People have long climbed mountains for necessary daily activities such as retrieving lost animals and hunting, but technical climbing as a sport has a much shorter history. The sport’s history is often described in terms of first ascents, the conquering of previously unscaled mountains or, on mountains that have already been climbed, the accomplishment of previously untried and unclimbed routes.
After the ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786, people began to organize expeditions to make first ascents. Some of the most challenging mountains were found in the Himalayas of Central Asia, which contain many of the world’s highest peaks. In 1953 New Zealand climber Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of the world’s highest mountain, the Himalayan peak Mount Everest (8848 m/29,028 ft). A year later Italian mountaineers Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli ascended the world’s second highest mountain, K2 (8611 m/28,250 ft).
As more of the world’s mountains were climbed for the first time, mountaineers sought to challenge themselves by using more difficult routes and by climbing with less assistance from climbing partners. Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner and Austrian climber Peter Habeler became the first to scale Everest without bottled oxygen in 1978. Two years later Messner returned to climb Everest completely alone and without oxygen.
During the 1980s and 1990s ascents became even more daring, and some climbers attempted to ascend different series of related summits. In 1985 American climber Dick Bass became the first mountaineer to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, collectively referred to as the Seven Summits. In 1986 Messner finally completed his goal of climbing the 14 highest mountains in the world—a feat that took him 17 years to accomplish. All are higher than 8000 m (26,247 ft) and located in Nepal, Pakistan, China, and Tibet.
After the ascent of Mont Blanc in 1786, people began to organize expeditions to make first ascents. Some of the most challenging mountains were found in the Himalayas of Central Asia, which contain many of the world’s highest peaks. In 1953 New Zealand climber Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of the world’s highest mountain, the Himalayan peak Mount Everest (8848 m/29,028 ft). A year later Italian mountaineers Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli ascended the world’s second highest mountain, K2 (8611 m/28,250 ft).
As more of the world’s mountains were climbed for the first time, mountaineers sought to challenge themselves by using more difficult routes and by climbing with less assistance from climbing partners. Italian mountaineer Reinhold Messner and Austrian climber Peter Habeler became the first to scale Everest without bottled oxygen in 1978. Two years later Messner returned to climb Everest completely alone and without oxygen.
During the 1980s and 1990s ascents became even more daring, and some climbers attempted to ascend different series of related summits. In 1985 American climber Dick Bass became the first mountaineer to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, collectively referred to as the Seven Summits. In 1986 Messner finally completed his goal of climbing the 14 highest mountains in the world—a feat that took him 17 years to accomplish. All are higher than 8000 m (26,247 ft) and located in Nepal, Pakistan, China, and Tibet.
