Famous 20th Century Mountaineers

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Yvon Chouinard is an American environmentalist, rock climber, outdoor industry businessman, and philanthropist. He is credited with founding Patagonia, Inc., a company which aims at protecting the environment. An adventurer, Yvon Chouinard is also fond of tenkara fly-fishing, surfing, and kayaking.

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.

Francys Arsentiev was an American mountaineer. In 1998, she became the first American woman to reach the peak of Mount Everest sans the aid of bottled oxygen. Unfortunately, she died during the descent. Prior to her ascent of the Everest, Francys Arsentiev had climbed many Russian Peaks along with her husband Sergei Arsentiev.

Ed Viesturs is an American high-altitude mountaineer, author, and corporate speaker. He is the only mountaineer from the USA to have climbed all 14 eight-thousander mountain peaks in the world. In 1992, Viesturs was honored by the American Alpine Club with the David A. Sowles Memorial Award. In 2005, Ed Viesturs was adjudged National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year.

Apa Sherpa is a Nepalese mountaineer who held the record for reaching the peak of Mount Everest on more number of occasions than any other person until 2017. He retired after summiting Everest 21 times, a record that was broken by Kami Rita Sherpa. Apa is credited with co-founding The Apa Sherpa Foundation, which aims at improving economy in Nepal.  

The son of legendary New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary, Peter Hillary followed in his father’s footsteps and became a successful mountaineer. He and his father were the first father-son duo to scale Mt. Everest. An author and philanthropist, too, he has helped people in the Mt. Everest region in Nepal.

Chris Sharma is an American rock climber. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and greatest climbers of all time. He is credited with mastering some of the most difficult routes in the history of rock climbing. Chris Sharma is also credited with shaping modern rock climbing.

Alex Lowe was an American mountaineer who was admired and respected by his peers for doing exceptionally well in every aspect of mountaineering. He was associated with the North Face climbing team for nearly 10 years and is credited with inspiring an entire generation of climbers. In 1995, Lowe was honored by the American Alpine Club with the Underhill Award.

Dan Osman was an American rock climber and extreme sport practitioner. He is credited with popularizing the dangerous sport of free-soloing. Dan Osman also played an important role in the development of Tahoe's Cave Rock climbing area. Osman died at the age of 35 in Yosemite National Park while performing a free-fall jump.

Mark Inglis is a New Zealand mountaineer, winemaker, researcher, and motivational speaker. Also an accomplished cyclist, Inglis won a silver medal at the 2000 Paralympics. In 2006, he became the first double leg amputee to scale Mount Everest. Inglis is also credited with founding a charitable trust called Limbs4All and a sports drink range called PeakFuel.

Pasang Lhamu Sherpa was a Nepalese mountaineer. In 1993, she became the first Nepalese woman to reach the peak of Mount Everest. However, she lost her life while descending. Pasang Lhamu Sherpa was honored posthumously in various ways by mountaineers around the world. She also became the first woman to receive the prestigious Nepal Tara by the King of Nepal.

Austrian mountaineer and climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner scripted history as the 2nd woman to climb all 14 of the eight-thousanders of the world and the 1st woman to do so without supplemental oxygen. The 2012 National Geographic Explorer of the Year also scaled many peaks with her then-husband, German mountaineer Ralf Dujmovits.

Nick Piantanida was an American parachute jumper. In 1966, he created a record by reaching 123,500 feet with his Strato Jump II balloon, a record that stood until 2012, when it was broken by Felix Baumgartner. Nick Piantanida's life and career inspired the 2015 film Angry Sky, which was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Richard Bass was an American mountaineer, rancher, and businessman. He was the first person to successfully climb the 'Seven Summits'. In 1985, Bass reached the peak of Mount Everest, becoming the oldest person to do so at the age of 55. A renowned businessman, Richard Bass owned Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah.

Babu Chiri Sherpa was a Nepalese mountaineer best remembered for reaching the peak of Mount Everest on 10 occasions. He was also a humanitarian and environmentalist who wanted to build schools in Nepal. Babu Chiri Sherpa's dream was realized before his death when a school was erected in his home village. 

David Breashears is an American filmmaker, mountaineer, motivational speaker, and author. In 1985, Breashears became the first person from the US to summit Mount Everest more than once. David Breashears is best known for directing the 1998 documentary film, Everest.

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.

Warren Harding was an American rock climber who is regarded as one of the most influential and accomplished rock climbers of the '50s, '60s, and '70s. In 1958, he led the first team that successfully reached the summit of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. Warren Harding also wrote an influential book titled Downward Bound.

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.    

British army officer John Hunt, or Baron Hunt, was granted special leave to plan and lead the British expedition to Mount Everest in May 1953. While Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay climbed to the top of Everest, he remained at the base camp. He also taught as a mountain warfare instructor.

Pete Schoening was an American mountaineer best remembered for his participation in the 1953 American Karakoram expedition, where he prevented the loss of the entire expedition single-handedly. In 1966, Pete Schoening became one of the first mountaineers to reach the peak of Mount Vinson in Antarctica. 

Austrian mountaineer Hermann Buhl was the first man to successfully climb the Nanga Parbat ijn the Himalayas, a mountain 31 people had died trying to conquer before him. He also conquered the Broad Peak in the Karakoram. A legendary alpinist, he also pioneered the use of alpine style mountaineering in the Hiamlayas.

Galen Rowell was an American adventure photojournalist, wilderness photographer, and mountaineer. He had many mountaineering achievements under his belt. At the age of 57, Rowell became the oldest person to climb El Capitan in one day. In 1977, Galen Rowell was honored with the Francis P. Farquhar Mountaineering Award by the Sierra Club.

Jim Whittaker was a US mountaineer and mountain guide who is known for his legendary 1963 Mount Everest expedition, which was led by Norman Dyhrenfurth. He scripted history as the first American to reach the Mount Everest summit. He was later bestowed with the Hubbard Medal by John F. Kennedy.

Achille Compagnoni was a Lombard skier and mountaineer best remembered for his expedition to K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. Compagnoni was among the men who reached the summit of K2 on 31 July 1954. As a skier, Achille Compagnoni took part in the fourth edition of Trofeo Mezzalama where he helped his team finish second.

Maurice Herzog was a French administrator and mountaineer. He is best remembered for leading the French Annapurna expedition in 1950, which scaled the Annapurna peak of over 8000m for the first time. Maurice Herzog reached the peak along with Louis Lachenal and wrote a best-selling book titled Annapurna after his return.

Prominent environmentalist and world-class mountaineer, David Brower became aware of the environmental issues through his proximity to nature, eventually joining Sierra Club, serving it in different capacities over a long period before establishing several organizations of his own. Author of three autobiographies, he fought to keep dams out of the Grand Canyon and was thrice nominated for Nobel Peace Prize.  

Austrian mountaineer Peter Habele teamed up with Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner to become the first to scale Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen. He also scripted history as the first European to climb the Yosemite’s Big Walls. He has also been a skiing instructor and later launched a mountaineering school.