The 14 highest mountains in the world, and only mountains stretching above 8000 meters (26,247 feet), are known as the 8000 Meter Peaks.
In 1986, Reinhold Messner (Italy) became the first to climb all 14 peaks and he did it without using supplemental oxygen. As of August, 2009, a total of 18 climbers have reached the summits of all 8000 Meter Peaks. Ed Viesturs became the first American in 2005. He also did not use supplemental oxygen.
On April 27, 2010, Oh Eun Sun (South Korea) became the first woman to reach the summit of all 14 peaks. However, her climb on Kanchenjunga is in dispute. This would make Edurne Pasaban from the Basque Country, Spain, the first woman, and 21st person, to climb all 14 peaks when she completed Shishapangma on May 17, 2010. Edurne also climbed all peaks, except Everest, without using supplemental oxygen.
On August 23, 2011, on the summit of K2, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner of Austria became the first woman to summit all 8000 meter peaks without using supplemental oxygen.
Below are the 14 highest mountains in the world, 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
