8000 Meter Peaks

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Some mountain climbers aspire to summit each of the fourteen 8,000 meter peaks.  Few have accomplished this goal, some without oxygen.  Typically, climbers use oxygen on 8,000 meter peaks.  Ten are in the Himalaya and four are in the Karakoram Range.

The following are the fourteen highest mountains in the world in order of height, with the year first climbed added:

Everest (8,848m) Nepal/China - 1953

K2 (8,611m) Pakistan/China - 1954

Kanchenjunga (8,586m) Nepal/India - 1955

Lhotse (8,516m) Nepal/China - 1956

Makalu (8,463m) Nepal/China - 1955

Cho Oyu (8,201m) Nepal/China - 1954            

Dhaulagiri (8,167m) Nepal - 1960             

Manaslu (8,163m) Nepal - 1956

Nanga Parbat (8,126m) Pakistan - 1953

Annapurna I (8,091m) Nepal - 1950

Gasherbrum I (8,068m) Pakistan/China - 1958

Broad Peak (8,047m) Pakistan/China - 1957

Gasherbrum II (8,035m) Pakistan/China - 1956

Shishapangma (8,027m) China - 1964

In 1986, Reinhold Messner (Italy) became the first person to climb all fourteen peaks and he did it without using supplemental oxygen.  Messner is recognized as one of the greatest climbers of all time.

This has not been updated in a year but since then, 14 climbers have summited all 14 peaks.  Ed Viesturs became the first American when he finally reached the top of Annapurna in 2005.  He also climbed all 14 without using supplemental oxygen. 

A woman has still not climbed all 8,000 meter peaks but as mentioned in the section on Women, three climbers - Nives Meroi (Italy), Edurne Pasaban (Basque Country) and Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (Austria)  -  are close.

Most consider themselves lucky (crazy?) to attempt one.

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