Adam Ondra Czechia The first climber to complete a route graded 9c (Silence), considered the hardest route in the world.
Profiles of climbers and mountaineering figures from many countries — complete with official links to their sites, blogs, and social media.
66 climbers worldwide
Adam Ondra Czechia The first climber to complete a route graded 9c (Silence), considered the hardest route in the world.
Anatoli Boukreev Kazakhstan A guide who single-handedly saved three lives during the 1996 Everest tragedy; climbed 11 of the 14 8,000 m peaks.
The first Australian to complete all 14 of the 8,000 m peaks (2009) — 13 of them without bottled oxygen; recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (2011).
Ang Rita Sherpa Nepal Climbed Everest 10 times without supplemental oxygen (1983–1996); nicknamed the 'Snow Leopard' — a record that stood unmatched for more than a decade.
Anshu Jamsenpa India The first and fastest woman to climb Everest twice in one season, just 5 days apart (16 and 21 May 2017); 5 Everest ascents in total.
Apa Sherpa Nepal Climbed Everest 21 times in a row (1990–2011) — a world record for many years; founder of the Apa Sherpa Foundation for the education of Nepali children.
Arunima Sinha India The first amputee woman in the world to reach the summit of Everest (2013) and to complete the Seven Summits; recipient of the Padma Shri in 2015.
The first Indonesian to officially climb the summit of Everest (26 April 1997) as a member of the Kopassus team.
Bachendri Pal India The first Indian woman to reach the summit of Everest (23 May 1984).
The 4th person to complete all 14 of the 8,000 m peaks (1996), all without bottled oxygen, and the first non-European to achieve this feat.
Catherine Destivelle France First solo of new routes on the three great north faces of the Alps (Eiger, Matterhorn, Grandes Jorasses) in winter between 1991–1993.
The only woman to have climbed Everest from both sides — south (1996) and north (1999); the first South African to reach the summit of Everest.
Chris Bonington United Kingdom Led the first expeditions up the Annapurna South Face (1970) and the Southwest Face of Everest (1975); reached the summit of Everest at age 50.
Conrad Anker United States Discovered the body of George Mallory on Everest (1999) and made the first ascent of the Shark's Fin route on Meru (2011); led The North Face climbing team for 26 years.
David Lama Austria An Austrian-Nepali climber who made the first free ascent of the Compressor route on Cerro Torre, Patagonia (January 2012); died along with two companions in an avalanche on Howse Peak, Canada (2019).
Denis Urubko Poland Climbed all fourteen eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen; first winter ascents of Makalu and Gasherbrum II.
The first — and only — American to complete all 14 peaks above 8,000 m without bottled oxygen, finishing with Annapurna on 12 May 2005.
Edurne Pasaban Spain The first woman in the world to complete all 14 of the 8,000 m peaks (17 May 2010) — the 21st person overall to achieve this prestigious feat.
George Mallory United Kingdom A pioneer of three British expeditions to Everest (1921, 1922, 1924); he vanished with Irvine near the summit in 1924 — his quote 'Because it's there' became an enduring mountaineering slogan.
Göran Kropp Sweden Cycled 13,000 km from Stockholm to Nepal and then climbed Everest solo without supplemental oxygen (23 May 1996) — one of the most unique self-supported expeditions in the history of Everest climbing.
The first solo ascent of Nanga Parbat (26 June 1953) over 40 hours without supplemental oxygen — considered one of the greatest achievements in the history of mountaineering.
The finest French climber of his generation; climbed 11 of the 14 eight-thousanders including a solo of Makalu without oxygen (2001); disappeared during a solo winter ascent of Makalu (2006).
Jerzy Kukuczka Poland The second person to complete all 14 of the 8,000 m peaks (1987), often via new routes or in winter.
Kim Chang-ho South Korea The first Korean to complete all 14 of the 8,000 m peaks without bottled oxygen — the fastest record at the time (7 years 10 months 6 days); died on Gurja Himal in 2018.