Trekking
All 14 Eight-Thousanders: The Complete Guide
Only 14 mountains on Earth exceed 8,000 metres. Together they represent the pinnacle of high-altitude mountaineering, distributed between Nepal, Pakistan, China, and India.
The quest to climb all fourteen eight-thousanders has driven some of history's most dramatic mountaineering stories. Here is the complete list with essential facts.
The Himalayan Eight-Thousanders (Nepal/Tibet)
1. Everest (8,849m) — Nepal/Tibet. First ascent: Hillary and Tenzing, 29 May 1953. Most climbed eight-thousander.
2. Kangchenjunga (8,586m) — Nepal/India. First ascent: George Band, Joe Brown, 25 May 1955. Sacred summit left untouched.
3. Lhotse (8,516m) — Nepal/Tibet. First ascent: Ernst Reiss, Fritz Luchsinger, 18 May 1956.
4. Makalu (8,485m) — Nepal/Tibet. First ascent: Lionel Terray, Jean Couzy, 15 May 1955.
5. Cho Oyu (8,188m) — Nepal/Tibet. First ascent: Herbert Tichy, Joseph Joechler, 19 October 1954.
6. Dhaulagiri (8,167m) — Nepal. First ascent: Kurt Diemberger and team, 13 May 1960.
7. Manaslu (8,163m) — Nepal. First ascent: Toshio Imanishi, 9 May 1956.
8. Annapurna I (8,091m) — Nepal. First ascent: Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, 3 June 1950. First eight-thousander ever summited.
The Karakoram and Hindu Kush Eight-Thousanders (Pakistan/China/India)
9. K2 (8,611m) — Pakistan/China. First ascent: Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli, 31 July 1954. Hardest of the fourteen.
10. Gasherbrum I (8,080m) — Pakistan/China. First ascent: American team, 1958.
11. Broad Peak (8,051m) — Pakistan/China. First ascent: Austrian team, 1957.
12. Gasherbrum II (8,034m) — Pakistan/China. First ascent: Austrian team, 1956.
13. Shishapangma (8,027m) — Tibet. First ascent: Chinese team, 1964. Last eight-thousander first climbed.
14. Nanga Parbat (8,126m) — Pakistan. First ascent: Hermann Buhl, 3 July 1953. Known as the Killer Mountain.
Who Has Climbed All 14?
Fewer than 50 people have completed all fourteen eight-thousanders. Notable completionists include Reinhold Messner (1986, first to do it without supplemental oxygen), Jerzy Kukuczka (1987), and Nirmal Purja who set the speed record of 189 days in 2019.
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FAQ
Which eight-thousander has the highest fatality rate? Annapurna I historically had the highest fatality-to-summit ratio at around 31%, though improved route knowledge has reduced this in recent years.
How many people have summited all eight-thousanders? Fewer than 50 people have completed all 14, as of 2024.
Is K2 harder than Everest? In terms of technical difficulty and fatality rate, K2 is widely considered harder. Its fatality ratio historically exceeds Everest's.
