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

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.

About Anano Atabegashvili

Anano Atabegashvili is a journalist with over 7 years of experience in broadcasting and online media. She combines her two greatest passions - writing and mountains - through in-depth reporting on the world of high-altitude exploration. Though not a climber herself, she has covered remote stories, interviewed leading alpinists, and built a unique voice in expedition journalism. As the author of the Summiters Club blog, Anano delivers timely, insightful coverage of climbs, challenges, and the evolving culture of alpinism - with a journalist’s precision and a deep admiration for the mountain world.