The 14 peaks — also called the eight-thousanders, the 14 summits, or simply “the 8000ers” — are the mountains on Earth above 8,000 meters in elevation. All 14 are in Asia, distributed across the Himalaya and Karakoram ranges through Nepal, Tibet (China), Pakistan, and the disputed Kashmir region. Climbing all 14 is one of the rarest achievements in mountaineering, accomplished by fewer than 50 climbers in history. This is the complete list with heights, locations, first ascents, and the relative difficulty climbers use to plan their progression. For detailed route guides on individual peaks, see our complete guide to every eight-thousander.

The 14 peaks in order of height

The highest point on Earth and the most-climbed eight-thousander. Standard routes via the South Col (Nepal) and the North Ridge (Tibet) operate as large commercial expeditions during the spring season. See our Everest route comparison.

“The Savage Mountain.” Second-highest peak in the world but widely considered the hardest of the eight-thousanders. The Abruzzi Spur is the standard route. See our K2 climb guide and K2 route comparison.

The “Five Treasures of the Snow.” Third-highest peak in the world. The first ascent team stopped just short of the true summit out of respect for local religious beliefs — a tradition climbers have continued for decades.

Shares the lower portion of Everest’s South Col route — the two peaks are often climbed back-to-back by guided expeditions. See our Lhotse climb guide.

The distinctive four-sided pyramid east of Everest. Considered one of the more technically demanding eight-thousanders despite its standard route. Lower commercial traffic than the nearby Everest-Lhotse-Cho Oyu peaks. See our Makalu permits and cost guide.

Widely considered the easiest of the eight-thousanders and the standard “first 8000er” for climbers progressing toward Everest. The Tibetan north side is the commercial route, though Chinese-side access has varied with geopolitics. See our Cho Oyu climb guide.

“The White Mountain.” Famous for being the first peak ever supported by aerial deposits during a first ascent. Lower commercial popularity than the eastern Nepalese giants but a regular target for serious climbers. See our Dhaulagiri climb guide.

“Mountain of the Spirit.” Has become the most popular alternative to Cho Oyu as a first eight-thousander since Chinese-side access tightened. The autumn season sees substantial commercial traffic on the standard northeast route.

“The Killer Mountain.” Westernmost of the eight-thousanders and historically one of the deadliest. The Diamir face is the standard route. See our Nanga Parbat route comparison.

The first eight-thousander ever climbed (in 1950) and the one with the highest death rate of all 14 peaks. The standard north face route is heavily exposed to serac fall. Annapurna remains feared even among elite high-altitude mountaineers.

The 11th eight-thousander and the highest peak in the Gasherbrum massif. Climbed via the Japanese Couloir on the southwest face. Often combined with Gasherbrum II as a Karakoram double-summit expedition.

Named for its expansive summit ridge. The standard west face route shares base camp with K2, allowing acclimatization climbs for K2 expeditions. Considered one of the more accessible Karakoram eight-thousanders.

The most-climbed Karakoram eight-thousander and considered the easiest of the four Pakistani 8000ers. Shares the Gasherbrum base camp with GI, making it a logical companion peak for stronger parties.

The 14th and lowest eight-thousander. The only one located entirely in Tibet (China) with no Nepal or Pakistan border. Was the last 8000m peak first-ascended due to Chinese restrictions on foreign climbers. Has a true summit and a slightly lower central summit, which has caused confusion about valid ascents.

Key facts about the 14 peaks

Where the 14 peaks are by country

The political geography matters because climbing permits, costs, and logistics depend heavily on which country issues the permit. Nepal hosts the most accessible permit regime for foreign climbers, particularly for Everest, Lhotse, Manaslu, and Annapurna. Pakistan offers lower-cost permits for the Karakoram peaks but more complicated visa logistics. Tibet (China) periodically tightens or loosens access for foreign expeditions, with Cho Oyu and Shishapangma typically requiring more advance planning. The full Everest-region context is in our Everest route comparison, and the K2 cost framework is in our K2 climb guide.

The 14 peaks by climbing difficulty

The order of difficulty among the eight-thousanders is debated and depends heavily on the chosen route and season. A widely-accepted general ordering for the standard commercial routes, from most accessible to most difficult:

This ordering is a general framework, not a strict ranking. Individual seasons can completely change the relative difficulty — a heavy snow year on Annapurna creates much higher avalanche risk, while an unusually dry year on Cho Oyu can expose ice that adds technical difficulty. The cumulative difficulty across all 14 peaks is what makes the full completion such a rare achievement. The broader hardest-mountains context is in our 10 hardest mountains to climb and the death-rate framework is in our death rates by mountain analysis.

Notable climbers of the 14 peaks

The list of climbers who have completed all 14 eight-thousanders is short and historically significant:

• Reinhold Messner (Italy, 1986) — first to complete all 14, and first to do so without supplemental oxygen.
• Jerzy Kukuczka (Poland, 1987) — second to complete, multiple new routes and winter ascents.
• Erhard Loretan (Switzerland, 1995) — third to complete, exclusively without supplemental oxygen.
• Edurne Pasaban (Spain, 2010) — first woman to complete all 14 (verification debated for some ascents).
• Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (Austria, 2011) — first woman to complete all 14 without supplemental oxygen.
• Nirmal “Nims” Purja (Nepal, 2019) — fastest known time, all 14 in 6 months and 6 days. Featured in the documentary “14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible.”
• Kristin Harila (Norway, 2023) — broke Purja’s speed record, all 14 in 92 days.

The 14 peaks completion list grows slowly. Of those who have attempted it, most expeditions end on the harder peaks — particularly K2, Annapurna, and Nanga Parbat. The combination of cost (potentially over $500,000 USD for a complete tour), time commitment (most completers take 7-15 years), and survival probability (multiple climbers have died on their last few peaks) keeps the achievement rare even as commercial expedition support has expanded. The framework for understanding this scale of objective is in our top 50 technical mountaineering objectives.

The peaks that just miss the list

Several mountains exceed 8,000 m in elevation but are not counted in the standard 14 because they are considered subsidiary summits of larger massifs rather than independent peaks. The most commonly discussed of these “near-misses”:

• Yalung Kang (8,505 m) — western summit of Kangchenjunga.
• Lhotse Middle (8,410 m) — middle summit of the Lhotse massif.
• Lhotse Shar (8,383 m) — eastern summit of the Lhotse massif.
• Kangchenjunga South (8,494 m) — south summit of Kangchenjunga.
• Kangchenjunga Central (8,482 m) — central summit of Kangchenjunga.
• Broad Peak Central (8,011 m) — central summit of Broad Peak.

The line between “independent peak” and “subsidiary summit” depends on topographic prominence — the elevation a peak rises above the lowest col that connects it to a higher peak. The standard threshold for an independent eight-thousander is roughly 500 m of prominence, which excludes the subsidiary summits above. If you used a stricter prominence threshold, the list could be smaller; with a looser threshold, several subsidiary summits would qualify. The 14 peaks list reflects the most widely accepted convention.

How climbers progress toward the eight-thousanders

The 14 peaks are not entry-level objectives. The standard progression that climbers follow before attempting any eight-thousander typically takes 5-15 years and includes a sequence of progressively harder mountains. The general framework:

1. Foundational glaciated peaks: Cascade volcanoes (Hood, Rainier), Mexican volcanoes (Pico de Orizaba, Iztaccíhuatl). Framework in our mountaineering for beginners guide.
2. First 5,000-meter peak: Mount Elbrus or Cotopaxi as the introduction to high-altitude glaciated climbing.
3. First 6,000-meter peak: Aconcagua or Denali as the next step. See our Aconcagua season guide.
4. First 7,000-meter peak: typically Aconcagua followed by a Himalayan 7000m peak like Spantik, Khan Tengri, or Mount Manaslu’s lower trekking peaks.
5. First 8,000-meter peak: usually Cho Oyu or Manaslu. The introduction to true Himalayan expedition climbing.
6. Everest and beyond: the standard high-volume commercial objective, followed by individual eight-thousanders pursued one at a time based on personal goals.

Climbers pursuing the full 14 typically have completed several eight-thousanders before formally committing to the all-14 goal. The cost framework, training timeline, and broader expedition planning context that supports this progression is in our full eight-thousanders guide, with the next-step framework in our intermediate climbing guide.

The bottom line on the 14 peaks

The 14 eight-thousanders represent the highest mountains on Earth and the highest tier of mountaineering objectives. All 14 are in Asia, distributed across the Himalaya and Karakoram, with Nepal hosting the largest share. The list has been climbed in its entirety by fewer than 50 people in human history, with the first complete ascent by Reinhost Messner in 1986 and the current speed record held by Kristin Harila at 92 days. For climbers building toward 8,000-meter objectives, the standard progression starts with smaller glaciated peaks, builds through 5,000 to 7,000 meter mountains, and graduates to Cho Oyu or Manaslu as the first true eight-thousander. The full route framework, expedition logistics, and historical context for each peak is in our complete eight-thousanders guide.