A middle-aged mountaineer takes a selfie in high-altitude conditions, squinting and smiling slightly against bright sunlight, wearing a dark beanie, glacier sunglasses pushed up on his forehead, and a bright orange down jacket with "KAYLAND" and "ACERBIS" sponsor logos on the chest. An ice axe is strapped to his backpack over his left shoulder, and the iconic snow-covered peak of Mount Everest looms prominently in the background under a clear blue sky.

Denis Urubko Lists Alpine-Style 8,000m First Ascents

Anano Atabegashvili | December 18, 2025
8000m, News
A middle-aged mountaineer takes a selfie in high-altitude conditions, squinting and smiling slightly against bright sunlight, wearing a dark beanie, glacier sunglasses pushed up on his forehead, and a bright orange down jacket with "KAYLAND" and "ACERBIS" sponsor logos on the chest. An ice axe is strapped to his backpack over his left shoulder, and the iconic snow-covered peak of Mount Everest looms prominently in the background under a clear blue sky.

Denis Urubko, Photo: Facebook

Legendary mountaineer Denis Urubko has published a comprehensive list of the first ascents in alpine style on the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter peaks, highlighting 20 landmark climbs. Urubko himself has completed five of them, more than anyone else, cementing his reputation as one of the most accomplished Himalayan climbers.

The list also draws attention to the achievements of women in high-altitude climbing. Pipi Cardell and Natalia Beliankina are the only female climbers included, thanks to their ascents of Nanga Parbat and Manaslu in 2025.

Urubko, known not only for his climbing prowess but also for his meticulous documentation, emphasized the importance of recording these alpine-style ascents to inspire future exploration and ensure accurate mountaineering history. On social media, he invited contributions to verify and expand the list, noting additions he hadn’t considered, such as Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander’s northwest face ascent of Annapurna.

Here is Urubko’s full compilation of 20 alpine-style first ascents on 8,000-meter peaks:

  • Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler – northwest spur, Gasherbrum I (1975)
  • Reinhold Messner – northwest slope, Nanga Parbat (1978)
  • Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojciech Kurtyka – southeast ridge, Gasherbrum II (1983)
  • Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojciech Kurtyka – southwest face, Gasherbrum I (1983)
  • Jerzy Kukuczka and Wojciech Kurtyka – north ridge, Broad Peak (1984)
  • Jerzy Kukuczka and Artur Hajzer – northeast ridge, Manaslu (1986)
  • Kazbek Valiev, Yuri Moiseev, Zoltán Demjan – southwest pillar, Dhaulagiri (1988)
  • Andrej Stremfelj and Pavle Kozjek – south face, Shisha Pangma (1989)
  • Krzysztof Wielicki – south face, Shisha Pangma (1993)
  • Denis Urubko and Sergei Samoilov – southwest face, Broad Peak (2005)
  • Denis Urubko and Sergei Samoilov – north slope, Manaslu (2006)
  • Pavle Kozjek – southwest face, Cho Oyu (2006)
  • Valeri Babanov and Victor Afanasiev – northwest spur, Broad Peak (2008)
  • Denis Urubko and Boris Dedeshko – south face, Cho Oyu (2009)
  • Louis Rousseau, Gerfried Göschl, Hans Goger, Sepp Bachmair – northwest pillar, Nanga Parbat (2009)
  • Ueli Steck – south face, Annapurna (2013)
  • Denis Urubko – southwest face, Gasherbrum II (2019)
  • Denis Urubko and Pipi Cardell – northeast flank, Nanga Parbat (2025)
  • Andrei Vasiliev, Sergei Kondrashkin, Natalia Beliankina, Kiril Eizeman, Vitali Shipilov – southwest face, Manaslu (2025)

Urubko’s list not only celebrates historical achievements but also serves as a roadmap for climbers seeking new challenges in the alpine style on the world’s highest mountains.