For this reason, many of the 8,000m peaks, particularly the highest ones, were first climbed with supplementary oxygen. Today all except Everest are routinely climbed without, their ascent therefore making them a hazard for the climbers. Reinhold Messner, who became the first person to climb them all, took 16 years to climb all 14 mountains.
A must-read for mountaineers and mountaineering history buffs, Climbing the World’s 14 Highest Mountains brings together the stories behind the conquest of every peak and describes how each has been ascended since then. The epic drama of groundbreaking climbs comes alive through stunning, large-format photographs. The accompanying text describes each peak’s physical characteristics, the origins of its name, who discovered it (and how and when), and a catalog of all the significant climbs, from the first through the present day. Large format hardcover.