21 December

Born on this day

1929 Richard Daniel (Dick) Bass, American climber, who ascended Everest in 1985, where he also was the first climber, who finished the Kosciuszko-version of the Seven Summits. He died in 2015, aged 85.
1940 Johann (Hans) von Känel, Swiss climber, who ascended Tirich Mir twice (1975 and 1976), Lhotse in 1977, Makalu in 1978, Everest in 1979, Dhaulagiri I in 1980, Manaslu M in 1981 and Broad Peak Foresummit in 1999.
1951 Junichi Futagami, Japanese climber, who ascended Everest in 1991, where he died by a fall on descent, aged 39.
1952 Steve Simpson, Australian climber, who ascended Shisha Pangma Central-Peak in 1999.
1954 Stanislav Šilhán, Czech climber,who ascended Dhaulagiri I in 1990, Cho Oyu in 1994 Shisha Pangma Central-Peak in 1995 and Gasherbrum I in 1997. He died in 2008, aged 53.
1955 Andrés Ruiz, Spanish Asturian climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1991.
1962 Ko Kam-Fai (Raymond), Chinese climber, who ascended Everest in 2018.
1963 Farshad Khalili, Iranian climber, who ascended Rakaposhi (7788 m) in 1997. He died in the Iranian Alborz mountains by an avalanche in 2010, aged 46.
1964 Derek Chinn, climber from New Zealand, who ascended Everest in 2004.
1965 James Stuart (Jamie) McGuinness, climber from New Zeland, who ascended Cho Oyu five times (1999, 2001, 2002, spring and autumn 2004), Shisha Pangma Central-Peak three times (2000, 2003 and 2005), Everest six times (2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012 and 2019) and Broad Peak in 2004.
1967 Mingma Dorje VI, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest in 2005.
1968 Wim Smets, Belgian climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2006, Everest in 2007, Broad Peak in 2011, Manaslu RP in 2012 and Lhotse in 2013.
1970 Timothy Steven Horvath, American climber, who ascended Kangchenjunga in 1998 and Everest in 2004.
1970 Lhakpa Tenzing III (Lakpa Tenje), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Makalu twice (2004 and 2024), Cho Oyu twice (2005 and 2014) and Everest twice (2012 and 2019) and Kangchenjunga in 2018.
1971 Andrea Boll, Swiss lady climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1999.
1972 Pasang Norbu II, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Kangchenjunga in 2000, Everest six times (2001, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012), Manaslu RP twice (2008 and 2015) and Lhotse in 2010.
1972 Ligia Maria Madrigal Moya, Costa Rican lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2024.
1973 Pemba Chhoti I, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest ten times (2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2018).
1973 Yang Yong-Lin, Chinese climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2018.
1974 Dawa Tenjen I, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest three times (2006, 2007 and 2011).
1975 Joël Hennequart, French climber, who ascended Shisha Pangma Central-Peak in 2007.
1975 Adam Robert Potter, British climber, who ascended Everest in 2011.
1978 Amédée Monnerat, Swiss climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2009.
1978 David Hugo Ayaviri Quispe, Bolivian climber, who ascended Broad Peak and K2 in 2021, Nanga Parbat and Gasherbrum II in 2023 and Lhotse in 2024.
1979 Manoj Dahal, Indian climber, who ascended Everest twice (2006 and 2018), Kangchenjunga in 2008 and Manaslu M in 2023.
1979 Nacer Ibnabdeljalil, Moroccan climber, who ascended Everest in 2013.
1980 Suber Shreshta, Nepalese Newari climber, who ascended Everest in 2011.
1983 Matthew (Matt) Lipscombe, British climber, who ascended Everest in 2008.
1987 Mingma Kipa (aka Mingkipa, Ming Kipa), Nepalese Sherpani, who ascended Everest twice (2003 and 2007).
1988 Umesh Gurung, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest in 2017.
1989 Ryu Hee-Won, Korean lady climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2017.
1989 Roman Franco Tschupp, Swiss climber, who ascended Everest in 2019.
1990 Kseniia Abramova, Russian lady climber, who ascended Manaslu M in 2024.
1998 Tukaram Amgoth, Indian climber, who ascended Everest in 2019.

First ascent on this day

1966 Mount Shinn (4660 m) by an American party.

Gone on this day

1986 Walter Lösch, Austrian climber, who ascended Gasherbrum II in 1979 and Broad Peak in 1982, died in an avalanche in the Austrian Alps.
2015 Kei Taniguchi, Japanese lady climber, who ascended Manaslu in 2006, Everest in 2007, Kamet (7756 m) by a new route in 2008 and Gurla Mandhata in 2011, died by a fall on Kuro-dake (1984 m) in Hokkaido, aged 43.