list of climbers

This list of climbers includes both mountaineers and rock climbers, since many (though not all) climbers engage in both types of activities.

A

Louis Agassiz (1807–1873) - Alps glaciology
Christian Almer - Grindelwald guide, many first ascents in Alps
Luigi Amedeo di Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi (1873–1933) - first ascent of Mount Saint Elias in Alaska/Yukon
Melchior Anderegg (1828–1912) - Meiringen guide, many first ascents in Alps

John Ball - Alps, first president of Alpine Club
Jacques Balmat (1762–1834) - Chamonix guide, first ascent of Mont Blanc
George Band - 1953 Everest expedition, first ascent of Kanchenjunga
Fred Beckey - Cascades
Gertrude Bell - explorer, mountaineer, inventor of Iraq
Josune Bereziartu
Peter Boardman (1950–1982) - ascents of Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Changabang West Wall
Walter Bonatti (born 1930) - talented and controversial Italian mountaineer and writer, Alps, K2
Chris Bonington (born 1934) - ascents of Nuptse, Annapurna, Mount Everest.
Thomas George Bonney (1833–1923) - Alps geologist and mountaineer
Anatoli Boukreev (1958–1997) - Russian climber with many 8,000m ascents without oxygen
Marguerite Brevoort
Joe Brown (born 1930) - British rock climbing pioneer, first ascent of Kanchenjunga
Katie Brown
Hermann Buhl - first ascent (solo!) of Nanga Parbat, 1953; first ascent of Broad Peak
Adrian Burgess
Alan Burgess

Tommy Caldwell
Ramond de Carbonnires - Pyrenees
Riccardo Cassin (1909-)
Robert Caspersen Trango ascent in 1999. Norways best climber.
Yvon Chouinard
Ian Clough (1939-1970) — British alpinist who died after the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.
J. Norman Collie (1859–1942) - first ascent of Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis
Achille Compagnoni (born 1914) - first ascent of K2, 1954
William Martin Conway (1856–1937) - worldwide, early guidebook writer
William Coolidge (1850–1926) - 1,700 expeditions in Alps, greatest Alpine historian
Jean Couzy - first ascent of Makalu (1955)
Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) - occultist, writer, and record breaking mountaineer. Led expeditions on K2 and Kanchenjunga.
Michel Croz - Chamonix guide, killed on Matterhorn

Johnny Dawes (1964-) - British rock climber, responsible for the introduction of two new grades in the British grading system for traditional climbs.
Thomas Clinton Dent (1850–1912) - Caucausus, Alps, first ascent of Aiguille du Dru 1878
Ardito Desio (1897–2001) - leader of K2 first ascent expedition
Kurt Diemberger - first ascents of Broad Peak (1957) and Dhaulagiri (1960)
Peter Diener - first ascent of Dhaulagiri (1960)

Charles Evans (born 1912) - Alps, Wales, leader of Kanchenjunga first ascent expedition

Joo Garcia, first Portuguese citizen to climb Mount Everest, did it without auxiliary oxygen

Douglas Hadow - killed on first ascent of Matterhorn
Rob Hall (1960–1996) - Everest victim 1996
John Harlin
Heinrich Harrer (born 1912) - Carstensz Pyramid
Ginette Harrison - first and only woman to summit Kanchenjunga (1998), died in an avalanche on Dhaulagiri in 1999.
John M. Hartog - first ascent of Muztagh Tower in the Himalaya
Dougal Haston (1940–1977) - killed by avalanche while skiing in the Alps
Karl Herligkoffer (born 1917 Germany) - first attempt of Broad Peak (1954)
Maurice Herzog (born 1919 France) - first ascent of Annapurna, 1950
Lynn Hill (born 1961 USA) - first free ascent of The Nose on El Capitan, Yosemite in 1993
Edmund Hillary - first ascent of Mount Everest, 1953
Yuji Hirayama - difficult onsight
Alexander and Thomas Huber - German climbers and mountaineers. Free ascends in Yosemite, speed record on El Capitan, expeditions and free solos
Charles Hudson (1828–1865) - highest point of Monte Rosa, 1855; died on Matterhorn
Francois-Joseph Hugi - geologist, unsuccessful attempts in 1828 of Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn
Alexander von Humboldt - Mount Chimborazo
John Hunt (1910–1998) - leader of 1953 Everest expedition

Jrg von Knel (1952?-2005) - author of plaisir guide books
Ron Kauk American rock climber with many first ascents in Yosemite. Kauk has done stunt work for Hollywood mountaineering movies as well as being the subject of several rock climbing movies.
Clarence King - Sierra Nevada (US)
Jon Krakauer - writer
Gran Kropp (1966–2002) - rode his bike from Sweden, soloed Everest without Oxygen and rode home.
Jerzy Kukuczka (1948–1989) - second man to climb all 8,000m peaks.

George Mallory - Wales, Alps, lost on Everest 1924
Charles Edward Mathews (1834–1905) - Alps, Snowdonia
Steve McClure - first Brit to climb 9a twice
Duncan McDuffie - summits in the Sierra Nevada (US)
Chris Meadows - Australian hardman (1960's)
Willi Merkl
Reinhold Messner - first mountaineer to climb all the 8000m peaks
Johann Rudolf Meyer - first ascents of Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn
Hieronymus Meyer - first ascents of Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn
Ben Moon - UK sports climber and one of the first to climb 8c
Fritz Moravec - first ascent of Gasherbrum II
John Muir - summits in California and Alaska
Albert F. Mummery (1855–1895) - first ascents in the Alps, "lost" on Nanga Parbat

Waldemar Niclevicz - Leading mountaineer in Brazil
Fred Nicole - Swiss rock climber, notable for his numerous first ascents of cutting edge sport routes and boulder problems.
Tenzing Norgay (1914–1986) - Sherpa, first ascent of Mount Everest
Edward Felix Norton (1884–1954) - leader of 1924 Everest expedition with Mallory and Irvine
Arne Nss jr. (1937–2004) - leader of 1985 Norwegian Everest expedition

Michel-Gabriel Paccard - first ascent of Mont Blanc (1786)
Maria Paradis - first woman to ascend Mont Blanc, 1809
Tom Patey
Hristo Prodanov - Bulgarian climber (1943-1984); solo ascents, without oxygen, of Lhotse, 1981, and Everest, 1984; died on the way down Everest in 1984