8000 Meter Peaks

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 2012, a total of 29 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 reached the summit of 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 climb to the summit of all 8000 meter peaks without using supplemental oxygen. We were fortunate to run into her at the bottom of the Lhotse Face as Gerlinde was descending from the summit of Lhotse (see photo). Read more.

Below are the 14 highest mountains in the world with the year first climbed:

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