02 November

Born on this day

1899 Peter Aufschnaiter, Austrian pioneer, who was a member of two Kangchenjunga expeditions (1929 and 1931) and a Nanga Parbat expedition in 1939. During the retreat march the Second World War broke out. Together with Heinrich Harrer he was arrested in Dehra Dun (NW-India). After an adventurous escape in April 1944, crossing the Garhwal Himalaya they arrived in Lhasa on January 15th, 1946. Later he became a Tibetan government servant and lost his Austrian citizenship, which he got back one year before his death. He died in 1973, aged 73.
1951 Ryoichi Okabayashi, Japanese climber, who ascended Nanga Parbat in 1987.
1952 Iordanka Dimitrova, Bulgarian lady climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1991. She disappeared on Kangchenjunga in 1994, aged 42.
1954 József Csíkos, Hungarian climber, who ascended Himalchuli in 1985, Shisha Pangma Central-Peak in 1987, Cho Oyu in 1990 and Gasherbrum II in 2003.
1958 Josema Casimiro, Spanish Basque climber, who ascended Kumbhakarna (aka Jannu) in 1981, K2 in 1986 and Broad Peak in 1995.
1959 Adolphus G. (Al) Hancock, Canadian climber, who ascended Everest twice (2007 and 2010), Cho Oyu in 2011, summit ridge of Manaslu RP in 2012, Makalu and K2 in 2014 and Lhotse in 2017. He also finished the Kosciuszko-version of the Seven Summits in 2008.
1959 Günter Karl Haas, German climber, who ascended Everest in 2019.
1961 Li Dong-Fei, Chinese climber, who ascended Everest in 2024.
1962 Michael Otis, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2001.
1963 Park Young-Seok, Korean climber, who ascended Everest three times (1993, 2006 and 2009), Cho Oyu twice (1994 and 1997), Annapurna I (?) in 1996, Dhaulagiri I (MP?), Gasherbrum I and II in 1997, Shisha Pangma Central-Peak twice (1998 and 1999), Nanga Parbat and Manaslu RP in 1998, Kangchenjunga in 1999, Makalu, Broad Peak and Shisha Pangma in 2000 and Lhotse and K2 in 2001, where he finished the 14 8000ers (LT 8). He finished the Carstensz- and Kosciuszko-versions of the Seven Summits in 2002. He also skied to the South Pole in 2004 and to the North Pole in 2005. He died on the South Face of Annapurna I in 2011, aged 47.
1963 Carmen (Nani) Duro, Andorran lady climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1997, Makalu in 1998 and Gasherbrum II in 1999.
1965 Julia Zhou, American lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2022.
1967 Angela Beltrame-Zill, Swiss lady climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2004.
1967 Liam Arthur John Hanlon, British climber, who ascended Everest in 2022.
1969 Hiroyoshi Tabata, Japanese climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1994.
1971 Kaspars Klapkalns, Latvian climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2007.
1971 Roberto Marco Galliano, Italian climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2009 and Manaslu RP in 2011.
1971 Vincent Vachette, French climber, who ascended Everest in 2016.
1976 Rory Edward McHugh, Irish climber, who ascended Everest in 2017.
1976 Krishna Sukhdev Dhokle, Indian climber, who ascended Kangchenjunga in 2019.
1977 Adrian Schuler, Swiss climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2009.
1978 Tomohiko Saeki, Japanese climber, who ascended Everest in 2019.
1979 Yi Zhubing, Chinese climber, who ascended Everest in 2025.
1984 Jonathan James Lawrie, Australian climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2017, Everest in 2018 and K2 in 2023.
1984 Pasang Bhote I (Pasang Lama Bhote), Nepalese climber, who ascended Everest nine times (2006, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024 and 2026), Lhotse four times (2008, 2009, 2018 and 2019), K2 in 2008, Manaslu RP four times (2008, 2012, 2018 and 2019), Makalu in 2009, Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum I in 2010, Cho Oyu twice (2014 and 2016) and Manaslu M twice (2023 and 2024).
1988 Alexander Bachmann, German climber, who ascended Everest in 2024, Manaslu M in 2025 and Annapurna I, Makalu and Lhotse in 2026.
1989 Sonam Dorje (Soudou), Tibetan climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2013 and Everest twice (2014 and 2016).
1991 Dawa Ongel, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Lhotse in 2018.
1995 Tshering Namgya, Nepalese Sherpani, who ascended Everest in 2021.
1997 Nisha Bhote, Nepalese lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2019.

First ascents on this day

1982 Ngozumpa Kang I (aka Ngojumba Kang I, 7916 m) by a party with members from South Korea and Nepal.
1996 Bobaye (6808 m) by a Slovenian party.
2003 Nuptse East-Peak (7795 m) by a Russian party.
2010 Lugula Himal (6899 m) by a French party.
2018 Nupla Kang (6861 m) by an American-Norwegian-Nepalese party.

Gone on this day

1958 Jean Couzy, French pioneer, who participated in the first ascents of Chomo Lönzo in 1954 and Makalu in 1955, died in the Alps, aged 35.
1984 Aleš Kunaver, Slovenian climber, who was leader of successful expeditions to Makalu in 1975 and to Manaslu in spring 1984. He died by a helicopter accident in the Julian Alps, aged 49. Also Toni Hiebeler, German climber and author (German edition of "Himalaya and Karakorum"), died in the same accident, aged 54.