31 August

Born on this day

1935 Boris Korshunov, Russian climber, who ascended Everest in 1999, Annapurna I Central-Peak in 2004 and Cho Oyu in 2007.
1941 Helmut Linzbichler, Austrian climber, who ascended Everest in 2008.
1942 Robert (Bob) Hoffman, American climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1997 and Everest twice (1998 and 2003). In 1998 he also finished the Kosciuszko-version of the Seven Summits.
1949 Tadeshi Sudo, Japanese climber, who ascended Tirich Mir (7708 m) in 1991. He died in 2000 on Rakaposhi (7788 m), aged 50.
1950 Marjan Manfreda, Slovenian climber, who participated in the second ascent of Kangbachen (subsidiary peak of Kangchenjunga, 7903 m) in 1974. He also ascended Makalu in 1975 and Dhaulagiri I in 2004. He died in an accident in 2015, aged 64.
1953 Robert Sloezen, American climber, who ascended Everest three times (1991, 1994 and 1998) and Cho Oyu in 1995.
1958 Chiang Yung-Ta, Taiwanese climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1993.
1962 Edward Wheeler, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2002.
1963 Christian Haas, Austrian climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1996.
1963 Bruce Miller, American climber, who ascended Ngozumpa Kang II (7743 m) in 2002.
1968 Damian and Guillermo (Willie) Benegas, American twin brothers of Argentinean origin. Damian ascended Nuptse with his brother in 2003, Everest six times (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2017 and 2019) and Lhotse twice (2012 and 2018), while Willie ascended Everest fourteen times (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 twice within eight days, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2025), Cho Oyu twice (2005 and 2014), Makalu in 2014 and Lhotse in 2018.
1968 Rodja Ratteit, German climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1993 and Shisha Pangma in 1995. He disappeared in Patagonia in 1998, aged 30.
1969 Igor Markevich, Russian climber, who ascended Everest in 2018.
1972 Murad Ashurly, Russian climber, who ascended Everest in 2013.
1973 Nima Tendu (Nima Thenduk), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest thirteen times (2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2024), Shisha Pangma Central-Peak in 2012, Manaslu RP four times (2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020), K2 twice (2018 and 2019), Kangchenjunga in 2019, Lhotse in 2022 and Manaslu M three times (2023, 2024 and 2025).
1973 Peter Schatzl, Austrian climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2014.
1974 Laszlo Csato, German climber, who ascended Everest in 2023.
1975 Andre Hanf, German climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2011.
1975 Christian Gerhard Konow, German climber, who ascended Everest in 2013.
1975 Aleksei Bakulin, Russian climber, who ascended Everest in 2018.
1976 Richard Brill, German climber, who ascended Shisha Pangma in 2004 and Dhaulagiri I in 2007.
1976 Robin Matthew (Rob) Baker, Australian climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2008.
1976 Krishna (Krish) Tapa Magar, Nepalese climber, who ascended Dhaulagiri I in 2014, Everest in 2017 and K2 in 2018.
1977 Markus Hauschild, German climber, who ascended Everest in 2017.
1977 Tenji Chumpe (Badure), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest twice (2017 and 2018), Manaslu RP twice (2018 and 2019) and Annapurna I twice (2019 and 2023).
1978 Phurba Gyalje/Gyalzen, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest eight times (2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2024), Kangchenjunga and Cho Oyu in 2014, Manaslu RP in 2018 and Manaslu M in 2024.
1978 Gyalu (a), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Kangchenjunga five times (2019, 2023 and three times in 2025) and Manaslu M twice (2022 and winter 2023). He died in 2026 in an avalanche on Broad Peak, aged 47.
1979 Pemba Rita, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Cho Oyu twice (2004 and 2009), Everest fourteen times (2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024), Manaslu RP three times (2015, 2019 and 2021), K2 twice (2021 and 2022) and Manaslu M in 2023.
1980 Saeid Mirzaei, Iranian climber, who ascended Lhotse and Manaslu RP in 2017 and K2 in 2024.
1981 Phur Gyalzen III (Fur Gyalzen), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest in 2016, Manaslu RP in 2019 and Lhotse in 2021.
1981 Aleksei Shchetinin, Russian climber, who ascended Everest in 2026.
1982 Lhakpa Gyalzen V, Nepalese climber, who ascended Everest twice (2016 and 2017) and Manaslu RP in 2017.
1982 Terray Ellington Sylvester, American climber, who ascended Everest four times (2021, 2022, 2023 and 2026), Lhotse twice (2021 and 2024), K2 in 2022, Manaslu M in 2024 and Makalu and Lhotse in 2025.
1983 Lhakpa Gelu III, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2009, Dhaulagiri I in 2010 and Everest twice (2012 and 2013).
1984 Ngima Dorje I (Nima Dorje, Ngima Dorjee), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest ten times (2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2025), Gasherbrum II and Gasherbrum I in 2013, K2 and Broad Peak in 2022 and Manaslu M and Cho Oyu in 2025.
1984 Ngima Tenji, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Manaslu RP twice (2011 and 2019), Makalu in 2012, Cho Oyu in 2014 and Everest twice (2017 and 2018).
1984 Kami IV (Ang Kami), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest five times (2023, in 2024 twice, 2025 and 2026) and K2 and Manaslu M in 2025.
1985 Medhi Didault, French climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2007.
1986 Usha Bista, Nepalese Chhetri lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2008.
1986 Nima Gyalzen III, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest five times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010) and Manaslu RP in 2009.
1986 Gao Chang-Jian, Chinese climber, who ascended Manaslu M in 2025 and Everest and Lhotse in 2026.
1990 Andrei Borisov, Russian climber, who ascended Manaslu M in 2024 and Everest in 2025.
1991 Chhiring II (BETA, Tshering), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest four times (2012, 2016, 2022 and 2024), Lhotse twice (2013 and 2024), K2 three times (2014 and twice in 2022), Makalu in 2019, Annapurna I in 2021, Dhaulagiri I and Kangchenjunga in 2022, Nanga Parbat, Gasherbrum II, Gasherbrum I and Broad Peak in 2023, Manaslu M twice (2023 and 2025), Shisha Pangma in 2024 and Cho Oyu in 2025, where he finished the 14 8K Main-Peaks.
1993 Nima Chhechi (Ngima Chhechi), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest in 2018 and Manaslu M in 2025.
1993 Dharche Bhote I, Nepalese climber, who ascended Everest twice (2018 and 2024), Kangchenjunga in 2023 and Manaslu M in 2024.
1993 Valeria Gárcia Jiménez, Colombian lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2026.
1994 Matthew David Kernan, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2018.
1995 Yao Yang, Chinese lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2021.
1998 Constance Sophie Schaerer, French lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2025.
2005 Ngima Tashi IV, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Makalu in 2025 and Everest in 2026.

First ascents on this day

1928 Pik 26 Baku-Komissarov (6834 m) by a German party.
1929 Chorten Ri (6422 m) by a Dutch party.
1935 P. 6471 (NE Kharta Changri) by a British party.
1983 Batura Sar East-Peak (aka Batura V, 7531 m) by a Polish party.
1986 Gyala Peri (7294 m) by a Japanese party.
1986 Dandagopurum ("Kishtwar Weisshorn", 6090 m) by a British party.

Gone on this day

1982 Toshitaka Sakano, Japanese climber, who ascended Kumbhakarna (Jannu) in 1976 and Kangchenjunga in 1980. He was a member of a K2 expedition and died by a fall from the top of a hill before the return march, aged 38.
1992 Wolfgang Güllich, German free-climber, died in a car accident, aged 31.
1992 John Salathé, Swiss pioneer of Big Wall climbing, died, aged 93.