Eightthousanders

Eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that rise above 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) above sea level. All lie in the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges of Asia, and their summits are permanently covered in snow and ice, with extreme altitude and harsh weather shaping every ascent.

The fourteen peaks, listed from highest to lowest, are Everest (8,848 m), K2 (8,611 m), Kangchenjunga (8,586 m), Lhotse (8,516 m), Makalu (8,485 m), Cho Oyu (8,201 m), Dhaulagiri (8,167 m), Manaslu (8,163 m), Nanga Parbat (8,126 m), Annapurna I (8,091 m), Gasherbrum I (8,080 m), Broad Peak (8,047 m), Gasherbrum II (8,035 m), and Shishapangma (8,027 m).

Climbing history highlights include the first ascent of an eight-thousander: Mount Everest in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The first climber to complete all fourteen eight-thousanders was Reinhold Messner in 1986, followed by Jerzy Kukuczka in 1987; since then several others have joined the ranks, with advances in technique and logistics altering the sport.

Eight-thousanders present extreme dangers, including prolonged exposure in the death zone above 8,000 meters, avalanches, crevasses, and severe weather. Most expeditions rely on supplemental oxygen, though some climbers attempt ascents without it. The peaks remain a central focus of high-altitude mountaineering, highlighting issues of risk, ethics, access, and environmental impact in one of the planet’s most demanding arenas.