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The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent[1] mountains on Earth that are more than 8,000 metres high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia. The first recorded successful ascent of an eight-thousander was by Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, who reached the summit of Annapurna on June 3, 1950.
The first person to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders was Reinhold Messner. He completed this task on October 16, 1986. A year later, in 1987, Jerzy Kukuczka became the second climber to accomplish this feat. As of 2010, a total of 21 people have followed through undisputed. This is an extremely hazardous feat; at least four people have died while in pursuit of this goal. Juanito Oiarzabal has completed the most climbs of the eight-thousanders; a total of 24 times since 1985 to 2010. |
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