Throughout history mountaineers from all over the world have attempted to scale the lofty peaks of formidable mountains like Mount Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, and many others. While some like New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Indian Sherpa Tenzing Norgay were successful in creating history by becoming the first ever human beings to reach the summit of Mount Everest—the Earth's highest mountain—many others like Rob Hall and Sherpa mountaineer Babu Chiri Sherpa died on the very mountain they set out to conquer. Mountaineering is a risky profession, even though it is highly adventurous and exciting. In attempting to scale mighty mountain peaks, the mountaineers take a huge risk—they might even lose their lives in their ambitious endeavors! But then, it is the very risk it carries that makes mountaineering such a thrilling adventure. Though it is difficult to imagine mountaineering without the aid of modern equipment and communication facilities, daredevils like the prominent 19th century physicist, John Tyndall, ventured into the Alps in the 1850s and became associated with the golden age of alpinism. This section provides you information about the life and works of various famous mountaineers from all over the world.
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Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: January 14, 1961
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Christchurch, New Zealand
Died: May 11, 1996
Rob Hall was a New Zealand mountaineer and the head guide of a Mount Everest expedition in 1996, during which he died along with two clients and a fellow guide. The ill-fated expedition was dramatized in the film Everest where Rob Hall was played by actor Jason Clarke.
Famous As: First person to climb Mt. Everest
Birthdate: July 20, 1919
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Auckland, New Zealand
Died: January 11, 2008
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to reach the top of Mount Everest, as part of the British expedition led by John Hunt. Hillary also reached both the poles. He later served as an ambassador to Nepal and founded the Himalayan Trust to help the people of Nepal.
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: June 18, 1886
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Mobberley, Cheshire, England
Died: June 9, 1924
A leading member of early expeditions to Mount Everest, George Mallory disappeared on the mountain while trying to reach the summit, along with Sandy Irvine. Mallory succeeded or not, it still remains a subject of research and speculation, yet he left footprints on the sands of time.
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Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: March 17, 1804
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, US
Died: July 17, 1881
Known as the ultimate American mountain man, Jim Bridger is remembered for his exploration of the Western United States. It is believed, the illiterate fur trader was the first white man to explore the Great Salt Lake and one of the first to visit Yellowstone. He also worked as a forest guide.
Famous As: Journalist, Explorer, Writer
Birthdate: April 12, 1954
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Brookline, Massachusetts, United States
Best known for his bestselling novels such as Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer is not just an author who writes about the outdoors but is also a mountaineer himself. He was part of the 1996 expedition to Mt. Everest which witnessed 4 of the team members dying in a storm.
Famous As: First to Climb All Fourteen Peaks Over 8,000 Metres (26,000 Ft) Above Sea Level
Birthdate: September 17, 1944
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Brixen, Italy
Italian mountaineer and explorer Reinhold Messner teamed up with Austrian mountaineer Peter Habeler to be the first to climb Mount Everest without using oxygen cylinders. He is also the first to complete a solo ascent of Everest and the first to climb all the 14 mountain peaks that stand above 8000m.
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: July 6, 1912
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Hüttenberg, Austria
Died: January 7, 2006
Austrian mountaineer, sportsman, geographer, and author Heinrich Harrer was part of the climbing team that made the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger. He took part in expeditions to Alaska, the Andes, and the Mountains of the Moon in central Africa in his later years. As a writer, he published Seven Years in Tibet.
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Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: February 2, 1949
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Tokyo
Died: May 11, 1996
Famous As: First American to Summit Mt. Lhotse
Birthdate: December 24, 1955
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Muskegon, Michigan, United States
Died: May 11, 1996
American mountaineer Scott Fischer was known for scaling the highest peaks of the world, including Mt. Everest and K2, without using oxygen cans. He later became a mountain guide and co-launched his own adventure travel company Mountain Madness. He died in a blizzard while guiding a group of clients to Mt. Everest.
Famous As: Former free climber, alpinist, BASE jumper, and highliner
Birthdate: April 14, 1972
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, United States
Died: May 16, 2015
Birthdate: 0000 AD
Died: May 11, 1996
Famous As: Rock climber, Mountaineer
Birthdate: November 27, 1962
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: California, United States
A passionate mountaineer and rock climber, Conrad Anker led The North Face for 26 years. He almost died of a heart attack while climbing the Lunag Ri on the borders of the Nepalese Himalayas. He is now also associated with various charitable trusts, such as the Rowell Fund for Tibet.
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: May 15, 1914
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Khumbu, Nepal
Died: May 9, 1986
Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer, Tenzing Norgay, was one of the first two individuals known to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the other being Edmund Hillary. He was named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Time magazine. In his later years, he became the first Director of Field Training of the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute.
Famous As: Businessman, Mountaineer
Birthdate: December 8, 1937
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Germany
Died: January 13, 2004
Famous As: Mountaineer, Rock climber Founder of Chouinard Equipment Ltd. and Patagonia (clothing)
Birthdate: November 9, 1938
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Lewiston, Maine, United States
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: October 16, 1988
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Belper, Derbyshire, England
Died: March 9, 2019
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: January 18, 1958
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Honolulu
Died: May 24, 1998
Famous As: Mountain Climber Who Reached Summit of Mount Everest at the Age of 13
Birthdate: July 12, 1996
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Redlands, California, United States
At 13, Jordan Romero became the youngest person to scale the Mt. Everest and had to opt for the Tibetan side, as he wasn’t old enough to get a permit in Nepal. At 15, he became the youngest to scale the Seven Summits. He has also penned a book on his experiences.
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: October 12, 1973
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Mankato, Minnesota
Famous As: Explorer, Mountaineer
Birthdate: September 22, 1939
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Miharu
Died: October 20, 2016
Famous As: Mountain climber
Birthdate: December 19, 1955
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Canberra, Australia
Died: March 20, 2012
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: December 24, 1958
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Frederick, Maryland, United States
Died: October 5, 1999
Famous As: mountaineer
Birthdate: June 22, 1959
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rockford
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: February 16, 1940
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Regensburg
Died: October 2, 1979
Famous As: Rock climber
Birthdate: February 11, 1963
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Died: November 23, 1998
Famous As: Explorer, Sportsperson, Q20683322, Mountaineer
Birthdate: February 4, 1943
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Plungė
Died: May 12, 1992
Famous As: Mountaineering guide, Climber and Porter from Pangboche, Nepal, who has climbed to the summit of Mount Everest 20 times
Birthdate: 1970 AD
Birthplace: Pangboche, Nepal
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: December 26, 1954
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Auckland
Famous As: Winegrower, Sport cyclist
Birthdate: September 27, 1959
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: New Zealand
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: May 24, 1954
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Nakuri, Uttarkashi district, Uttarakhand, India
Famous As: Explorer
Birthdate: April 6, 1798
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Frederick County, Virginia, United States
Died: October 29, 1866
Born to a white man and a mulatto slave woman, Jim Beckwourth was practically born into slavery. While he looked like an American Indian, he was known as a “free Negro” after being released. Known as Bloody Arm, he is credited with exploring the Beckwourth Pass.
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: March 24, 1948
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Katowice
Died: October 24, 1989
Famous As: mountaineer
Birthdate: 1960 AD
Birthplace: Thame
Famous As: Rock climber
Birthdate: April 23, 1981
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Santa Cruz
Famous As: Military Person
Birthdate: 1774 AD
Birthplace: Stuarts Draft, Virginia, United States
Died: November 22, 1813
Trapper-explorer John Colter, who was part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is remembered as the first white man to visit and describe the Yellowstone National Park. He had a brush with death on three occasions, when he came face-to-face with Indian tribes. He later settled in a Missouri farm.
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: April 21, 1898
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Bradford
Died: June 1, 1934
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: December 13, 1970
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kirchdorf an der Krems
Famous As: Explorer, Cartographer, Geographer, Rock climber
Birthdate: November 2, 1899
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Kitzbühel
Died: October 12, 1973
Famous As: entrepreneur, mountaineer
Birthdate: December 21, 1929
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Tulsa
Famous As: Basketball player, Skydiver
Birthdate: August 15, 1932
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Union City, New Jersey, United States
Died: August 29, 1966
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: December 20, 1955
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Famous As: Mountaineer, Helicopter pilot
Birthdate: October 27, 1967
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Bergamo
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: June 22, 1965
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Solukhumbu, Nepal
Died: April 29, 2001
Famous As: Metaphysician, Mountaineer
Birthdate: December 18, 1899
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Tromsø, Norway
Died: October 12, 1990
Peter Wessel Zapffe was a Norwegian metaphysician, mountaineer, artist, author, and lawyer. He is best remembered for his 1933 essay The Last Messiah which was later included in his 1941 treatise On the Tragic. The essay reflects Peter Wessel Zapffe's philosophically pessimistic view of human existence.
Famous As: Mountaineer
Birthdate: December 10, 1961
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Solukhumbu District
Died: April 22, 1993
Famous As: Canoeist
Birthdate: September 9, 1946
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Swarzędz, Poland
Died: February 22, 2021
Famous As: Mountaineer Known for Solo Climb of 'Aiguille du Dru'
Birthdate: June 22, 1930
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Bergamo, Italy
Died: September 13, 2011
Walter Bonatti was an Italian explorer, mountain climber, and journalist. He made a solo climb of a new route on the southwest pillar of the Aiguille du Dru in August 1955, among other achievements. He retired from mountaineering at the age of 35 and pursued a career as a reporter. He also wrote several books on mountaineering.
Famous As: Rock climber
Birthdate: June 18, 1924
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: United States
Died: February 27, 2002
Famous As: Author
Birthdate: November 28, 1832
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Kensington Gore, London, United Kingdom
Died: February 22, 1904
Sir Leslie Stephen was an English historian, biographer, author, critic, and mountaineer. Leslie Stephen also took an active part in the organized humanist movement, serving as the president of the West London Ethical Society on multiple occasions. He was the father of famous author, Virginia Woolf, and painter, Vanessa Bell.
Famous As: Ski mountaineer
Birthdate: March 14, 1975
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: Sundsvall, Sweden
Died: August 6, 2010