16 July

Born on this day

1872 Roald Amundsen, Norwegian explorer, who was the first to travel to the South Pole and back in the season 1911/1912. He died in 1928, aged 55.
1928 Andrzej Maria (Lider) Zawada, Polish climber, who was famous for his first ascent of Kunyang Chhish (7852 m) in 1971 and for leading two historical expeditions to Everest in 1980, the first winter ascent and the first ascent of the South Pillar. He died in 2000, aged 72.
1936 Masahiro Harada, Japanese pioneer, who ascended Himalchuli in 1960.
1937 Werner Johann Berger, Canadian climber, who ascended Everest in 2007, where he also finished the Kosciuszko-version of the Seven Summits.
1939 Eiko Funahashi, Japanese climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2011.
1944 Maximilian Horst Fankhauser, Austrian climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1998.
1956 Roger Payne, British climber, who participated in many expeditions to High Asia including Broad Peak in 1992, K2 in 1993, Nanda Devi in 1994 and Changabang in 1997. He died in 2012 in an avalanche on the Mont Blanc massif, aged 55.
1961 Paul Boslooper, Dutch climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2003 and Everest in 2005.
1963 Finn-Olaf Jones, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2022.
1965 Paul James, British climber, who ascended Everest in 2009.
1966 Michael (Mike) Horn, South African (also Swiss) climber, who ascended Gasherbrum I and II in 2007, Broad Peak in 2010 and Makalu in 2014.
1968 Maud Annette Michotte, Belgian lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2022.
1970 Horacio Daniel Galanti, Argentinean climber, who ascended Everest twice (2013 and 2019).
1972 Ry Fable, American climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2009 and Everest in 2016.
1972 Sergio Heredia Silva, Spanish climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2013.
1972 Harold Earls, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2016.
1973 Daniel Laurence Charles Fuller, British climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2017 and Everest twice (2018 and 2019).
1974 Ang Nima Rai, Nepalese climber, who ascended Everest twice (2018 and 2024), Manaslu RP in 2021, Manaslu M twice (2024 and 2025) and Lhotse in 2025.
1974 Liang Guang-Ping, Chinese lady climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2019 and Everest in 2023.
1974 Phillip Clough, British climber, who ascended Manaslu RP in 2020 and Everest in 2021.
1976 Lhakpa IX (aka Lhakpa Chhiring), Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest four times (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2018), Manaslu RP in 2010 and Lhotse in 2012.
1977 Kami Singee Tamang, Nepalese climber, who ascended Everest five times (2006, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024), Makalu in 2008, Dhaulagiri I in 2010, Manaslu RP in 2013 and Lhotse in 2018.
1979 Till Kramann, German climber, who ascended Lhotse in 2012.
1982 Dorje Gyalzen, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest twenty-three times (in 2007 twice, 2008, 2009, in 2010 and 2011 twice, 2012, 2013, in 2016 2017 and 2018 twice, 2019, 2021, 2022, in 2023 twice and 2024 and 2025), Manaslu RP twice (2008 and 2010), Cho Oyu twice (2009 and 2016), Lhotse twice (2013 and 2021) and K2 twice (2021 and 2022).
1982 Dawa Finchok, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Dhaulagiri I in 2009, Everest eight times (2010, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2021, in 2024 twice and 2025), Kangchenjunga twice (2011 and 2019), Manaslu RP in 2020 and Lhotse in 2025.
1984 Mingmar VI, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest five times (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025), Lhotse in 2018, K2 in 2021, Kangchenjunga in 2022, Nuptse in 2024 and Manaslu M in 2025.
1997 Pemba Tashi/Tasi, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest four times (in 2021 twice, 2022 and 2024), K2 twice (2022 and 2024), Manaslu M in 2022 and Dhaulagiri I in 2026.
1997 Pasang XXI, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest and Manaslu M in 2023.
1998 Li Yan-Lin, Chinese lady climber, who ascended Everest in 2024.

First ascents on this day

1932 Rakhiot Peak (7070 m) by a German party.
1983 Baintha Brakk II (6960 m) by a party from South Korea.

Gone on this day

1986 Renato Casarotto, Italian climber, who made the first ascent of Broad Peak North (7490 m) in 1983 and ascended Gasherbrum II in 1985, died on K2, aged 38.
1989 Bruno Cormier, French climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1988, died, aged 28.