Silvio Mondinelli (born 24 June 1958), is an Italian climber. In the year 2007, he became the 13th person to climb the 14 eight-thousanders. He is the 6th person to achieve that feat without using supplemental oxygen. He was also the first mountaineer to climb both the Seven Summits and the 14 eight-thousander.
Broad Peak was the last peak he conquered to cement his place among the rare climbers who summited the 14 highest points on Earth. [1] [2]
Mondinelli began his mountaineering career by making several ascents in the Alps, especially Monte Rosa. In 1981 he became an Alpine Guide and from 1987 to 1991 he worked as a guide instructor. In 1984 he began climbing mountains outside of Europe, especially in North and South America, the Himalayas, and Karakorum.
2001 was undoubtedly one of the most important years of his career: in only five months he climbed four 8,000 meters peaks: Everest, Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and Dhaulagiri. On 25 July 2004 he reached the peak of K2 (8611 m) and declared the success of the "K2 2004–50 years later" expedition. [3] [4]
Mondinelli prepares his enterprises in extreme detail, beginning with training. Every day he runs uphill: 1200 meters difference in altitude, combined during the winter with Alpine skiing. In the evening he does one hour on the stationary bicycle to recover and loosen up his muscles. Gnaro is known not only for never having used oxygen during his climbs, but also for his extreme humanitarian gestures. During his expeditions he has often rescued other climbers in difficulty, often risking the success of his own expedition. [5]
In 2001, Mondinelli was among the founders of the "Amici del Monterosa", the non-profit organisation that deals in developing the living conditions of the Nepalese people. In addition to maintaining the Namche Bazar School, the "Amici del Monterosa" was also involved in the construction of the Makelu hospital district in the region of Dhading (2005).
In the near future, the "Amici del Monterosa" is planning the construction of a professional school for tourism and hotel management in the vicinity of Kathmandu. [6] Mondinelli, along with a team of expert mountaineers, climbers and researchers, has founded the High Mountain University, in Alagna Valsesia, Piedmont, the first high mountain school open to all upland aficionados. [7]
The eight-thousanders are the 14 mountains recognised by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) as being more than 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) in height above sea level, and sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no precise definition of the criteria used to assess independence, and, since 2012, the UIAA has been involved in a process to consider whether the list should be expanded to 20 mountains. All eight-thousanders are located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia, and their summits are in the death zone.
Alan Hinkes OBE is an English Himalayan high-altitude mountaineer from Northallerton in North Yorkshire. He is the first British mountaineer to claim all 14 Himalayan eight-thousanders, which he did on 30 May 2005.
Edurne Pasaban Lizarribar is a Spanish mountaineer. On May 17, 2010, she became the first woman to climb all 14 of the eight-thousanders – and the 21st person to do so. Her first 8,000 peak had been achieved 9 years earlier, on May 23, 2001, when she reached the summit of Mount Everest. She has also completed the seven summits.
Benoît Chamoux was a French Alpinist, who claimed to have summited 13 of the Eight-thousanders in the Himalayas.
Ryszard Pawłowski - Polish alpine and high-altitude climber and photographer. Member of The Explorers Club.
Simone Moro is an Italian mountaineer known for having made first winter ascents of four of the fourteen eight-thousanders: Shishapangma in 2005, Makalu in 2009, Gasherbrum II in 2011, and Nanga Parbat in 2016. No other climber has made more first winter ascents of an eight-thousander in history. He has summited Everest four times, in 2000, 2002, 2006, and 2010.
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner is an Austrian mountaineer. In August 2011, she became the second woman to climb the fourteen eight-thousanders and the first woman to do so without using supplemental oxygen or high-altitude porters. In 2012, she won the prestigious National Geographic Explorer of the Year Award.
Iván Vallejo is a high-altitude mountaineer from Ecuador. On 1 May 2008, he became the 14th person to reach the summit of all 14 mountains above 8,000 meters, and the 7th without use of supplemental oxygen. He is the first, and still the only, Southern Hemisphere climber to complete all 14 eight-thousanders, without supplemental oxygen.
Karl Unterkircher was an Italian mountaineer. He is mostly known for opening new mountain routes.
Hassan Sadpara PP was a Pakistani mountaineer and adventurer from Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. He is the first Pakistani to have climbed six eight-thousanders including Mount Everest (8848m), K2 (8611m), Gasherbrum I (8080m), Gasherbrum II (8034m), Nanga Parbat and Kangchenjunga (8586m). He is also credited for summiting five of the eight-thousanders without supplemental oxygen. Contrary to initial reports, Hassan Sadpara clarified that he used supplemental oxygen during his Everest ascent due to bad weather.
Alberto Iñurrategi Iriarte is a Basque Spanish mountaineer born in Aretxabaleta, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country (Spain). In the year 2002, he became the second Spaniard and Basque and the 10th person to climb the 14 eight-thousanders.
Denis Urubko is a Russian-Polish climber. In 2009, as a citizen of Kazakhstan he became the 15th person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders and the 8th person to achieve the feat without supplemental oxygen. He had Soviet citizenship, but after the dissolution of the Soviet Union he became a citizen of Kazakhstan, but renounced the citizenship in 2012. In 2013, he received Russian citizenship and on 12 February 2015 he received Polish citizenship.
Ralf Dujmovits is a German mountaineer. In May 2009 he became the 16th person, and the first German, to climb the 14 eight-thousanders.
Radek Jaroš is a Czech mountaineer and author.
Tunç Fındık is a Turkish professional climber, mountaineer, mountain guide, author, and motivational speaker.
Meherban Karim was a Pakistani mountaineer. He lost his life, along with 10 other mountaineers, in the 2008 K2 disaster, following an avalanche in what was to be one of the deadliest accidents in the history of K2 mountaineering. He summited several eight-thousanders: K2, Nanga Parbat, and Gasherbrum II. In the mountaineering community, he was known as "Karim The Dream" and "Karim Meherban".
Shehroze Kashif is a Pakistani mountaineer who became the youngest climber in the world to summit K2 on 27 July 2021. He became the youngest Pakistani to summit Mount Everest on 11 May 2021. After the successful summit of Mount Everest, Sports Board Punjab made him the youth ambassador of Punjab, Pakistan. He summited Broad Peak at the age of 17, after which he was called 'The Broad Boy'.
Adriana Brownlee is an English mountaineer, certified paragliding pilot, and adventure athlete. She is the youngest woman to have climbed the world’s second highest peak K2 on July 28, 2022 and youngest women to climb the higher 8,000ers on 28 July 2022.