16 March

Born on this day

1929 Gerhard Lenser, German pioneer, who participated in the first ascent of Pumo Ri in 1962 and led a successful Everest-expedition in 1983.
1932 Kurt Diemberger, Austrian pioneer, who participated in the first ascents of Broad Peak in 1957 and Dhaulagiri I in 1960. He also ascended Tirich Mir in 1967, Makalu and Everest in 1978, Gasherbrum II in 1979, Broad Peak again in 1984 and K2 in 1986.
1952 Lobsang Tshering Bhutia, Nepalese climber, who ascended Everest in 1993 and died on descent, aged 41.
1953 Vernon Tejas, American climber, who ascended Everest ten times (1992, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2013), Cho Oyu in 2006 and Gasherbrum II in 2019. He also finished the Kosciuszko-version of the Seven Summits in 1992 and the Carstensz-version in 2013.
1953 John Dufficy, American climber, who ascended Everest in 1993. He also finished the Carstensz- and the Kosciuszko-versions of the Seven Summits in 1995.
1953 Nima Norbu Dolma, Indian climber, who ascended Everest in 1993.
1954 Bruno Honegger, Swiss climber, who ascended Broad Peak in 1987.
1954 Jerzy Natkański, Polish climber, who ascended Gasherbrum II in 1997 and Broad Peak in 2007.
1955 Koichi Joydo, Japanese climber, who ascended Broad Peak Foresummit in 1988.
1957 Laurence de la Ferrière, French lady climber, who ascended Yalung Kang in 1984 and Nanga Parbat in 1985. She also travelled to the South Pole in the season 1996/1997.
1963 Christian Wegner, German climber, who ascended Gurla Mandhata in 2002.
1965 Tashi Ram Negi, Indian climber, who ascended Everest in 1996 and Kamet in 2001.
1967 Robert James Maxwell, climber from New Zealand, who ascended Everest in 2018.
1968 Michael (Mike) Winkworth, American climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2003.
1968 Roberto López Iglesias, Spanish Galician climber, who ascended Manaslu M in 2023.
1969 Darius Wylezol, German climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2006.
1969 Brenda Gordon, American lady climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2013.
1969 Raluca-Cornelia Uzum, Romanian lady climber, who ascended Manaslu M in 2024.
1971 Lee Jeong-Hyun, Korean climber, who ascended Broad Peak in 1995, Gasherbrum I in 1999 and K2 in 2000.
1971 Yoshikazu Karahashi, Japanese climber, who ascended Gasherbrum I in 1996.
1973 Martin McGarvey, British climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2006.
1973 Irena Mrak, Slovenian lady climber, who ascended Gasherbrum II in 2004.
1975 Albert Valldepérez, Spanish Catalan climber, who ascended Shisha Pangma Central-Peak in 2004.
1978 Andreas Martin Grob, Swiss climber, who ascended Broad Peak Foresummit in 2004.
1981 Ryan Michael Laughna, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2017.
1981 Karl-Heinz Egloff, Swiss climber, who ascended Makalu in 2022.
1982 Michael Lees, Canadian climber, who ascended Everest in 2018.
1983 Tshering Wangchu (Tshering Ongchuk), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest nine times (2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019), Lhotse in 2006, Cho Oyu twice (2009 and 2019) and Manaslu RP twice (2013 and 2017).
1983 Pasang Tharke II, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest twice (2006 and 2010).
1984 Pierre Serge Marie Warin, French climber, who ascended Manaslu M in 2025.
1985 Colin Timothy O'Brady, American climber, who ascended Everest twice (2016 and 2021).
1986 Madalina Tamina Condrea, Romanian lady climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2017 and Makalu in 2024.
1986 Tsewang Chosgail, Indian climber, who ascended Kangchenjunga in 2025.
1987 Robert C. Scull II, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2008. He also finished the Carstensz- and Kosciuszko-versions of the Seven Summits in 2009.
1988 Li Yi-Fan, Chinese climber, who ascended Everest in 2023.
1989 Phurba (c), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Kangchenjunga in 2019.
1995 Dawa Tenji II, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Dhaulagiri I (WRFS) in 2017, Everest four times (2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025), Lhotse three times (2022, 2023 and 2025), Nuptse in 2023 and K2 in 2024 and Cho Oyu twice in 2024.
2000 Paul Leonhard Kohler, German climber, who ascended Lhotse in 2022.
2007 Phunurbu, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Makalu in 2025.

First ascent on this day

1939 Cristóbal Colón (Colombia, ca. 5730 m) by an American party.

Gone on this day

1993 Rachel Kathryn Farmer, British lady free-climber, died after a fatal fall, aged 23.
1998 Takashi Sano, Japanese climber, who ascended K2 in 1996, died, aged 25.