This list of climbers includes both mountaineers and rock climbers, since many (though not all) climbers engage in both types of activities.

A

• Louis Agassiz (1807–1873) - Alps glaciology
• Christian Almer - Grindelwald guide, many first ascents in Alps
• Luigi Amedeo di Savoia, Duke of the Abruzzi (1873–1933) - first ascent of Mount Saint Elias in Alaska/Yukon
• Melchior Anderegg (1828–1912) - Meiringen guide, many first ascents in Alps

B

• John Ball - Alps, first president of Alpine Club
• Jacques Balmat (1762–1834) - Chamonix guide, first ascent of Mont Blanc
• George Band - 1953 Everest expedition, first ascent of Kanchenjunga
• Fred Beckey - Cascades
• Gertrude Bell - explorer, mountaineer, inventor of Iraq
• Josune Bereziartu
• Peter Boardman (1950–1982) - ascents of Mount Everest, Kanchenjunga, Changabang West Wall
• Walter Bonatti (born 1930) - talented and controversial Italian mountaineer and writer, Alps, K2
• Chris Bonington (born 1934) - ascents of Nuptse, Annapurna, Mount Everest.
• Thomas George Bonney (1833–1923) - Alps geologist and mountaineer
• Anatoli Boukreev (1958–1997) - Russian climber with many 8,000m ascents without oxygen
• Marguerite Brevoort
• Joe Brown (born 1930) - British rock climbing pioneer, first ascent of Kanchenjunga
• Katie Brown
• Hermann Buhl - first ascent (solo!) of Nanga Parbat, 1953; first ascent of Broad Peak
• Adrian Burgess
• Alan Burgess

C

• Tommy Caldwell
• Ramond de Carbonnières - Pyrenees
• Riccardo Cassin (1909-)
• Robert Caspersen Trango ascent in 1999. Norways best climber.
• Yvon Chouinard
• Ian Clough (1939-1970) — British alpinist who died after the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.
• J. Norman Collie (1859–1942) - first ascent of Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis
• Achille Compagnoni (born 1914) - first ascent of K2, 1954
• William Martin Conway (1856–1937) - worldwide, early guidebook writer
• William Coolidge (1850–1926) - 1,700 expeditions in Alps, greatest Alpine historian
• Jean Couzy - first ascent of Makalu (1955)
• Aleister Crowley (1875–1947) - occultist, writer, and record breaking mountaineer. Led expeditions on K2 and Kanchenjunga.
• Michel Croz - Chamonix guide, killed on Matterhorn

D

• Johnny Dawes (1964-) - British rock climber, responsible for the introduction of two new grades in the British grading system for traditional climbs.
• Thomas Clinton Dent (1850–1912) - Caucausus , Alps, first ascent of Aiguille du Dru 1878
• Ardito Desio (1897–2001) - leader of K2 first ascent expedition
• Kurt Diemberger - first ascents of Broad Peak (1957) and Dhaulagiri (1960)
• Peter Diener - first ascent of Dhaulagiri (1960)

E

• Charles Evans (born 1912) - Alps, Wales, leader of Kanchenjunga first ascent expedition

F

• George Ingle Finch (1888–1969) - led 1922 Everest expedition to 27,300 ft
• Scott Fischer (1956–1996) - Everest victim 1996
• Hans Florine - US Speed Climber, World Record Holder
• James David Forbes (1809–1868) - early, first British ascent of Jungfrau
• Ernst Forrer - first ascent of Dhaulagiri (1960)
• Jean Franco - led expedition on first ascent of Makalu (1955)
• Douglas Freshfield (1845–1934) - Alps, Scotland, Himalaya, Pyrenees

G

• João Garcia , first Portuguese citizen to climb Mount Everest, did it without auxiliary oxygen

• Konrad von Gesner - 16th century Alps
• John Gill - Bouldering
• Dave Graham
• William Spotswood Green (1847–1919) - New Zealand, Selkirks
• Wolfgang Güllich (1960–1992) - Germany, one of the most successful sport climbers

H

• Douglas Hadow - killed on first ascent of Matterhorn
• Rob Hall (1960–1996) - Everest victim 1996
• John Harlin
• Heinrich Harrer (born 1912) - Carstensz Pyramid
• Ginette Harrison - first and only woman to summit Kanchenjunga (1998), died in an avalanche on Dhaulagiri in 1999.
• John M. Hartog - first ascent of Muztagh Tower in the Himalaya
• Dougal Haston (1940–1977) - killed by avalanche while skiing in the Alps
• Karl Herligkoffer (born 1917 Germany) - first attempt of Broad Peak (1954)
• Maurice Herzog (born 1919 France) - first ascent of Annapurna, 1950
• Lynn Hill (born 1961 USA) - first free ascent of The Nose on El Capitan, Yosemite in 1993
• Edmund Hillary - first ascent of Mount Everest, 1953
• Yuji Hirayama - difficult onsight
• Alexander and Thomas Huber - German climbers and mountaineers. Free ascends in Yosemite, speed record on El Capitan, expeditions and free solos
• Charles Hudson (1828–1865) - highest point of Monte Rosa , 1855; died on Matterhorn
• Francois-Joseph Hugi - geologist, unsuccessful attempts in 1828 of Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn
• Alexander von Humboldt - Mount Chimborazo
• John Hunt (1910–1998) - leader of 1953 Everest expedition

I

• Toshio Imanishi - first ascent of Manaslu, 1956
• Andrew Irvine (1902-1924) - lost on Everest

J

K

• Jürg von Känel (1952?-2005) - author of plaisir guide books
• Ron Kauk American rock climber with many first ascents in Yosemite. Kauk has done stunt work for Hollywood mountaineering movies as well as being the subject of several rock climbing movies.
• Clarence King - Sierra Nevada (US)
• Jon Krakauer - writer
• Göran Kropp (1966–2002) - rode his bike from Sweden, soloed Everest without Oxygen and rode home.
• Jerzy Kukuczka (1948–1989) - second man to climb all 8,000m peaks.

L

• Louis Lachenal - first ascent of Annapurna, 1950
• Raymond Lambert - Mount Everest 1952 attempt
• Josef Larch - first ascent of Gasherbrum II
• Gerhard Lenser - first ascent of Pumori (1962)
• Klem Loskot - Austrian rock climber.
• Fritz Luchsinger - first ascent of Lhotse (1956)

M

• George Mallory - Wales, Alps, lost on Everest 1924
• Charles Edward Mathews (1834–1905) - Alps, Snowdonia
• Steve McClure - first Brit to climb 9a twice
• Duncan McDuffie - summits in the Sierra Nevada (US)
• Chris Meadows - Australian hardman (1960's)
• Willi Merkl
• Reinhold Messner - first mountaineer to climb all the 8000m peaks
• Johann Rudolf Meyer - first ascents of Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn
• Hieronymus Meyer - first ascents of Jungfrau and Finsteraarhorn
• Ben Moon - UK sports climber and one of the first to climb 8c
• Fritz Moravec - first ascent of Gasherbrum II
• John Muir - summits in California and Alaska
• Albert F. Mummery (1855–1895) - first ascents in the Alps, "lost" on Nanga Parbat

N

• Waldemar Niclevicz - Leading mountaineer in Brazil
• Fred Nicole - Swiss rock climber, notable for his numerous first ascents of cutting edge sport routes and boulder problems.
• Tenzing Norgay (1914–1986) - Sherpa, first ascent of Mount Everest
• Edward Felix Norton (1884–1954) - leader of 1924 Everest expedition with Mallory and Irvine
• Arne Næss jr. (1937–2004) - leader of 1985 Norwegian Everest expedition

O

• James Outram - Canada, first ascent of Mount Assiniboine

P

• Michel-Gabriel Paccard - first ascent of Mont Blanc (1786)
• Maria Paradis - first woman to ascend Mont Blanc, 1809
• Tom Patey
• Hristo Prodanov - Bulgarian climber (1943-1984); solo ascents, without oxygen, of Lhotse, 1981, and Everest, 1984; died on the way down Everest in 1984

Q

R

• Jon Read - English climber
• Gaston Rébuffat - French climber
• Ernst Reiss - first ascent of Lhotse (1956)
• Sherpa Ang Rita (born 1948) - Mount Everest
• Alain Robert - French climber and builderer
• Royal Robbins (born 1935) - Yosemite
• Doug Robinson - Sierras
• John Roskelley
• Fred Rouhling
• Galen Rowell - photographer
• Wanda Rutkiewicz - considered by many to be the best female climber in history, died in an attempt of Kanchenjunga in 1992.

S

• Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (1740–1799) - third ascent of Mont Blanc (1787), funded first ascent
• Albin Schelbert - first ascent of Dhaulagiri (1960)
• Dick Schockley
• Marcus Schmuck - first ascent of Broad Peak (1957)
• Doug Scott (born 1941)
• Vittorio Sella - early photographs
• Chris Sharma
• John Sherman - Boulderer, inventor of "V" grading system.
• Pemba Dorjie Sherpa , fastest ascent of Mount Everest, May 23, 2003
• Eric Shipton (1907–1977) - Africa, Himalaya
• William Bradford Shockley
• Joe Simpson - accident prone British mountaineer
• Laurie Skreslet - first Canadian to summit Mount Everest (1982)
• William Cecil Slingsby - Norway
• Frank Smythe (1900–1949) - author
• William Stairs (1863–1892) - first non-African to ever climb in the Ruwenzoris
• Leslie Stephen - Alps

T

• Joe Tasker (1948–1982) - ascents of Kanchenjunga and Changabang West Wall
• Lionel Terray (1921–1965) - first ascent of Makalu (1955)
• Herbert Tichy (1912–1987) - first ascent of Cho Oyu (1954)
• Harold Tilman - Africa, Himalaya
• Francis Fox Tuckett (1834–1913) - first ascent of Aletschhorn (1859)
• John Tyndall (1820–1893) - Alps, scientist, first ascent of Weisshorn (1861)

U

• James Ramsey Ullman (1908–1971) - noted author
• Willi Unsoeld (1926–1979)

V

• Antoine de Ville - climbed Mont Aiguille in 1492

W

• Lucy Walker - first woman to summit Matterhorn, 1871
• Don Whillans
• Jim Whittaker - first American on Mount Everest
• Hans Willenpartan - first ascent of Gasherbrum II
• Fritz Wintersteller - first ascent of Broad Peak (1957)
• Rick White - Developed Frog's Buttress (1968) Australian
• Edward Whymper (1840–1911) - first ascent of Matterhorn (1865)
• Walter Wilcox (1869–1949) - Canadian Rockies explorer
• Jim Wickwire - first American to summit K2
• Fritz Wiessner

X

Y

• Tony Yaniro - notable American sport climber
• Simon Yates
• Geoffrey Winthrop Young - rock climbing in Wales
• Sir Francis Edward Younghusband (1863–1942) - early explorer of the Karakoram

Z

• Matthias Zurbriggen - first ascent of Aconcagua

See also

• first ascent
• List of mountains

External links

• Mountaineering Who's Who