List of climbers
This list of climbers includes both mountaineers and rock climbers, since many (though not all) climbers engage in both types of activities.A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
- Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) - Alps glaciology
- Christian Almer - Grindelwald guide, many first ascents in Alps
- Luigi Amedeo, Duke of the Abruzzi (1873-1933) - first ascent of Mount St Elias in Alaska
- Melchior Anderegg (1828-1912) - Meiringen guide, many first ascents in Alps
B
- John Ball - Alps, first president of Alpine Club
- Jacques Balmat (1762-1834) - Chamonix guide, first ascent of Mont Blanc
- George Band - 1953 Everest expedition, first ascent of Kanchenjunga
- Fred Beckey - Cascades
- Chris Bonington (b. 1934) - ascents of Nuptse, Annapurna, Mount Everest.
- Thomas George Bonney (1833-1923) - Alps geologist and mountaineer
- Anatoli Boukreev (1958-1997) - Russian climber with many 8,000m ascents without oxygen
- Marguerite Brevoort
- Joe Brown (b. 1930) - British rock climbing pioneer, first ascent of Kanchenjunga
- Hermann Buhl - first ascent (solo!) of Nanga Parbat, 1953; first ascent of Broad Peak
C
- Ramond de Carbonničres - Pyrenees
- Yvon Chouinard
- John Norman Collie (1859-1942) - first ascent of Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis
- Achille Compagnoni (b. 1914) - first ascent of K2, 1954
- William Martin Conway (1856-1937) - worldwide, early guidebook writer
- William Coolidge (1850-1926) - 1,700 expeditions in Alps, greatest Alpine historian
- Jean Couzy - first ascent of Makalu (1955)
- Michel Croz - Chamonix guide, killed on Matterhorn
D
- Thomas Clinton Dent (1850-1912) - Caucausus, Alps, first ascent of Aiguille du Dru 1878
- Ardito Desio (1897-2001) - leader of K2 first ascent expedition
- Kurt Diemberger - first ascents of Broad Peak (1957) and Dhaulagiri (1960)
- Peter Diener - first ascent of Dhaulagiri (1960)
E
- Charles Evans (b. 1912) - Alps, Wales, leader of Kanchenjunga first ascent expedition
F
- George Ingle Finch (1888-1969) - led 1922 Everest expedition to 27,300 ft
- Scott Fischer (1956-1996) - Everest victim 1996
- Hans Florine - US Speed Climber, World Record Holder
- James David Forbes (1809-1868) - early, first British ascent of Jungfrau
- Ernst Forrer - first ascent of Dhaulagiri (1960)
- Jean Franco - led expedition on first ascent of Makalu (1955)
- Douglas Freshfield (1845-1934) - Alps, Scotland, Himalayas, Pyrenees
G
- Konrad von Gesner - 16th century Alps
- William Spotswood Green (1847-1919) - New Zealand, Selkirks
- John Gill - Bouldering
H
- Douglas Hadow - killed on first ascent of Matterhorn
- Rob Hall (1960-1996) - Everest victim 1996
- John Harlin
- Heinrich Harrer (born 1912) - Carstensz Pyramid
- Ginette Harrison - first and only woman to summit Kanchenjunga (1998). She died in an avalance on Dhaulagiri in 1999.
- John M. Hartog - first ascent of Muztagh Tower in Himalayas
- Dougal Haston (1940-1977) - killed by avalance while skiing in the Alps
- Karl Herligkoffer (b. 1917 Germany) - first attempt of Broad Peak (1954)
- Maurice Herzog (b. 1919 France) - first ascent of Annapurna, 1950
- Lynn Hill (b. 1961 USA) - first free ascent of The Nose on El Capitan, Yosemite in 1993
- Edmund Hillary - first ascent of Mount Everest, 1953
- Charles Hudson ((1828-1865) - highest point of Monte Rosa, 1855; died on Matterhorn
- Francois-Joseph Hugi - geologist, unsuccessful attempts in 1828 of Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn
- Alexander von Humboldt - Mount Chimborazo
- John Hunt (1910-1999) - leader of 1953 Everest expedition
I
- Toshio Imanishi - first ascent of Manaslu, 1956
J
K
- Clarence King - Sierra Nevada (US)
- Jerzy Kukuczka (1948-1989) - second man to climb all 8,000m peaks after Messner.
- Jon Krakauer - writer
L
- Louis Lachenal - first ascent of Annapurna, 1950
- Raymond Lambert - Mount Everest 1952 attempt
- Josef Larch - first ascent of Gasherbrum II
- Fritz Luchsinger - first ascent of Lhotse (1956)
M
- George Mallory - Wales, Alps, lost on Everest 1924
- Charles Edward Mathews (1834-1905) - Alps, Snowdonia
- Willi Merkl
- Reinhold Messner - arguably the most accomplished climber in history
- Johann Rudolf Meyer - first ascents of Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn
- Hieronymus Meyer - first ascents of Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn
- Fritz Moravec - first ascent of Gasherbrum II
- John Muir - summits in California and Alaska
- Albert Mummery (1855-1895) - first ascents in the Alps, "lost" on Nanga Parbat
N
- Tenzing Norgay (1914-1986) - Sherpa, first ascent of Mount Everest
- Edward Felix Norton (1884-1954) - leader of 1924 Everest expedition with Mallory and Irvine
- Arne Nęss jr (1937-2004) - leader of 1985 Norwegian Everest expedition
O
- James Outram - Canada, first ascent of Mount Assiniboine
P
- Michel-Gabriel Paccard (1757-1827) - first ascent of Mont Blanc (1786)
- Maria Paradis - first woman to ascend Mont Blanc, 1809
Q
R
- Ernst Reiss - first ascent of Lhotse (1956)
- Sherpa Ang Rita - Mount Everest
- Alain_Robert - French climber and builderer
- Royal Robbins - Yosemite
- Galen Rowell - photographer
- Wanda Rutkiewicz - considered by many to be the best female climber in history. She died on an attempt of Kanchenjunga in 1992.
S
- Henri Benedict de Saussure (1740-1799) - third ascent of Mont Blanc (1787), funded first ascent
- Albin Schelbert - first ascent of Dhaulagiri (1960)
- Dick Schockley
- Marcus Schmuck - first ascent of Broad Peak (1957)
- Vittorio Sella - early photographs
- John Sherman - Boulderer, inventor of "V" grading system.
- Pemba Dorjie Sherpa, fastest ascent of Mount Everest, May 23, 2003
- Eric Shipton (1907-1977) - Africa, Himalayas
- William Bradford Shockley
- Laurie Skreslet - first Canadian to summit Mount Everest (1982).
- William Cecil Slingsby - Norway
- Frank Smythe (1900-1949) - author
- Leslie Stephen - Alps
T
- Lionel Terray (1921-1965) - first ascent of Makalu (1955)
- Herbert Tichy (1912-1987) - first ascent of Cho Oyu (1954)
- Harold Tilman - Africa, Himalayas
- Francis Fox Tuckett (1834-1913) - first ascent of Aletschhorn (1859)
- John Tyndall (1820-1893) - Alps, scientist, first ascent of Weisshorn (1861)
U
- James Ramsey Ullman (1908-1971) - noted author
- Willi Unsoeld
V
- Antoine de Ville - climbed Mont Aiguille in 1492
W
- Lucy Walker - first woman to summit Matterhorn, 1871
- Don Whillans
- Jim Whittaker - first American on Mount Everest
- Hans Willenpartan - first ascent of Gasherbrum II
- Fritz Wintersteller - first ascent of Broad Peak (1957)
- Edward Whymper (1840-1911) - first ascent of Matterhorn (1865)
- Walter Wilcox (1869-1949) - Canadian Rockies explorer
- Jim Wickwire - first American to summit K2
- Fritz Wiessner
X
Y
- Geoffrey Winthrop Young - rock climbing in Wales
- Sir Francis Edward Younghusband (1863-1942) - early explorer of the Karakoram
Z
- Matthias Zurbriggen - first ascent of Aconcagua
