Eight-thousander#Verified ascents
{{Short description|Mountain peaks of over 8,000 meters}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
File:Eight Thousanders Map.png (right, including Nanga Parbat, left), and the Karakoram mountain ranges (left)]]
The eight-thousanders are the 14 mountains recognized by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) as being more than {{convert|8000|m|ft|0}} in height above sea level, and sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no precise definition of the criteria used to assess independence, and at times, the UIAA has considered whether the list should be expanded to 20 mountain peaks by including the major satellite peaks of eight-thousanders. All of the 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.
From 1950 to 1964, all 14 eight-thousanders were first summited by expedition climbers in the summer (the first to be summited 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 to be summited in winter being Mount Everest in 1980, and the last being K2 in 2021). On a variety of statistical techniques, the deadliest eight-thousander is Annapurna I (one death – climber or climber support – for every three summiters), followed by K2 and Nanga Parbat (one death for every four to five summiters), and then Dhaulagiri and Kangchenjunga (one 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 climbed 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. In May 2025, Sirbaz Khan became the first Pakistani to summit all 14 eight-thousanders without the aid of supplementary oxygen.{{Cite web |last=Nestler |first=Stefan |date=2025-05-19 |title=Sirbaz Khan - the first Pakistani to climb all eight-thousanders without bottled oxygen |url=https://abenteuer-berg.de/en/sirbaz-khan-the-first-pakistani-to-climb-all-eight-thousanders-without-bottled-oxygen/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Adventure Mountain |language=en-GB}}
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. 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.
Climbing history
=First ascents=
File:Flight over himalaya annotated.jpg region; six eight-thousanders are visible]]
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, were killed by an avalanche.
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. Due to its location in Tibet, Shishapangma was the last eight-thousander to be ascended, which was completed by a Chinese team led by Xu Jing in 1964 (Tibet's mountains were closed by China to foreigners until 1978).{{cite web | magazine=Sports Illustrated | url=https://vault.si.com/vault/2004/11/15/finding-china | title=Finding China | date=14 November 2004 | accessdate=5 August 2022 | author=Yi Wyn Yen}}
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;{{cite journal |title = Mount Everest: The First Winter Ascent|url = https://www.alpinejournal.org.uk/Contents/Contents_1984_files/AJ%201984%2050-59%20Zawada%20Everest.pdf|first = Andrzej |last = Zawada |translator1-first=Ingeborga |translator1-last=Doubrawa-Cochlin|translator2-first=Peter|translator2-last = Cochlin|journal = The Alpine Journal|date = 1984|pages = 50–59}} all-Polish teams would complete nine of the first fourteen winter ascents of eight-thousanders. 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.{{cite news | newspaper=The Daily Telegraph | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/16/former-gurkha-nirmal-purja-among-nepalese-climbers-complete/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/16/former-gurkha-nirmal-purja-among-nepalese-climbers-complete/ |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | title=Former Gurkha Nirmal Purja among Nepalese climbers to complete first winter ascent of deadly K2 | first=Ben | last=Farmer | date=16 January 2021 | access-date=16 January 2021}}{{cbignore}}
Only two climbers have completed more than one first ascent of an eight-thousander, Hermann Buhl (Nanga Parbat and Broad Peak) and Kurt Diemberger (Broad Peak and Dhaulagiri). Buhl's summit of Nanga Parbat in 1953 is notable as being the only solo first ascent of one of the eight-thousanders. The Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka is noted for creating over ten new routes on various eight-thousander mountains.{{cite web|first=Nicholas | last=Hobley |title=Remembering Jerzy Kukuczka, the legendary Polish mountaineer |date=24 October 2019 |url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/remembering-jerzy-kukuczka-the-legendary-polish-mountaineer.html |website=PlanetMountain |access-date=10 December 2021}} Italian climber Simone Moro made the first winter ascent of four eight-thousanders (Shishapangma, Makalu, Gasherbrum II, and Nanga Parbat),{{cite web | magazine=Climbing | url=https://www.climbing.com/people/simon-moro-worlds-greatest-winter-mountaneer/ |title="It's a Suffering Game": Simone Moro and the Fine Art of Climbing 8,000m Peaks in Winter | date=13 December 2021 | accessdate=4 August 2022 | first=Marcello | last=Rossi}} 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).
=All 14=
File:Comparison_of_highest_mountains.svg and Seven Second Summits]]
File:30 highest peaks with more than 500m prominence.png[https://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=201 PEAKBAGGER: World 7200-meter Peaks (Ranked Peaks have 500 meters of Clean Prominence)]]]
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. 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 and on no other eight-thousander).{{cite web | website=PlanetMountain | url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/erhard-loretan-good-bye-to-a-great-alpinist.html | title=Erhard Loretan, good-bye to a great alpinist | date=29 April 2011 | accessdate=4 August 2022 | first=Vinicio |last=Stefanello}}
On 17 May 2010, Spanish climber Edurne Pasaban became the first woman to summit all 14 eight-thousanders.{{cite web|url=http://explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?id=19771|title=Oh Eun-Sun report, final: Edurne Pasaban takes the throne|publisher=ExplorersWeb|date=10 December 2010|url-access=subscription|access-date=2014-01-04|archive-date=16 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416151948/http://explorersweb.com/everest_k2/news.php?id=19771|url-status=dead}} In August 2011, Austrian climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner became the first woman to climb the 14 eight-thousanders without the use of supplementary oxygen.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14641414 |title=Austrian woman claims Himalayas climbing record |access-date=2011-08-24|work=BBC News|date=23 August 2011}}{{cite web|url=http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/World/Story/A1Story20110823-295884.html|title=Austrian is first woman to scale 14 peaks without oxygen|publisher=AsiaOne|date=30 August 2011|access-date=2014-01-04}}
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 {{ill|Romano Benet|it}} on 11 May 2017.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2017/05/11/italians-become-first-couple-to-scale-all-eight-thousanders_d773a802-f6b2-4d88-b485-b1ce4c015618.html|title=Italians become first couple to scale all eight-thousanders|date=2017-05-11|work=ansa.it|access-date=2023-02-02|language=en}}{{cite web | website=PlanetMountain | url=https://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/nives-meroi-and-romano-benet-summit-annapurna-their-14th-8000er.html | title=Nives Meroi and Romano Benet summit Annapurna, their 14th 8000er | accessdate=5 August 2022 | first=Vinicio | last=Stefanello | date=11 May 2017}} The couple climbed alpine style, without the use of supplementary oxygen or other support.{{cite web|url=http://www.repubblica.it/sport/vari/2017/05/11/news/nives_meroi_romano_benet_prima_coppia_su_tutti_ottomila-165156761/|title=Alpinismo, il record di Meroi-Benet: è italiana la prima coppia su tutti gli Ottomila|date=11 May 2017}}
On 23 May 2023, Nepali guide Kami Rita summitted Everest for the 28th time (a record for Everest), becoming the first-ever person to climb an eight-thousander 38 times.{{cite web | website=Guinness Book of Records | url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384190-most-climbs-over-8-000-m | title=Most climbs over 8,000 metres | date=23 May 2023 | access-date=2023-08-01}} In July 2022, Sanu Sherpa became the first person to summit all 14 eight-thousanders twice.{{cite web | website=Reuters | url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nepali-sherpa-sets-climbing-record-pakistan-mountain-2022-07-21/ | title=Nepali Sherpa sets climbing record on Pakistan mountain | first=Gopal | last=Sharma | date=21 July 2022 | accessdate=5 August 2022}} He started with Cho Oyu in 2006, and completed the double by summiting Gasherbrum II in July 2022.{{cite web | website=LACrux | url=https://www.lacrux.com/en/alpinism/world-record-sanu-sherpa-has-climbed-all-14-eight-thousanders-twice/ | date=28 July 2022 | accessdate=5 August 2022 | title=World record: Sanu Sherpa has climbed all 14 eight-thousanders twice}}
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.{{cite web | website=Guinness World Records | url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2021/12/14-peaks-all-the-records-nims-purja-broke-in-new-netflix-documentary-684255 | title=14 Peaks: All the records Nims Purja broke in new Netflix documentary | first=Sanj | last=Atwal | date=3 December 2021 | accessdate=5 December 2021}}{{cite web| url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-50217376 |title=Nirmal Purja: Ex-soldier climbs 14 highest mountains in six months |date=29 October 2019 | access-date=24 December 2019 | website=BBC News | author= | quote=A Nepali mountaineer and former British Marine has climbed the world's tallest 14 peaks in six months - beating an earlier record of almost eight years.}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/2019/05/climber-record-summits-six-eight-thousand-meter-peaks-one-month/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524222617/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/2019/05/climber-record-summits-six-eight-thousand-meter-peaks-one-month/|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 May 2019|title=Nepal climber makes history speed climbing world's tallest peaks | author=Freddie Wilkinson | magazine=National Geographic | access-date=24 December 2019 | quote=On October 29th, Nirmal Purja Magar announced via Instagram that he had summited China's Shishapangma. This marked the fourteenth 8,000-meter peak he had climbed in seven months and the completion of an extraordinary project to speed climb the world's tallest mountains in rapid succession. }} 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.
=Deadliest=
{{see also|List of deaths on eight-thousanders}}
class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Estimated sample death rates for the 14 eight-thousanders{{cite web|url=http://www.8000ers.com/cms/en/8000ers-mainmenu-205.html |title=General Info|publisher=8000ers.com | author=Eberhard Jurgalski | author-link=:de:Eberhard Jurgalski | access-date=2014-02-21}}{{Cite web |last=Clarke |first=Owen |date=2025-04-02 |title=Has K2—the Savage Mountain—Been Tamed? |url=https://www.climbing.com/places/k2-worlds-second-highest-mountain/ |access-date=2025-04-20 |website=Climbing |language=en-US}}{{cite web |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2013/05/daily-chart-18 | title=DAILY CHART: Stairway to heaven, how deadly are the world's highest mountains? | publisher=The Economist | date=29 March 2013|quote=For every three thrill-seekers that make it safely up and down Annapurna I, one dies trying, according to data from Eberhard Jurgalski of website 8000ers.com, collected in his forthcoming book "On Top of the World: The New Millennium", co-authored by Richard Sale.}} | |||
rowspan="2" |Eight thousander !colspan="3" |From 1950 to March 2012 !rowspan="2" |Climber | |||
---|---|---|---|
Total ascents{{efn|As recorded by Eberhard Jurgalski}} !Total !Deaths as | |||
Everest
| style="text-align: right;" |5656 | style="text-align: right;" | 223 | style="text-align: right;" |3.9% | style="text-align: right;" |1.52% |
K2
| style="text-align: right;"|800 | style="text-align: right;" |96 | style="text-align: right;" |12% | style="text-align: right;" | |
Lhotse
| style="text-align: right;" |461 | style="text-align: right;" |13 | style="text-align: right;" |2.8% | style="text-align: right;" |1.03% |
Makalu
| style="text-align: right;" |361 | style="text-align: right;" |31 | style="text-align: right;" |8.6% | style="text-align: right;" |1.63% |
Cho Oyu
| style="text-align: right;" |3138 | style="text-align: right;" |44 | style="text-align: right;" |1.4% | style="text-align: right;" |0.64% |
Dhaulagiri I
| style="text-align: right;" |448 | style="text-align: right;" |69 | style="text-align: right;" |15.4% | style="text-align: right;" |2.94% |
Manaslu
| style="text-align: right;" |661 | style="text-align: right;" |65 | style="text-align: right;" |9.8% | style="text-align: right;" |2.77% |
Nanga Parbat
| style="text-align: right;" |335 | style="text-align: right;" |68 | style="text-align: right;" |20.3% | style="text-align: right;" |–{{efn|name="pak"|Data is not available for the Karakoram Himalayas}} |
Annapurna I
| style="text-align: right;" |191 | style="text-align: right;" |61 | style="text-align: right;" |31.9% | style="text-align: right;" |4.05% |
Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) | style="text-align: right;" |334 | style="text-align: right;" |29 | style="text-align: right;" |8.7% | style="text-align: right;" |–{{efn|name="pak"}} |
Broad Peak
| style="text-align: right;" |404 | style="text-align: right;" |21 | style="text-align: right;" |5.2% | style="text-align: right;" |–{{efn|name="pak"}} |
Gasherbrum II
| style="text-align: right;" |930 | style="text-align: right;" |21 | style="text-align: right;" |2.3% | style="text-align: right;" |–{{efn|name="pak"}} |
Kangchenjunga
| style="text-align: right;" | 243 | style="text-align: right;" | 40 | style="text-align: right;" | 16% | style="text-align: right;" |3.00% |
Shishapangma
| style="text-align: right;" |302 | style="text-align: right;" |25 | style="text-align: right;" |8.3% | style="text-align: right;" | |
The eight-thousanders are 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.{{cite web | website=Statista | url=https://www.statista.com/chart/26383/expedition-death-rate-of-mountains-over-8-thousand-meters/ | title=Deadly Peaks | first=Martin | last=Armstrong | date=10 December 2021 | accessdate=13 December 2021}} 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.
- Broad death rate: The first metric is the ratio of total deaths{{efn |name=EBJ1}} on the mountain to successful climbers summiting over a given period. 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%.{{cite web | website=Guinness Book of World Records | url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/deadliest-mountain-to-climb | title=Deadliest mountain to climb | date=2019 | accessdate=13 December 2021}} 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%). 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%).{{cite web | website=MountainIQ | url=https://www.mountainiq.com/guides/eight-thousanders/ | first=Mark | last=Whitman | date=22 December 2020 | accessdate=13 December 2021 | title=Eight Thousanders – The Complete 8000ers Guide}} Cho Oyu was the safest at 1.4%.
- 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. 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). The data is only for the Nepalese Himalaya and therefore does not include K2 or Nanga Parbat. 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%.
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.
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).
class="wikitable sortable"
|+ First ascent and first winter ascent for each of the 14 eight-thousanders | |
colspan="4" |Mountain | |
---|---|
Name
!Height[https://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=200 PeakBagger: World 8000–metre Peaks] !Country !Date !Summiter(s) !Date !Summiter(s) | |
Everest
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8849|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}}{{Cite news|title=Mount Everest is two feet taller, China and Nepal announce|work=National Geographic|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/12/new-height-of-mount-everest-announced-by-china-and-nepal/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208113343/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/12/new-height-of-mount-everest-announced-by-china-and-nepal/|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 December 2020|access-date=15 September 2021}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8849|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal}} | style="text-align: right;" |29 May 1953{{efn|name="1924uk"|It remains unclear whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine reached the summit in 1924 or not. For more details, see 1924 British Mount Everest expedition.}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|NZL}} Edmund Hillary}} {{flagicon|India|1930}} {{flagicon|Nepal|1930}} {{nowrap| Tenzing Norgay}} | style="text-align: right;" |17 February 1980 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Krzysztof Wielicki}} | |
style="background:#efefef;"
|K2 | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8611|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|4020|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Pakistan}} Pakistan}} | style="text-align: right;" |31 July 1954 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|ITA}} Achille Compagnoni}} | style="text-align: right;" |16 January 2021 |{{flagicon|NPL}}{{flagicon|UK}} Nirmal Purja{{refn|name=resentment-etc|{{cite web|title=All-Nepali winter first on K2|date=16 January 2021 |access-date=10 February 2022|publisher=Nepali Times|url=https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/all-nepali-winter-first-on-K2/}}{{cite web|author=Naresh Koirala |title=A matter of pride |date=16 January 2022 |access-date=10 February 2022|publisher=The Kathmandu Times |url=https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2022/01/16/a-matter-of-pride}}{{cite web|author=Tom Robbins |title=Life lessons from mountaineer Nirmal Purja, of Netflix's 14 Peaks fame |url=https://cnaluxury.channelnewsasia.com/people/nirmal-purja-netflix-14-peaks-193581 |publisher=CNA Luxury |date=1 January 2022 |access-date=10 February 2022}}}} {{flagicon|NPL}} Gelje Sherpa {{flagicon|NPL}} Mingma David Sherpa {{flagicon|NPL}} Mingma Gyalje Sherpa {{flagicon|NPL}} Sona Sherpa {{flagicon|NPL}} Mingma Tenzi Sherpa {{flagicon|NPL}} Pem Chhiri Sherpa {{flagicon|NPL}} Dawa Temba Sherpa {{flagicon|NPL}} Kili Pemba Sherpa {{flagicon|NPL}} Dawa Tenjing Sherpa | |
Kangchenjunga
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8586|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|3922|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal}} | style="text-align: right;" |25 May 1955 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|UK}} George Band}} | style="text-align: right;" |11 January 1986 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Krzysztof Wielicki}} | |
style="background:#efefef;"
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8516|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" data-sort-value="0,610" |{{convert|610|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal}} | style="text-align: right;" |18 May 1956 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|CH}} Fritz Luchsinger}} | style="text-align: right;" |31 December 1988 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Krzysztof Wielicki}} | |
Makalu
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8485|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|2378|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal}} | style="text-align: right;" |15 May 1955 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|FRA|1830}} Jean Couzy}} | style="text-align: right;" |9 February 2009 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|ITA}} Simone Moro}} | |
style="background:#efefef;"
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8188|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|2344|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal}} | style="text-align: right;" |19 October 1954 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|AUT}} {{ill|Joseph Joechler|de|Sepp Jöchler}}}} | style="text-align: right;" |12 February 1985 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Maciej Berbeka}} | |
Dhaulagiri I
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8167|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|3357|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal}} | style="text-align: right;" |13 May 1960 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|AUT}} Kurt Diemberger}} | style="text-align: right;" |21 January 1985 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Andrzej Czok}} | |
style="background:#efefef;"
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8163|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|3092|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal}} | style="text-align: right;" |9 May 1956 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|JPN|1947}} Toshio Imanishi}} | style="text-align: right;" |12 January 1984 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Maciej Berbeka}} | |
Nanga Parbat
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8125|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|4608|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Pakistan}} Pakistan}} | style="text-align: right;" |3 July 1953 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|AUT}} Hermann Buhl}} | style="text-align: right;" |26 February 2016 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|PAK}} Muhammad Ali Sadpara}} | |
style="background:#efefef;"
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8091|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|2984|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Nepal}} Nepal}} | style="text-align: right;" |3 June 1950 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|FRA|1830}} Maurice Herzog}} | style="text-align: right;" |3 February 1987 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Jerzy Kukuczka}} | |
Gasherbrum I (Hidden Peak) | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8080|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|2155|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Pakistan}} Pakistan}} | style="text-align: right;" |5 July 1958 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Andrew Kauffman}} | style="text-align: right;" |9 March 2012 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Adam Bielecki}} | |
style="background:#efefef;"
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8051|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|1701|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Pakistan}} Pakistan}} | style="text-align: right;" |9 June 1957 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|AUT}} Fritz Wintersteller}} | style="text-align: right;" |5 March 2013 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Maciej Berbeka}} | |
Gasherbrum II
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8034|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|1524|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|Pakistan}} Pakistan}} | style="text-align: right;" |7 July 1956 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|AUT}} Fritz Moravec}} | style="text-align: right;" |2 February 2011 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|ITA}} Simone Moro}} | |
style="background:#efefef;"
| style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|8027|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} | style="text-align: right;" |{{convert|2897|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=br()}} |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|China}} China}} | style="text-align: right;" |2 May 1964 | {{nowrap|{{flagicon|PRC}} Xu Jing}} {{nowrap|{{flagicon|PRC}} Chang Chun-yen}} {{nowrap|{{flagicon|PRC}} Wang Fuzhou}} {{nowrap|{{flagicon|PRC}} Chen San}} {{nowrap|{{flagicon|PRC}} Cheng Tien-liang}} {{nowrap|{{flagicon|PRC}} Wu Tsung-yue}} {{nowrap|{{flagicon|PRC}} Sodnam Doji}} {{nowrap|{{flagicon|PRC}} Migmar Trashi}} {{flagicon|PRC}} Doji {{nowrap|{{flagicon|PRC}} Yonten}} | style="text-align: right;" |14 January 2005 |{{nowrap|{{flagicon|POL}} Piotr Morawski}} |
List of climbers of all 14
{{multiple image
| align = right
| total_width = 510
| header = First to climb all 14 eight-thousanders
| image1 = GianAngelo Pistoia - Reinhold Messner - Foto 1.TIF
| caption1 = Reinhold Messner, first to climb all 14, and without oxygen
| image2 = Edurne Pasaban recibe el Premio Vasco Universal 2010 4 (crop).jpg
| caption2 = Edurne Pasaban, the first woman to climb all 14 after Oh Eun-sun's claim was disputed
| image3 = Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner 2015-07-02 001.jpg
| caption3 = Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, the first woman to climb all 14 without oxygen
}}
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.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/sports/tallest-mountain-summit.html | title=What is a summit: Only 44 people have reached the summit of all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks, according to the people who chronicle such things. | first=John | last=Branch | date=21 May 2021 | accessdate=10 December 2021 | newspaper=New York Times | author-link=John Branch (journalist)}}
Elizabeth Hawley's The Himalayan Database,{{cite web|url=http://www.himalayandatabase.com/|title=The Himalayan Database, The Expedition Archives of Elizabeth Hawley|publisher=The Himalayan Database|author1=Elizabeth Hawley|author-link=Elizabeth Hawley|author2=Richard Salisbury|date=2018}} is considered as an important source for verified ascents for the Nepalese Himalayas. Online databases of Himalayan ascents pay close regard to The Himalayan Database, including the website AdventureStats.com,{{cite web|url= http://www.adventurestats.com/#mountain|archive-url= https://archive.today/20140608202824/http://www.adventurestats.com/#mountain|url-status= usurped|archive-date= 8 June 2014|title=High Altitude Mountaineering statistics|publisher=AdventureStats.com|date=2018}} and the Eberhard Jurgalski List.{{cite web|url=http://www.8000ers.com/cms/download.html?func=startdown&id=155|title=Climbers who have ascended to the summits of all of the world's 14 mountains over 8000 metres| publisher=8000ers.com (Eberhard Jurgalski)|date=2018}}
{{clear}}
=Verified ascents=
{{legend|#ff0|First person to summit all 14 eight-thousanders, and first to do so without supplementary oxygen}}
{{legend|#cfc|First female to summit all 14 eight-thousanders; with supplementary oxygen}}
{{legend|#cff|First female to summit all 14 eight-thousanders; no supplementary oxygen}}
{{legend|#0ff|Fastest ascent of all 14 eight-thousanders; with supplementary oxygen}}
{{legend|#0f0|Fastest ascent of all 14 eight-thousanders; no supplementary oxygen}}
{{legend|#fee7e6|Youngest person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders}}
{{legend|#fa2|First disabled person to have summited all 14 eight-thousanders}}
The "No O2" column lists people who have climbed all 14 eight-thousanders without supplementary oxygen.
= 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).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.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-10268549|title=Elizabeth Hawley, unrivalled Himalayan record keeper|work=BBC News|date=29 August 2010}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/obituaries/elizabeth-hawley-who-chronicled-everest-treks-dies-at-94.html|title=Elizabeth Hawley, Who Chronicled Everest Treks, Dies at 94|work=The New York Times|date=26 January 2018}} The Eberhard Jurgalski List is also another important source for independent verification of claims to have summited all 14 eight-thousanders.
=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.
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).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.{{cite web|url= https://explorersweb.com/2017/05/09/cho-oyu-summit-where-is-it-exactly-2017-05-09-60289/|title=Cho Oyu summit: Where is it exactly|publisher=Explorersweb.com|date=September 2017}}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.{{cite web|url= http://www.markhorrell.com/blog/2014/when-is-a-summit-not-a-summit/|title=When is a summit not a summit?|publisher=Mark Horrell|date=12 November 2014}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199129002/Asia-Tibet-Cho-Oyu-and-Shisha-Pangma-Central-West-Summit|title=Asia, Tibet, Cho Oyu and Shisha Pangma Central (West) Summit|publisher=American Alpine Journal|date=1991}} 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.{{cite book|title=Keeper of the Mountains: The Elizabeth Hawley Story|pages=185–195|publisher=Rocky Mountain Books|date=5 October 2012|isbn=978-1927330159}}
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". 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.{{cite aaj | date =June 2021 | first=Damien | last=Gildea | article_id=13201215692 | access-date=10 December 2021 | title=THE 8000-ER MESS | volume=62 | issue=94 | author-link=Damien Gildea}}
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).{{cite web |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/everest/manaslu-summit-debate-record-climbers/ |title=The Debate Over Manaslu's Summit Is Over. Now, Hundreds of Climbers Want to Reach It. |author=Dewan Rai |date=19 September 2022 |publisher=outsideonline.com |access-date=2024-11-04}} 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. Viesturs is also the first to have done so without the use of oxygen. Jurgalski allowed for the fact that they had deliberately not stood on the true summit of Kangchenjunga out of religious respect.{{cite web | magazine=Alpinist | url=https://alpinist.com/newswire/researchers-challenge-historical-records-for-8000-meter-peaks/ | date=20 July 2022 | accessdate=3 August 2022 | title=Researchers challenge historical records for 8000-meter peaks | first=Derek | last=Franz}} The team has not formally published their work, and according to Popier, they had not decided about "the best respectful form to present it".
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/mounteverest/10260776/The-new-peaks-opened-as-alternatives-to-Mount-Everest.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/mounteverest/10260776/The-new-peaks-opened-as-alternatives-to-Mount-Everest.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=The new peaks opened as alternatives to Mount Everest| publisher=The Daily Telegraph|author=Richard Gray|date=23 August 2013|quote=Nepal}}{{cbignore}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24571309|title=Nepal mountain peak expansion bid stalls|work=BBC News|author=Navin Singh Khadka|date=18 October 2013}} 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 {{cvt|8000.|m}}-plus peaks could feasibly achieve international recognition. The proposed six new eight-thousander peaks have a topographic prominence above {{cvt|60.|m}}, but none would meet the wider UIAA prominence threshold of {{cvt|600.|m}} (the lowest prominence of the existing 14 eight-thousanders is Lhotse, at {{convert|610.|m}}).{{cite web|url=http://www.markhorrell.com/blog/2014/a-funny-name-for-a-mountain/|title=A funny name for a mountain|publisher=Mark Horrell|date=4 June 2014}} Critics noted that of the six proposed, only Broad Peak Central, with a prominence of {{convert|181|m}}, would even meet the {{convert|150.|m}} prominence threshold to be a British Isles Marilyn.{{cite web|url=https://www.markhorrell.com/blog/2013/do-we-really-need-more-8000m-peaks/|title=Do we really need more 8000m peaks|publisher=Mark Horrell|date=23 October 2013|quote=The most prominent one, Broad Peak Central is just 196m high and the least prominent, Lhotse Middle, is a meagre 60m. To put this in context, the highest mountain in Malta is 253m, while the Eiffel Tower stands a whopping 300m.}} The appeal noted the UIAA's 1994 reclassification of Alpine four-thousander peaks used a prominence threshold of {{cvt|30.|m}},{{efn|The UIAA main list also includes summits that have a prominence far lower than 30 metres.}} amongst other criteria; the logic being that if {{cvt|30.|m}} worked for {{cvt|4,000.|m}} summits, then {{cvt|60.|m}} is proportional for {{cvt|8,000.|m}} summits.{{cite web|url=https://www.theuiaa.org/mountaineering/mountain-classification/|title=UIAA Mountain Classification: 4,000ERS OF THE ALPS|date=March 1994|publisher=UIAA|quote=Topographic criterium: for each summit, the level difference between it and the highest adjacent pass or notch should be at least {{cvt|30|m}} (calculated as average of the summits at the limit of acceptability). An additional criterium can be the horizontal distance between a summit and the base of another adjacent 4000er.|access-date=23 November 2018|archive-date=9 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200909020135/https://www.theuiaa.org/mountaineering/mountain-classification/|url-status=dead}}
{{As of| April 2024}}, there has been no conclusion by the UIAA and the proposals appear to have been set aside.
{{legend|#cfc|Proposed to the UIAA in 2012 for reclassification as standalone eight-thousanders.}}
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ List of the subsidiary peaks of the 14 eight-thousanders{{cite web|url=http://www.8000ers.com/cms/en/8000ers-mainmenu-205.html |publisher=8000ers.com|author=Eberhard Jurgalski|author-link=:de:Eberhard Jurgalski|access-date=23 November 2018|title=Subsidiary Peaks| quote=There are several different subsidiary peaks! Here are the geographical facts, from the one "relative independent Main-Peak" (EU category B) over the important subsidiary peaks (C) to the major notable points (D1) Especially the last category is just guessed by contours or from photographs.}} | ||||
Proposed new eight-thousander
! Height ! Prominence | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
style="background:#cfc;text-align:left"|Broad Peak Central | 8011 | 181 | 2.26 | B2 |
style="background:#cfc;text-align:left"|Kangchenjunga W-Peak (Yalung Kang) | 8505 | 135 | 1.59 | C1 |
style="background:#cfc;text-align:left"|Kangchenjunga S-Peak | 8476 | 116 | 1.37 | C2 |
style="background:#cfc;text-align:left"|Kangchenjunga C-Peak | 8473 | 63 | 0.74 | C2 |
style="background:#cfc;text-align:left"|Lhotse C-Peak I (Lhotse Middle) | 8410 | 65 | 0.77 | C2 |
style="background:#cfc;text-align:left"|Lhotse Shar | 8382 | 72 | 0.86 | C2 |
style="text-align:left;"|K 2 SW-Peak | 8580 | 30 | 0.35 | D1 |
style="text-align:left;"|Lhotse C-Peak II | 8372 | 37 | 0.44 | D1 |
style="text-align:left;"|Everest W-Peak | 8296 | 30 | 0.36 | D1 |
style="text-align:left;"|Yalung Kang Shoulder | 8200 | 40 | 0.49 | D1 |
style="text-align:left;"|Kangchenjunga SE-Peak | 8150 | 30 | 0.37 | D1 |
style="text-align:left;"|K 2 P. 8134 (SW-Ridge) | 8134 | 35 | 0.43 | D1 |
style="text-align:left;"|Annapurna C-Peak | 8051 | 49 | 0.61 | D1 |
style="text-align:left;"|Nanga Parbat S-Peak | 8042 | 30 | 0.37 | D1 |
style="text-align:left;"|Annapurna E-Peak | 8026 | 65 | 0.81 | C2 |
style="text-align:left;"|Shisha Pangma C-Peak | 8008 | 30 | 0.37 | D1 |
style="text-align:left;"|Everest NE-Shoulder | 8423 | 19 | 0.23 | D2 |
style="text-align:left;"|Everest NE-Pinnacle III | 8383 | 13 | 0.16 | D2 |
style="text-align:left;"|Lhotse N-Pinnacle III | 8327 | 10 | 0.12 | D2 |
style="text-align:left;"|Lhotse N-Pinnacle II | 8307 | 12 | 0.14 | D2 |
style="text-align:left;"|Lhotse N-Pinnacle I | 8290 | 10 | 0.12 | D2 |
style="text-align:left;"|Everest NE-Pinnacle II | 8282 | 25 | 0.30 | D2 |
Gallery
File:Everest kalapatthar crop.jpg|No. 1 – Mount Everest
File:K2 2006b.jpg|No. 2 – K2
File:Kangchenjunga.JPG|No. 3 – Kangchenjunga
File:Lhotse-fromChukhungRi.jpg|No. 4 – Lhotse
File:Makalu from Island Peak.jpg|No. 5 – Makalu
File:ChoOyu-fromGokyo.jpg|No. 6 – Cho Oyu
File:DhaulagiriMountain.jos.500pix.jpg|No. 7 – Dhaulagiri
File:Manaslu, from base camp trip.jpg|No. 8 – Manaslu
File:Nanga parbat, Pakistan by gul791.jpg|No. 9 – Nanga Parbat
File:AnnapurnaSouthMountain.jos.500pix.jpg|No. 10 – Annapurna
File:HiddenPeak.jpg|No. 11 – Gasherbrum I
File:7 15 BroadPeak.jpg|No. 12 – Broad Peak
File:Gasherbrum2.jpg|No. 13 – Gasherbrum II
File:Shishapangma.jpg|No. 14 – Shishapangma
See also
{{portal|Mountains}}
- 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
{{notelist}}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{cite book | last = Herzog | first = Maurice | author-link = Maurice Herzog
| year = 1951 | title = Annapurna: First Conquest of an 8000-meter Peak | page = 257
| publisher = E.P Dutton & Co. | location = New York
| others = Translated from the French by Nea Morin and Janet Adam Smith}}
}}
External links
- [http://www.8000ers.com/ 8000ers.com], a site dedicated to statistics on 8000m peaks and climbs
- [https://www.peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=200 PeakBagger.com World 8000-meter Peaks], a database of global peaks
- [https://www.himalayandatabase.com/ The Himalayan Database], statistics on Nepalese Himalayan (but not Pakistan Himalaya) climbs from 1905 to 2018
- {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070803232531/http://www.adventurestats.com/statistics.shtml#mountain AdventureStats.com (High Altitude Mountaineering)]}}, a site dedicated to recording adventure statistics
- [https://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/8000MeterPeaks NASA Earth Observatory: The Eight-Thousanders]
{{Eight-thousander}}
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