21 June

Born on this day

1868 Alexander Mitchell (Alec) Kellas, British (Scottish) pioneer, who was best known for his studies in high altitude physiology. He also achieved the first ascent of Pauhunri (7107 m) in 1911. He died in Tibet in 1921, aged 52.
1918 Dee Molenaar, American pioneer, who was a member of the 1953 K2 expedition. In 1965 he participated in the first ascent of Mount Kennedy (4238 m, Yukon, Canada, named after JFK) led by James W. (Jim) Whittaker along with Robert Francis (Bobby) Kennedy and five other climbers. He died in 2020, aged 101.
1951 Dennis Brown, Canadian climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1996.
1952 Aleksandr Parkhomenko, Ukrainian climber, who ascended Kangchenjunga in 1993 and died on K2 in 1994, aged 42.
1961 Nicolas Campredon, French climber, who ascended Gasherbrum II in 1985 and Annapurna I in 1988.
1966 Carola Eva Hellriegel, German lady climber, who ascended Manaslu M in 2024.
1967 François Nicole, Swiss free-climber.
1967 Da Chhiri (Datsheri), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Manaslu RP twice (2019 and 2021).
1968 Mingmar Tamang III, Nepalese climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2019 and Everest twice (2022 and 2023) and Manaslu M in 2024.
1969 Karin Kavoussi, Austrian lady free-climber.
1969 Angdemba, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Makalu in 2025.
1970 Laurence Guyon, French lady free-climber.
1970 Lee Seung-Bok, Korean climber, who ascended Everest in 2006.
1970 Wilfrid Maxin, French climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2003.
1970 Heber Orona, Argentinean climber, who ascended Everest without additional oxygen in 1999. He also finished the Carstensz-version of the Seven Summits in 2006.
1972 Michele Compagnoni, Italian climber, who ascended K2 in 2004 and Shisha Pangma in 2010.
1973 Pemba Gyalzen IV, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest three times (2006, 2007 and 2012) and Makalu in 2014.
1973 Stephane Rousseau, Canadian climber, who ascended Everest in 2022.
1979 Michael Quade, German climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2019.
1980 Josu Juan, Spanish Basque climber, who ascended Gasherbrum II in 2006.
1980 Ang Namgyal I, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest five times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010).
1980 Dorje V, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest in 2004.
1983 Lal Bahadur Tamang, Nepalese climber, who ascended Everest six times (2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2025), Broad Peak in 2019, Dhaulagiri I in 2022 and Manaslu M twice (2023 and 2024).
1983 Miguel Angelo Cruzada Mapalao, Philippine climber, who ascended Everest in 2025.
1984 Morgan Matthew Hawes, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2022.
1987 Binita Soren, Indian lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2012.
1988 Zakhir Hussain, Pakistani climber, who ascended K2 in 2021.
1990 Ravi Kumar, Indian climber, who ascended Everest in 2017.
1991 Nungshi Sayuri Malik and Tashi Malayika Malik, Indian lady climbers, who ascended Everest in 2013. They are the first twin sisters to do so. They also finished the Carstensz version of the Seven Summits in 2014.
1997 Ebrahim Mohamed Abdulla Ebrahim Mohamed, Bahrainian climber, who ascended Everest in 2021.
2001 Dipan Gurung, Nepalese climber, who ascended Everest three times (2023, 2024 and 2025), K2 and Manaslu M in 2024 and Annapurna I and Lhotse in 2025.

First ascents on this day

1931 Kamet (7756 m) by a British party.
1955 Shikar Beh (appr. 6200 m) by another British party.

Gone on this day

1917 Matthias Zurbriggen, Swiss pioneer, who achieved first ascents of Mount Cook in New Zealand in 1894 and Aconcagua solo in 1897, died, aged 61.
1954 Mario Puchoz, Italian pioneer, who was a member of the successful K2 expedition, died there, aged 36.
1986 John Smolich (36), American climber, who ascended Tirich Mir in 1982, died in an avalanche on K2 together with his compatriot Alan Pennington (34).