Who was the first mountaineer to climb all 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres?

Reinhold Messner was the first mountaineer to climb all 14 mountains higher than 8,000 metres. He completed the feat in 1986, finishing with Lhotse after beginning with Nanga Parbat in 1970.

The 14 “eight-thousanders” are the world’s highest independent peaks, all located in the Himalaya or Karakoram ranges. Messner climbed them without supplemental oxygen, a choice that made his achievement especially influential in high-altitude mountaineering.

Polish climber Jerzy Kukuczka became the second person to complete the collection, doing so in 1987. Later records have involved debates over disputed summits and climbing routes, so lists of firsts can depend on verification standards.

Messner also made major first ascents and traverses, including an ascent of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen in 1978 with Peter Habeler. He later became an author, museum founder, and member of the European Parliament.