each with one death for every six to seven summiters).
The first person to summit all 14 eight-thousanders was the Italian climber Reinhold Messner in 1986, who did not use any supplementary oxygen. In 2010, Edurne Pasaban, a Basque Spanish mountaineer, became the first woman to summit all 14 eight-thousanders, but with the aid of supplementary oxygen. In 2011, Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner became the first woman to summit all 14 eight-thousanders without the aid of supplementary oxygen. In 2013, South Korean Kim Chang-ho set a speed record by climbing all 14 eight-thousanders in 7 years and 310 days, without the aid of supplementary oxygen. In July 2023, Kristin Harila and Tenjen Lama Sherpa set a speed record of 92 days for climbing all 14 eight-thousanders, with supplementary oxygen. In July 2022, Sanu Sherpa became the first person to summit all 14 eight-thousanders twice, which he did from 2006 to 2022.
Issues with false summits (e.g. Cho Oyu, Annapurna I, and Dhaulagiri), or separated dual summits (e.g. Shishapangma and Manaslu), have led to disputed claims of ascents.<ref name=NYT1/> In 2022, after several years of research, a team of experts reported that they could only confirm evidence that three climbers (Ed Viesturs, Veikka Gustafsson and Nirmal Purja) had stood on the true geographic summit of all 14 eight-thousanders.<ref name=Alpinist/>
Climbing history
First ascents
The first recorded attempt on an eight-thousander was when Albert F. Mummery, Geoffrey Hastings and J. Norman Collie tried to climb Nanga Parbat in 1895. The attempt failed when Mummery and two Gurkhas, Ragobir Thapa and Goman Singh, died in an avalanche.<ref name=Mummery1895/>
The first successful ascent of an eight-thousander was by the French climbers Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, who reached the summit of Annapurna on 3 June 1950 using expedition climbing techniques as part of the 1950 French Annapurna expedition.<ref name=Herzog1951/> Due to its location in Tibet, Shishapangma was the last eight-thousander to be ascended for the first time, which was completed by a Chinese team led by Xu Jing in 1964 (Tibet's mountains were closed by China to foreigners until 1978).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The first winter ascent of an eight-thousander was by a Polish team led by Andrzej Zawada on Mount Everest, with Leszek Cichy and Krzysztof Wielicki reaching the summit on 17 February 1980;<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> all-Polish teams would complete nine of the first fourteen winter ascents of eight-thousanders.<ref name=PM5/> The final eight-thousander to be climbed in winter was K2, whose summit was ascended by a 10-person Nepalese team on 16 January 2021.<ref name=tele1>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
Only two climbers have completed the first ascent of more than one eight-thousander, Hermann Buhl (Nanga Parbat and Broad Peak, in 1953 and 1957) and Kurt Diemberger (Broad Peak and Dhaulagiri, in 1957 and 1960). Buhl's summit of Nanga Parbat in 1953 is notable as being the only solo first-ascent of an eight-thousander.<ref name=Isserman>Template:Cite book</ref> The Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka is noted for creating over ten new routes on various eight-thousander mountains.<ref name=PM5>Template:Cite web</ref> Italian climber Simone Moro made the first winter ascent of four eight-thousanders (Shishapangma, Makalu, Gasherbrum II, and Nanga Parbat),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while three Polish climbers have each made three first winter ascents of an eight-thousander, Maciej Berbeka (Cho Oyu, Manaslu, and Broad Peak), Krzysztof Wielicki (Everest, Kangchenjunga, and Lhotse) and Jerzy Kukuczka (Dhaulagiri I, Kangchenjunga, and Annapurna I).<ref name=PM5/>
All 14
On 16 October 1986, Italian Reinhold Messner became the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders. In 1987, Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka became the second person to accomplish this feat.<ref name=PM5/> Messner summited each of the 14 peaks without the aid of bottled oxygen, a feat that was only repeated by the Swiss Erhard Loretan nine years later in 1995 (Kukuczka had used supplementary oxygen while summiting Everest but on no other eight-thousander<ref name=PM5/>).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 17 May 2010, Spanish climber Edurne Pasaban became the first woman to summit all 14 eight-thousanders.<ref name="explorersOK">Template:Cite web</ref> In August 2011, Austrian climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner became the first woman to climb the 14 eight-thousanders without the use of supplementary oxygen.<ref name="BBC News">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The first couple and team to summit all 14 eight-thousanders were the Italians Nives Meroi (who was the second woman to accomplish this feat without supplementary oxygen), and her husband Template:Ill on 11 May 2017.<ref name="ansa">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=PM10>Template:Cite web</ref> The couple climbed alpine style, without the use of supplementary oxygen or other support.<ref name=PM10/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 22 May 2024, Nepali guide Kami Rita summitted Everest for the 30th time (a record for Everest), also becoming the first-ever person to climb an eight-thousander 41 times.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In July 2022, Sanu Sherpa became the first person to summit all 14 eight-thousanders twice.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He started with Cho Oyu in 2006, and completed the double by summiting Gasherbrum II in July 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On 20 May 2013, South Korean climber Kim Chang-ho set a new speed record of climbing all 14 eight-thousanders, without the use of supplementary oxygen, in 7 years and 310 days. On 29 October 2019, the British-Nepali climber Nirmal Purja set a speed record of 6 months and 6 days for climbing all 14 eight-thousanders with the use of supplementary oxygen.<ref name=GWR>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=BBC>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=NG>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On 27 July 2023, Kristin Harila and Tenjen Lama Sherpa set a new speed record of 92 days for climbing all 14 eight-thousanders with supplementary oxygen.<ref name="AlanA2023" /><ref name="K2_2023_1" />
Deadliest
| Eight thousander |
From 1950 to March 2012<ref name="economist2013"/> | Climber death rate <ref name="HDB1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total ascentsTemplate:Efn |
Total deathsTemplate:Efn |
Deaths as % of ascentsTemplate:Efn | ||
| Everest | 5656 | 223 | 3.9% | 1.52% |
| K2 | 800 | 96 | 12% | –Template:Efn |
| Kangchenjunga | 243 | 40 | 16% | 3.00% |
| Lhotse | 461 | 13 | 2.8% | 1.03% |
| Makalu | 361 | 31 | 8.6% | 1.63% |
| Cho Oyu | 3138 | 44 | 1.4% | 0.64% |
| Dhaulagiri I | 448 | 69 | 15.4% | 2.94% |
| Manaslu | 661 | 65 | 9.8% | 2.77% |
| Nanga Parbat | 335 | 68 | 20.3% | –Template:Efn |
| Annapurna I | 191 | 61 | 31.9% | 4.05% |
| Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) |
334 | 29 | 8.7% | –Template:Efn |
| Broad Peak | 404 | 21 | 5.2% | –Template:Efn |
| Gasherbrum II | 930 | 21 | 2.3% | –Template:Efn |
| Shishapangma | 302 | 25 | 8.3% | |
The eight-thousanders are some of the world's deadliest mountains. The extreme altitude and the fact that the summits of all eight-thousanders lie in the Death Zone mean that climber mortality (or death rate) is high.<ref name=SIA>Template:Cite web</ref> Two metrics are quoted to establish a death rate (i.e. broad and narrow) that are used to rank the eight-thousanders in order of deadliest.<ref name=EBJ/><ref name=MIQ/>
- Broad death rate: The first metric is the ratio of total deathsTemplate:Efn on the mountain to successful climbers summiting over a given period.<ref name=EBJ/> The Guinness Book of World Records uses this metric to name Annapurna I as the deadliest eight-thousander, and the world's deadliest mountain with roughly one person dying for every three people who successfully summit, i.e. a ratio of circa 30%.<ref name=GB>Template:Cite web</ref> Using consistent data from 1950 to 2012, mountaineering statistician Eberhard Jurgalski (see table) used this metric to show Annapurna is the deadliest mountain (31.9%), followed by K2 (26.5%), Nanga Parbat (20.3%), Dhaulagiri (15.4%) and Kangchenjunga (14.1%).<ref name=EBJ/> Other statistical sources including MountainIQ, used a mix of data periods from 1900 to Spring 2021 but had similar results showing Annapurna still being the deadliest mountain (27.2%), followed by K2 (22.8%), Nanga Parbat (20.75%), Kangchenjunga (15%), and Dhaulagiri (13.5%).<ref name=MIQ>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=SIA/> Cho Oyu was the safest at 1.4%.<ref name=EBJ/><ref name=MIQ/>
- Narrow death rate: The drawback of the first metric is that it includes the deaths of any support climbers or climbing sherpas that went above base camp in assisting the climb; therefore, rather than being the probability that a climber will die attempting to summit an eight-thousander, it is more akin to the total human cost in getting a climber to the summit.<ref name="HDB1"/> In the Himalayan Database (HDB) tables, the climber (or member) "Death Rate" is the ratio of deaths above base camp, of all climbers who were hoping to summit and who went above base camp (calculated for 1950 to 2009), and is closer to a true probability of death (see table below).<ref name="HDB1"/> The data is only for the Nepalese Himalaya and therefore does not include K2 or Nanga Parbat.<ref name="HDB1"/> HDB estimates the probability of death for a climber attempting the summit of an eight-thousander is still highest for Annapurna I (4%), followed by Kangchenjunga (3%) and Dhaulagiri (3%); the safest is still Cho Oyu at 0.6%.<ref name="HDB1"/>
The tables from the HDB for eight-thousanders also show that the death rate of climbers for the period 1990 to 2009 (e.g. modern expeditions), is roughly half that of the combined 1950 to 2009 period, i.e. climbing is becoming safer for the climbers attempting the summit.<ref name="HDB1"/>
List of first ascents
From 1950 to 1964, all 14 of the eight-thousanders were summited in the summer (the first was Annapurna I in 1950, and the last was Shishapangma in 1964), and from 1980 to 2021, all 14 were summited in the winter (the first being Everest in 1980, and the last being K2 in 2021).
List of climbers of all 14
Template:Multiple image There is no single undisputed source or arbitrator for verified ascents of Himalayan eight-thousander peaks.
Various mountaineering journals, including the Alpine Journal and the American Alpine Journal, also maintain extensive records and archives on expeditions to the eight-thousanders, but do not always opine on disputed ascents, and nor do they maintain registers or lists of verified ascents of the eight-thousanders.<ref name=NYT1>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=AAJ1/>
Elizabeth Hawley's The Himalayan Database,<ref name="hdb">Template:Cite web</ref> is considered as an important source for verified ascents for the Nepalese Himalayas.<ref name="haw1"/><ref name="haw2"/> Online databases of Himalayan ascents pay close regard to The Himalayan Database, including the website AdventureStats.com,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Eberhard Jurgalski List.<ref name=NYT1/><ref name=AAJ1/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Verified ascents
Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend Template:Legend
The "No O2" column lists people who have climbed all 14 eight-thousanders without supplementary oxygen.
| Order | Order (No O2) |
Name | Period climbing eight-thousanders |
Born | Age | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Reinhold Messner | 1970–1986 | 1944 | 42 | Template:Flagicon Italian |
| 2 | Jerzy Kukuczka | 1979–1987 | 1948 | 39 | Template:Flagicon Polish | |
| 3 | 2 | Erhard Loretan | 1982–1995 | 1959 | 36 | Template:Flagicon Swiss |
| 4 | <ref>Carlos Carsolio required emergency oxygen on his descent from Makalu in 1988.</ref> | Carlos Carsolio | 1985–1996 | 1962 | 33 | Template:Flagicon Mexican |
| 5 | Krzysztof Wielicki | 1980–1996 | 1950 | 46 | Template:Flagicon Polish | |
| 6 | 3 | Juanito Oiarzabal | 1985–1999 | 1956 | 43 | Template:Flagicon Spanish |
| 7 | Sergio Martini | 1983–2000 | 1949 | 51 | Template:Flagicon Italian | |
| 8 | Park Young-seok | 1993–2001 | 1963 | 38 | Template:Flagicon Korean | |
| 9 | Um Hong-gil | 1988–2001 | 1960<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 40 | Template:Flagicon Korean | |
| 10 | 4 | Alberto Iñurrategi | 1991–2002<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1968 | 33 | Template:Flagicon Spanish |
| 11 | Han Wang-yong | 1994–2003 | 1966 | 37 | Template:Flagicon Korean | |
| 12 | 5<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Ed Viesturs | 1989–2005 | 1959 | 46 | Template:Flagicon American |
| 13 | 6<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>
Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Silvio Mondinelli | 1993–2007 | 1958 | 49 | Template:Flagicon Italian |
| 14 | 7<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Iván Vallejo | 1997–2008 | 1959 | 49 | Template:Flagicon Ecuadorian |
| 15 | 8<ref>
Template:Cite web</ref> |
Denis Urubko | 2000–2009 | 1973 | 35 | Template:Flagicon Kazakhstani |
| 16 | Ralf Dujmovits | 1990–2009 | 1961<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 47 | Template:Flagicon German | |
| 17<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 9<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Veikka Gustafsson | 1993–2009 | 1968 | 41 | Template:Flagicon Finnish |
| 18<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Andrew Lock | 1993–2009 | 1961<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 48 | Template:Flagicon Australian | |
| 19 | 10 | João Garcia | 1993–2010 | 1967 | 43 | Template:Flagicon Portuguese |
| 20<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Piotr Pustelnik | 1990–2010 | 1951 | 58 | Template:Flagicon Polish | |
| 21<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Edurne Pasaban | 2001–2010 | 1973 | 36 | Template:Flagicon Spanish | |
| 22<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Abele Blanc | 1992–2011<ref name="8000ers.com">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1954 | 56 | Template:Flagicon Italian | |
| 23 | Mingma Sherpa | 2000–2011<ref name="8000ers.com"/> | 1978 | 33 | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |
| 24 | 11 | Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner | 1998–2011<ref name="8000ers.com"/> | 1970 | 40 | Template:Flagicon Austrian |
| 25 | Template:Ill | 2001–2011<ref name="8000ers.com"/> | 1975 | 36 | Template:Flagicon Kazakhstani | |
| 26 | 12 | Maxut Zhumayev | 2001–2011<ref name="8000ers.com"/> | 1977 | 34 | Template:Flagicon Kazakhstani |
| 27 | Template:Ill | 2000–2011<ref name="8000ers.com"/> | 1961 | 50 | Template:Flagicon Korean | |
| 28<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 13 | Mario Panzeri | 1988–2012 | 1964 | 48 | Template:Flagicon Italian |
| 29<ref name="nikkei0526">Template:Cite web</ref> | Hirotaka Takeuchi [ja] | 1995–2012<ref name="nikkei0526"/> | 1971 | 41 | Template:Flagicon Japanese | |
| 30 | Chhang Dawa Sherpa | 2001–2013<ref name="8000ers.com"/> | 1982 | 30 | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |
| 31 | 14 | Kim Chang-ho | 2005–2013<ref name="8000ers.com"/> | 1970 | 43 | Template:Flagicon Korean |
| 32 | Template:Ill | 2002–2014<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1968 | 45 | Template:Flagicon Spanish | |
| 33 | 15 | Radek Jaroš | 1998–2014<ref name="8000ers.com"/> | 1964 | 50 | Template:Flagicon Czech |
| 34/35<ref name="meroi">Nives Meroi and Romano Benet climbed all the Eight-thousanders together, it wasn't revealed if one of them climbed the last peak a few moments before the other, thus they share the same position</ref> | 16/17<ref name="meroi" /> | Nives Meroi | 1998–2017<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> | 1961 | 55 | Template:Flagicon Italian |
| 34/35<ref name="meroi" /> | 16/17<ref name="meroi" /> | Template:Ill | 1998–2017<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | 1962 | 55 | Template:Flagicon Italian / Template:Flagicon Slovenian |
| 36 | Template:Ill | 1998–2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1964 | 52 | Template:Flagicon Slovak | |
| 37 | 18 | Azim Gheychisaz | 2008–2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1981 | 37 | Template:Flagicon Iranian |
| 38 | Ferran Latorre | 1999–2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1970 | 46 | Template:Flagicon Spanish | |
| 39 | 19 | Òscar Cadiach | 1984–2017<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1952 | 64 | Template:Flagicon Spanish |
| 40 | Kim Mi-gon | 2000–2018<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1973 | 45 | Template:Flagicon Korean | |
| 41 | Sanu Sherpa | 2006–2019<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1975 | 44 | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |
| 42 | Nirmal Purja | 2014–2019<ref name=NG/><ref name="Wanderlust">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Efn | 1983 | 36 | Template:FlagiconBritishTemplate:R | |
| 43 | Mingma Gyabu Sherpa | 2010–2019<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1989 | 30 | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |
| 44 | Kim Hong-bin | 2006–2021<ref name="TimesUnion">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="TheKoreaTimes">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="AdventureMountain">Template:Cite web</ref> | 1964 | 57 | Template:Flagicon Korean | |
| 45 | Nima Gyalzen Sherpa | 2004–2022<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1985 | 37 | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |
| 46 | Dong Hong Juan | 2015–2023<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1981 | 42 | Template:Flagicon Chinese | |
| 47 | Kristin Harila | 2021–2023<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1986 | 37 | Template:Flagicon Norwegian | |
| 48 | Template:Ill | 2012–2023<ref name="TimeNews">Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref><ref name="RFI">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Explorersweb_2023_06_26">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="EverestChronicle_2023_06_26">Template:Cite web</ref> | 1968 | 55 | Template:Flagicon Swiss / Template:Flagicon French / Template:Flagicon Canadian | |
| 49 | Tunç Fındık | 2001–2023<ref name="Explorersweb_2023_06_26" /><ref name="EverestChronicle_2023_06_26" /> | 1972 | 51 | Template:Flagicon Turkish | |
| 50 | Tenjen Lama Sherpa | 2016–2023<ref name="AlanA2023">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="K2_2023_1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Seven Sumit Treks">Template:Cite web</ref> | 35<ref name="k2_2023_4">Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Flagicon Nepali | ||
| 51 | Gelje Sherpa | 2017–2023<ref name="Gelje_1" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1992<ref name="Gelje_1">Template:Cite web</ref> | 30 | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |
| 52 | Chris Warner | 1999–2023<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1965 | 58 | Template:Flagicon American | |
| 53 | 20 | Marco Camandona | 2000–2024<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1970 | 54 | Template:Flagicon Italian |
| 54 | Naoki Ishikawa | 2001–4 October 2024<ref name="ImagineNepal_2024_10" /><ref name="yimiuri071024">Template:Cite web</ref> | 1977 | 47 | Template:Flagicon Japanese | |
| 54 | Tracee Metcalfe | 2016–4 October 2024<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ImagineNepal_2024_10" /> | 50<ref name=":2" /> | Template:Flagicon American | ||
| 54 | 21 | Sirbaz Khan | 2017–4 October 2024<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ImagineNepal_2024_10">Template:Cite web</ref> | 1987 | 37 | Template:Flagicon Pakistani |
| 54 | Dawa Gyalje Sherpa | ?–4 October 2024<ref name="ImagineNepal_2024_10" /> | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |||
| 54 | 22 | Mingma Gyalje Sherpa | ?–4 October 2024<ref name="ImagineNepal_2024_10" /> | Template:Flagicon Nepali | ||
| 59 | 23 | Template:Ill | 1998–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>
Template:Cite web</ref> |
1964 | 60 | Template:Flagicon Italian |
| 59 | Naoko Watanabe [ja] | 2006–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /><ref name="nhk1024">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="yahoo050225">Template:Cite web</ref> | 1981 | 42 | Template:Flagicon Japanese | |
| 59 | Adrian Laza | 2016–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1963 | 60 | Template:Flagicon Romanian | |
| 59 | Pasang Nurbu Sherpa | 2016-9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /><ref>https://www.nimsdai.com/post/breaking-kathmandu-celebration-for-nimsdai-team-and-fellow-record-breaking-</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |||
| 59 | Shehroze Kashif | 2019–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2002 | 22 | Template:Flagicon Pakistani | |
| 59 | Template:Ill | 2021–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /><ref name="PSOnet">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Wspinanie2024_10">Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Flagicon Polish | |||
| 59 | Adriana Brownlee | 2021–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /> | 2001 | 23 | Template:Flagicon British | |
| 59 | Nima Rinji Sherpa | 2022–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2006<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 18 | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |
| 59 | Alasdair McKenzie | 2022–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /> | 2004 | 20 | Template:Flagicon French / Template:Flagicon British | |
| 59 | Alina Pekova | 2023–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Flagicon Russian | |||
| 59 | Ko-Erh Tseng | ?–9 October 2024<ref name="THT_2024_10" /> | Template:Flagicon Taiwanese | |||
| 70 | Mingtemba Sherpa | 2013-2024<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |||
| 71 | Tejan Gurung | 2022-2024<ref>https://www.si.com/onsi/adventure/mountaineering-feed-page/british-army-veterans-make-mountaineering-history-with-summit-of-shishapangma-</ref><ref>https://www.si.com/onsi/adventure/mountaineering-feed-page/celebrations-held-in-kathmandu-recognizing-nepalis-mountaineers-accomplishments</ref> | Template:Flagicon Nepali / Template:Flagicon British | |||
| 72 | Pasang Tendi | 2011-2024<ref>https://www.si.com/onsi/adventure/mountaineering-feed-page/celebrations-held-in-kathmandu-recognizing-nepalis-mountaineers-accomplishments-</ref> | Template:Flagicon Nepali | |||
| 73 | Uta Ibrahimi | 2017-2025 <ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1983 | 42 | Template:Flagicon Kosovo | |
| 74 | Saško Kedev | 2009-2025<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 1962 | 63 | Template:Flagicon Macedonian | |
| 75 | Afsane Hesamifard | 2021-2025<ref>Template:Cite web
</ref> |
1976 | 49 | Template:Flagicon Iranian | |
| 76 | Chhiring Sherpa | ?-2025<ref>Template:Cite web
</ref> |
Template:Flagicon Nepali |
Disputed ascents
Claims have been made for summiting all 14 peaks for which not enough evidence was provided to verify the ascent; the disputed ascent in each claim is shown in parentheses in the table below. In most cases, the Himalayan chronicler Elizabeth Hawley is considered a definitive source regarding the facts of the dispute. Her The Himalayan Database is the source for other online Himalayan ascent databases (e.g. AdventureStats.com).<ref name="haw1">If a mountaineer wants worldwide recognition that they have reached the summit of some of the most formidable mountains in the world, they will need to get the approval of Elizabeth Hawley.Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="haw2">Template:Cite web</ref> The Eberhard Jurgalski List is also another important source for independent verification of claims to have summited all 14 eight-thousanders.<ref name=NYT1/><ref name=AAJ1/>
| Name and details | Period climbing eight-thousanders |
Born | Age | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Ill (Lhotse 1997)<ref name="liz2">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Small |
1983–1998 | 1952 | 46 | Template:Flagicon Italian |
| Alan Hinkes (Cho Oyu 1990)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="liz">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Small |
1987–2005 | 1954 | 53 | Template:Flagicon British |
| Vladislav Terzyul (Shishapangma (West) 2000, Broad Peak 1995<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>)<ref>
Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
1993–2004 (deceased) |
1953 | 49 | Template:Flagicon Ukrainian |
| Oh Eun-sun (Kangchenjunga 2009)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="bbc">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>What would appear to be the most serious blow to Miss Oh, on 26 August this year the Korean Alpine Federation, the nation's largest climbing association, concluded that Miss Oh had not reached the top of Kangchenjunga.Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Small<ref name="bbc"/> |
1997–2010 | 1966 | 44 | Template:Flagicon Korean |
| Template:Ill (Shishapangma 2012)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Small<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
2001–2013 | 1963 | 50 | Template:Flagicon Spanish |
| Zhang Liang (Shishapangma 2018)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Small |
2000–2018 | 1964 | 54 | Template:Flagicon Chinese |
Verification issues
A recurrent problem with verification is the confirmation that the climber reached the true peak of the eight-thousander. Eight-thousanders present unique problems in this regard as they are so infrequently summited, their summits have not yet been exhaustively surveyed, and summiting climbers are often suffering the extreme altitude and weather effects of being in the death zone.<ref name=NYT1/><ref name=AAJ1/>
Cho Oyu for example, is a recurrent problem eight-thousander as its true peak is a small hump about a thirty minutes walk into the large flat summit plateau that lies in the death zone. The true peak is often obscured in very poor weather, and this led to the disputed ascent (per the table above) of British climber, Alan Hinkes (who has refused to re-climb the peak).<ref>I have summited Cho Oyu 4 times and will be heading for my fifth this coming season. Each time I have watched the Koreans and Japanese go only to where they can see Everest, not the summit because they know this is what will be asked.Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Many people who climb Cho Oyu in Tibet stop at a set of prayer flags with views of Everest and believe they’ve reached the top, unaware they still have to walk for 15 minutes across the summit plateau until they can see the Gokyo Lakes in Nepal.Template:Cite web</ref> Shishapangma is another problem peak because of its dual summits, which despite being close in height, are up to two hours climbing time apart and require the crossing of an exposed and dangerous snow ridge.<ref name=NYT1/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When Hawley judged that Ed Viesturs had not reached the true summit of Shishapangma (which she deduced from his summit photos and interviews), he then re-climbed the mountain to definitively establish his ascent.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=NYT1/>
In a May 2021 interview with the New York Times, Jurgalski pointed out further issues with false summits on Annapurna I (a long ridge with multiple summits), Dhaulagiri (misleading false summit metal pole), and Manaslu (additional sharp and dangerous ridge to the true summit, like Shishapangma), noting that of the existing 44 accepted claims (as per the table earlier), at least 7 had serious question marks (these were in addition to the table of disputed ascents), and even noting that "It is possible that no one has ever been on the true summit of all 14 of the 8,000-meter peaks".<ref name=NYT1/> In June 2021, Australian climber Damien Gildea wrote an article in the American Alpine Journal on the work that Jurgalski and a team of international experts were doing in this area, including publishing detailed surveys of the problem summits using data from the German Aerospace Center.<ref name=AAJ1>Template:Cite aaj</ref>
In July 2022, Jurgalski posted conclusions of the team's research (the wider team being of Rodolphe Popier and Tobias Pantel of The Himalayan Database, and Damien Gildea, Federico Bernardi, and Thaneswar Guragai).<ref name="Alpinist" /><ref name="OutsideOnline1">Template:Cite web</ref> According to their analysis, only three climbers, Ed Viesturs, Veikka Gustafsson and Nirmal Purja have stood on the true summit of all 14 eight-thousanders, and no female climber had yet done so.<ref name="Alpinist" /> Viesturs is also the first to have done so without the use of oxygen.<ref name="Alpinist" /> Jurgalski allowed for the fact that they had deliberately not stood on the true summit of Kangchenjunga out of religious respect.<ref name="Alpinist">Template:Cite web</ref> The team has not formally published their work, and according to Popier, they had not decided about "the best respectful form to present it".<ref name="Alpinist" />
Proposed expansion
In 2012, to relieve capacity pressure and overcrowding on the world's highest mountain, greater restrictions were placed on expeditions to the summit of Mount Everest.<ref name="bbc2">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> To address the growing capacity constraints, Nepal lobbied the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (or UIAA) to reclassify five subsidiary summits (two on Lhotse and three on Kanchenjunga), as standalone eight-thousanders, while Pakistan lobbied for a sixth subsidiary summit (on Broad Peak) as a standalone eight-thousander.<ref name="bbc1">Template:Cite web</ref> See table below for list of all subsidiary summits of eight-thousanders.
In 2012, the UIAA initiated the ARUGA Project, with an aim to see if these six new Template:Cvt-plus peaks could feasibly achieve international recognition.<ref name="bbc1"/> The proposed six new eight-thousander peaks have a topographic prominence above Template:Cvt, but none would meet the wider UIAA prominence threshold of Template:Cvt (the lowest prominence of the existing 14 eight-thousanders is Lhotse, at Template:Convert).<ref name="horr1"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Critics noted that of the six proposed, only Broad Peak Central, with a prominence of Template:Convert, would even meet the Template:Convert prominence threshold to be a British Isles Marilyn.<ref name="horr1">Template:Cite web</ref> The appeal noted the UIAA's 1994 reclassification of Alpine four-thousander peaks used a prominence threshold of Template:Cvt,Template:Efn amongst other criteria; the logic being that if Template:Cvt worked for Template:Cvt summits, then Template:Cvt is proportional for Template:Cvt summits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:As of, there has been no conclusion by the UIAA and the proposals appear to have been set aside.
| Proposed new eight-thousander | Height (m) |
Prominence (m) |
Dominance (Prom / Height) as a %<ref name="ed"/> |
Dominance classification<ref name="ed">Template:Cite web</ref> |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad Peak Central | 8011 | 181 | 2.26 | B2 |
| Kangchenjunga W-Peak (Yalung Kang) | 8505 | 135 | 1.59 | C1 |
| Kangchenjunga S-Peak | 8476 | 116 | 1.37 | C2 |
| Kangchenjunga C-Peak | 8473 | 63 | 0.74 | C2 |
| Lhotse C-Peak I (Lhotse Middle) | 8410 | 65 | 0.77 | C2 |
| Lhotse Shar | 8382 | 72 | 0.86 | C2 |
| K 2 SW-Peak | 8580 | 30 | 0.35 | D1 |
| Lhotse C-Peak II | 8372 | 37 | 0.44 | D1 |
| Everest W-Peak | 8296 | 30 | 0.36 | D1 |
| Yalung Kang Shoulder | 8077 | 40 | 0.49 | D1 |
| Kangchenjunga SE-Peak | 8150 | 30 | 0.37 | D1 |
| K 2 P. 8134 (SW-Ridge) | 8134 | 35 | 0.43 | D1 |
| Annapurna C-Peak | 8013 | 49 | 0.61 | D1 |
| Nanga Parbat S-Peak | 8042 | 30 | 0.37 | D1 |
| Annapurna E-Peak | 7986 | 65 | 0.81 | C2 |
| Shisha Pangma C-Peak | 8008 | 30 | 0.37 | D1 |
| Everest NE-Shoulder | 8423 | 19 | 0.23 | D2 |
| Everest NE-Pinnacle III | 8383 | 13 | 0.16 | D2 |
| Lhotse N-Pinnacle III | 8327 | 10 | 0.12 | D2 |
| Lhotse N-Pinnacle II | 8307 | 12 | 0.14 | D2 |
| Lhotse N-Pinnacle I | 8290 | 10 | 0.12 | D2 |
| Everest NE-Pinnacle II | 8282 | 25 | 0.30 | D2 |
Gallery
-
No. 1 – Mount Everest -
No. 2 – K2 -
No. 3 – Kangchenjunga -
No. 4 – Lhotse -
No. 5 – Makalu -
No. 6 – Cho Oyu -
No. 7 – Dhaulagiri -
No. 8 – Manaslu -
No. 9 – Nanga Parbat -
No. 10 – Annapurna -
No. 11 – Gasherbrum I -
No. 12 – Broad Peak -
No. 13 – Gasherbrum II -
No. 14 – Shishapangma
See also
- List of deaths on eight-thousanders
- List of Mount Everest summiters by number of times to the summit
- List of ski descents of eight-thousanders
- Three Poles Challenge, the North Pole, the South Pole, and Mount Everest
- Explorers Grand Slam, the North Pole, the South Pole, and the Seven Summits
- Volcanic Seven Summits, the highest volcanos on each continent
- Fourteener, peak with at least 14,000 ft. elevation
- List of mountains by elevation
Notes
References
External links
- 8000ers.com, a site dedicated to statistics on 8000m peaks and climbs
- PeakBagger.com World 8000-meter Peaks, a database of global peaks
- The Himalayan Database, statistics on Nepalese Himalayan (but not Pakistan Himalaya) climbs from 1905 to 2018
- Template:Usurped, a site dedicated to recording adventure statistics
- NASA Earth Observatory: The Eight-Thousanders