# List of Finnish mountaineers who have conquered eight-thousanders

List of Finnish mountaineers who have conquered eight-thousanders.
The list below is mainly based on the listing by the Finnish Alpine Club. However, their listing contains information only up to the end of September 2019. The list has last been updated on 20 March 2019 from the Himalayan Database, which at the time was up to date with the situation of 31 December 2018. Additional, recent information is indicated by references next to the climber's name.
General information on each mountain is provided in the text paragraphs, while the information on the Finns is given mainly in the tables.

## Everest (the tallest mountain in the world)

The tallest mountain in the world is best known as Mount Everest, being 8 848 metres tall. It was named in English in 1849 after the British geographer Sir George Everest. The person to have named the mountain was Andrew Waugh, who at the time was Surveyor General of India and worked in the Great Trigonometrical Survey. Sir George was his predecessor in that office.
Mount Everest is located in the Himalaya Mountains, in a subrange named Mahalangur Himal, and there in the Khumbu region. The China–Nepal border runs across its summit point.
Everest was first conquered by the New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary and the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953. The first mountaineers to summit the mountain without supplementary oxygen were Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler in 1978.
The first Finn to have climbed Everest was Veikka Gustafsson in 1993. In 1997 he achieved the feat without supplementary oxygen, and he went to the summit a third time with supplementary oxygen in 2004. The first Finnish woman to have conquered Everest was Carina Räihä in May 2012.
By the end of September 2019, 18 Finns had been at the summit of Everest, and Gustafsson had been there thrice.
Everest, Khumbu, 8 848 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 1. | 1993 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | |
| 2. | 1997 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 3. | 1999 | Antti Mankinen | Climber | |
| 4. | 1999 | Ari Piela | Climber | |
| 5. | 2004 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | |
| 6. | 2009 | Antti Ensio Inkinen | Climber | |
| 7. | 2009 | Arri Jero Aleksi Leino | Climber | |
| 8. | 2009 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Leader | |
| 9. | 2009 | Tomi Pekka Myllys | Leader | |
| 10. | 2009 | Jussi Ilari Rahomäki | Climber | |
| 11. | 2010 | Timo Allan Ilmari Jaatinen | Climber | |
| 12. | 2010 | Mika Pitkämäki | Climber | |
| 13. | 2010 | Kirsi Carina Räihä | Climber | |
| 14. | 2010 | Anne-Mari Hyryläinen | Climber | |
| 15. | 2010 | Jussi Johannes Juutinen | Climber | |
| 16. | 2010 | Mikko Markus Vermas | Leader | |
| 17. | 2011 | Jan Jari Mikael Sinivaara | Climber | |
| 18. | 2012 | Atte Saku Juhani Miettinen | Climber | |
| 19. | 2014 | Mia Martina Graeffe | Climber | |
| 20. | 2019 | Paula Birgitta Strengell | Climber | |
| 21. | 2021 | Anni Penttilä | Climber | |

## K2 (2nd tallest)

K2, earlier also known as Mount Godwin-Austen, is the second tallest mountain in the world at 8611 metres. It is located at the Pakistani-Chinese border in the Karakorum mountain range. The "K" in its name stands for Karakorum.
The first persons to have conquered K2 were the Italian Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni in 1954, as part of the expedition led by Ardito Desio. The first Finn to have reached the summit was Veikka Gustafsson in 1994. The only other Finn to have climbed the mountain was Samuli Mansikka.
K2, Karakorum, 8611 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 1. | 1994 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 2. | 2014 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 3. | 2024 | Paula Birgitta Strengell | Climber | |

## Kangchenjunga (3rd tallest)

Kangchenjunga is the third tallest mountain in the world at 8586 metres. It is located on the Nepali-Indian border, partly in Nepal and partly in Sikkim. Of the five peaks, the Western Peak and Kangbachen are located in Nepal, and the other three peaks Main, Central and South directly on the border.
The name is Tibetan and means ‘the five treasures of the high snow’. The local Lhopo people believe that the treasures are hidden but reveal themselves to the devout when the world is in peril; the treasures comprise salt, gold, turquoise and precious stones, sacred scriptures, invincible armor or ammunition, grain and medicine.
Until 1852 it was thought that Kangchenjunga was the tallest mountain of the world, until the results of the Great Trigonometrical Survey showed that Everest, then known as Peak XV, was taller.
Kangchenjunga was first conquered by George Band and Joe Brown on 25 May 1955.
Kangchenjunga, Kangchenjunga Himal, 8586 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen | References |
| 1. | 2006 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen | |
| 2. | 2014 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Leader | W/o supplementary oxygen | |

## Lhotse (4th tallest)

Lhotse is the fourth tallest mountain in the world at 8516 metres. It is part of the Everest massive in the Khumbu region, and it is located right on the Nepal-China border, to the southeast of Everest. The name is Tibetan and stands for ‘southern peak’.
Lhotse was not considered an independent destination for climbers until the Swiss climbers Ernst Reiss and Friz Luchsinger ascended it on 18 May 1956 as part of their Everest expedition. In 1979 the Polish climbers Andrzej Czok and Jerzy Kukuczka reached the summit without supplementary oxygen.
Lhotse, Everest massi, Himal, 8516 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 1. | 1995 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 2. | 2008 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Leader | |
| 3. | 2012 | Mia Martina Graeffe | Climber | |
| 4. | 2013 | Anne-Mari Hyryläinen | Climber | |
| 5. | 2024 | Anni Penttilä | Climber | |

## Makālu (5th tallest)

Makālu is the fifth tallest mountain of the world at 8 485 metres. It is located 23 kilometres east of Everest in the Khumbu region on the Nepal-China border. It is a difficult mountain to approach and ascend, it is an isolated peak shaped as a four-sided pyramid, and one of the most difficult ones to climb among the eight-thousanders.
Makālu is Tibetan and stands for ‘the great black one’, which refers to the colour of the granite peak.
The Frenchmen Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy were the first persons at the summit of Makālu on 15 May 1955.
Makālu, Himal, Khumbu, 8 485 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 1. | 1995 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 2. | 2013 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Leader | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 3. | 29 May 2023 | Paula Birgitta Strengell | Climber | |

## Cho Oyu (6th tallest)

Cho Oyu is the sixth tallest mountain of the world at 8 188 metres. It is located to the north of the Nangpa La pass, which connects Tibet and Khumbu and serves as a trade route for Tibetans and the Khumbu's Sherpas. It is located ca. 30 kilometres to the west of Everest.
Cho Oyu is Tibetan and means ‘Turquoise Goddess’.
The first people to climb Cho Oyu were on 19 October 1954 the Austrians Herbert Tichy and Sepp Jochler along with Pasang Dava Lama, who was a local Sherpa.
Cho Oyu, Khumbu Himal, 8 188 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 1. | 1998 | Tuula Helena Nousiainen | Co-leader | |
| 2. | 2005 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 3. | 2006 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 4. | 2008 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Leader | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 5. | 2008 | Raimo Koponen | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 6. | 2013 | Matti Antero Sunell | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 7. | 2016 | Juho Henrikki Sarkila | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 8. | 2018 | Paula Strengell | Climber | |
| 9. | 2024 | Anni Penttilä | Climber | |

## Dhaulagiri I (7th tallest)

Dhaulagiri I is the seventh tallest mountain of the world at 8 167 metres, and the tallest to be located in the territory of one state only, that is, in Nepal. It is part of the Annapurna massive.
Dhaulagiri (धौलागिरी) is an expression in the Nepalese language, and it is derived from Sanskrit, where धवल (dhawala) means ‘dazzling, white, beautiful’, and ja गिरि (giri) means ‘mountain’.
During 1808–38 Dhaulagiri was thought to be the tallest mountain in the world, until Kangchenjunga took this title, eventually to lose it to Everest in 1858.
Dhaulagiri was the second to last eight-thousander to be conquered, and the last such in Nepal. It was first ascended by the members of a Swiss-Austrian expedition, Kurt Diemberger, Peter Diener, Ernst Forrer, Albin Schelbert, Nyima Dorji and Nawang Dorji on 13 May 1960.
Dhaulagiri I, Himal, 8 167 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 1. | 1993 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 2. | 1999 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 3. | 2011 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Leader | W/o supplementary oxygen |

## Manaslu (8th tallest)

Manaslu is the eighth tallest mountain of the world at 8 163 metres. It is located in the Himalayas, in the Gorkha massive in Nepal's Western Development Region, in Gandaki Zone, 61 kilometres to the north of the Gorkha Municipality.
Manaslu is derived from the Sanskrit word manasa, which means ‘intellect’ or ‘soul’.
Manaslu was first climbed on 9 May 1956 by Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu, members of a Japanese expedition, and therefore the Japanese consider this to be their own mountain.
Manaslu, Himal, 8 163 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 1. | 1999 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 2. | 2009 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Climbing Guide | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 3. | 2011 | Anne-Mari Hyryläinen | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 4. | 2017 | Kim Toivo Nyström | Climber | |
| 5. | 2018 | Sanna Mari Raistakka | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 6. | 2019 | Lauri Antti Sakari Hilander | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen |
| 7. | 2023 | Anni Penttilä | Climber | |
* For some years, there has been a debate about the location of the true summit of Manaslu. Usually climbers have turned back at a certain point, but according to some claims, there is a higher spot on the same ridge, a few metres away. The difference in the height of these spots is anywhere between 5 to 7,5 metres. Some names on this list of Finnish mountaineers have been contested.

## Nanga Parbat (9th tallest)

Nanga Parbat is the ninth tallest mountain in the world at 8 126 metres. It is located at the western end of the Himalayas, immediately to the southeast of the northernmost bend of the Indus River in the Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan-administered Kashmir. It is Pakistan's only eight-thousander which is in its entirety inside its borders.
An immense, dramatic peak rising far above its surrounding terrain, it has the second-highest prominence among the 100 tallest mountains on Earth only behind Mount Everest. It has a dark reputation, as it is an extremely difficult mountain to climb, and it has been nicknamed "Killer Mountain", due to the many deaths on its slopes, and even those who have survived it, have been pushed to their utmost limits.
The name of the mountain comes from Sanskrit where the words nagna and parvata put together mean ‘naked mountain’. This refers to the south face, which usually is not covered by snow.
The summit of Nanga Parbat was first reached on 3 July 1953 by Hermann Buhl of a German-Austrian expedition. Before this, 31 people had already been killed while attempting to scale the mountain.
Nanga Parbat, 8 126 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen | References |
| 1. | 2001 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen | |

## Annapurna I (10th tallest)

Annapurna is part of the Annapurna massive, a 55-kilometre-long mountain range, part of the Himalayas. The massive has dozens of peaks, of which Annapurna I, at 8 091 metres, is the tallest. It is the tenth tallest mountain in the world. Together with K2 and Nanga Parbat, it is one of the most dangerous mountains of the world.
The name of the mountain comes from the goddess Annapurna, the Hindu goddess of food and nourishment, who is said to reside there. The name Annapurna is derived from the Sanskrit language words purna (‘filled’) and anna (‘food’), and can be translated as ‘everlasting food’.
The first people to reach the summit of Annapurna I were from the expedition led by the Frenchman Maurice Herzog on 3 June 1950. This was actually the first instance that anyone had been able to conquer an eight-thousander.
Annapurna I, Himal 8 091 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen | References |
| 1. | 2005 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen | |
| 2. | 2015 | Samuli Mika Mansikka† | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen | |

## Gasherbrum I (11th tallest)

Gasherbrum I is part of the Gasherbrum massive in the Karakorum range in Pakistan. It is the 11th tallest mountain of the world and third tallest in Pakistan. It is 8 068 metres tall. It is located near the Siachen Glacier, which is disputed by Pakistan and India.
The mountain originally had no name, as it was not visible to any areas inhabited by humans. When named, it was initially called "K5", or the fifth mountain of the Karakorum.
The current name "Gasherbrum" comes from the Balti words rgasha (‘beautiful’) and brum (‘mountain’), thus meaning ‘beautiful mountain’.
The first people to climb this mountain were on 5 July 1958 Pete Schoening and Andy Kauffman of an American expedition. The first people to ascend it in the Alpine style were Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler August 1975. They did not use supplementary oxygen or ropes.
Gasherbrum I, 8 068 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen | References |
| 1. | 2008 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen | |

## Broad Peak (12th tallest)

Broad Peak is the 12th tallest mountain in the world at 8 047 metres. It is located in the Karakorum Mountains at the border between Pakistan and China.
As with Gasherbrum above, this mountain also did not have a local name, and the current name Broad Peak is derived from the fact that the ridge of the summit is extraordinarily broad, about two kilometres wide, which invited in 1892 a comparison to the similar formation of Breithorn in the Alps by the British explorer Martin Conway.
Broad Peak is considered one of the easiest eight-thousanders. It was first conquered by the Austrians Marcus Schmuck, Fritz Wintersteller, Kurt Diemberger and Hermann Buhl on 9 June 1957. They climbed in the Alpine style.
Broad Peak, 8 047 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen | References |
| 1. | 2008 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen | |

## Gasherbrum II (13th tallest )

Gasherbrum II is the thirteenth tallest mountain in the world at 8 035 metres. It is located in the Karakorum mountains as part of the Gasherbrum massive in Pakistan. It is the third tallest mountain of that massive, after Gasherbrum I and Broad Peak, and the sixth tallest in Pakistan.
This mountain was first climbed by the Austrians Fritz Moravec, Josef Larch and Hans Willenpart on 7 July 1956.
Gasherbrum II, 8 035 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen | References |
| 1. | 2009 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen | |
| 2. | 2010 | Samuli Mika Mansikka | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen | |

## Shishapangma (14th tallest)

Shishapangma is the fourteenth tallest mountain of the world, at 8 027 metres. It is located in the Himalayas, in south-central Tibet, five kilometres from the Nepalese border.
The name Shishapangma is Tibetan. It consists of the words pangma (‘grassy plain’ or ‘meadow’) and shisha or chisa (‘comb’ tai ‘range’), thereby signifying the ‘crest above the grassy plains’. The Nepali-Indian name of the mountain is Gosainthan, which means a ‘holy place’.
The first people to climb Shishapangma on 2 May 1964 were the Chinese mountaineers Xǔ Jìng, expedition leader, along with Zhāng Jùnyán, Wang Fuzhou, Wū Zōngyuè, Chén Sān, Soinam Dorjê, Chéng Tiānliàng, Migmar Zhaxi, Dorjê and Yún Dēng. They climbed the northern route.
Shishapangma, 8 027 metres :
| No. | Year | Name | Role | W/o supplementary oxygen | References |
| 1. | 2001 | Eero Veikka Juhani Gustafsson | Climber | W/o supplementary oxygen | |

## Finns killed while climbing eight-thousanders

Finns killed while climbing eight-thousanders :
| No. | Name | Mountain | Range | Date | References |
| 1. | Noora Toivonen | Cho Oyu | Khumbu Himal | 4 May 2000 | |
| 2. | Samuli Mansikka | Annapurna I | Annapurna | 25 March 2015 | |