List of ski descents of Eight-Thousanders
The mountaineering community groups Earth's 14 mountains with summits exceeding , referred to as eight-thousanders, as a special category of peaks defining the "top of the world." Only an elite group of mountaineers can claim to have summited all 14 peaks and many have perished trying. (See eight-thousanders for current list.) Particularly since 1986 when Italian expeditionist Reinhold Messner became the first to have climbed all fourteen 8000m peaks, summiting the eight-thousanders has become the ultimate goal for many high altitude mountaineers. Similarly, the ski-mountaineering community has set  its sights on skiing from the summits of the "eight-thousanders." In a 2007 interview for the film "Skiing Everest", the Italian mountaineer and skier, Hans Kammerlander articulated the challenge for the ski-mountaineering community: "Almost all peaks have been reached, almost all walls have been climbed. But seldom have the walls been skied down... It would be a lovely project if I could see someone who could ski all 8,000m peaks." "Skiers" include those using either alpine or telemark equipment or, in two instances, a "mono ski." The category here excludes snowboarders on the premise that the orientation  of the skier's body to a slope differs significantly from that of a "boarder" affecting the capacities to negotiate a pitch. A separate entry tracks snowboard descents on 8000 meter peaks (). Even within the category of "skiers" equipment has evolved significantly from the time of Yuichiro Miura's first foray on skis above 8000m in 1970. Big mountain skiers have benefited greatly from incorporation of lighter and stronger composite materials into the manufacture of skis, boots and bindings, reducing the carry weight of their ski gear in addition to similar advances in designs for their other climbing gear  and attire. Today's ski-mountaineer has likely shaved .) off their gear packs compared to when, for example, Sylvain Saudan hop turned down the face of Gasherbrum I in 1982, perhaps the first full descent of an 8000-meter peak. The length, width and shape of skis has evolved to facilitate turning and flotation in deeper snow conditions. (Reports for most high altitude descents actually are far more likely to complain of hard, rutted ice than deep snow. Back country skiing whether at altitude or on the lower ranges has also seen the development of "alpine touring" bindings with detached  and fixed heel configurations for use in both upslope (in the "walk" configuration) and downslope (in the "fixed-heel" configuration). Mountaineers apply rigorous standards to define an "ascent" and its "purity." The use of oxygen, for example, is vigorously debated, and it has become practice for trip reports to distinguish ascents supported by oxygen (O) from those foregoing O use. But for mountaineers at least the basic standard of attaining a summit with safe return is fairly absolute, the issue of documentation aside. Debate over use of 0, amount of assistance from Sherpas, line of ascent and other nits are  qualifiers to the purity of the ascent. In ski mountaineering, the added dimension of the purity of the descent further muddies the standards at this time. Is the top the highest elevation of the snow line or is it the geological summit? Does a descent need to be continuous and what is the consideration for terrain in the middle of the mountain that is "un-skiable?" Does it matter if the skis come off during some portion of the descent to abseil a portion? While the standards of a mountaineering ascent still apply (including notation of Ouse), skiing, and the  vagaries of "skiable" terrain add numerous variables to evaluating the purity of a descent. Any database of ski descents is therefore likely to include heterogenous data. Of the fourteen 8000 m peaks, clearly some peaks are more skiable than others as reflected in the number of descents to date (see below). Everest, Cho Oyu, Manaslu, GasherBrum II and Shisha Pangma have all seen more than 5 expeditions ski from above 8000 m. On the other hand, there are no reported ski descents from above 8000 m on Kangchenjunga, Makalu, and Broad. Dhaulagiri and Nanga Parbat have been conquered by only  one expedition each. Jamie Laidlaw made the lone descent on Lhotse but not from the summit; Hans Kammerlander skied the top 400 meters of K2 but no further. Firsts: Descents. Notes on compiling this database of high altitude skiers: The 8000 meter ski database includes ski descents using alpine, telemark or mono ski equipment from above 8000m. It does not include snowboard descents. In addition to the entrant's name and peak identification, each entry details the estimated highest and lowest skied elevations, the route, use of oxygen, ski method and other very brief notes on the descent. A  single reference for each entry is noted although often multiple sources are available. Notation: "c"=camp; "bc"=base camp; "abc"=advanced base camp; "m"=meter. Mount Everest. NEPAL/TIBET - 8850 meters K2. PAKISTAN - 8611 meters Kangchenjunga. NEPAL - 8586 meters "No ski descents from above 8000 meters" Lhotse. NEPAL - 8516 meters Makalu. NEPAL - 8485 "No ski descents from above 8000 meters" Cho Oyu. NEPAL - 8188 meters Dhaulagiri. NEPAL - 8167 meters Manaslu. NEPAL - 8163 meters Benjamin Darcé -USA from 8100 (just below summit ridge) no oxygen or Sherpa support. Nanga Parbat. PAKISTAN - 8126 meters Annapurna. NEPAL - 8093 meters Gasherbrum I. - PAKISTAN - 8080 meters Broad Peak. PAKISTAN  - 8051 meters Gasherbrum II. PAKISTAN - 8034 meters Shisha Pangma. CHINA - 8027 meters Notes. For the eight Nepalese peaks, the Himalayan Database from Hawley and Salisbury is the best single reference, particularly because Elizabeth Hawley et al. often interviewed the teams and solicited trip reports enabling some verification of the claims. Nevertheless, searching the Himalayan Database on "skiing/snowboarding" still occasionally omits expeditions who reported ski descents in their expedition notes but for some reason are not categorized under skiing/snowboarding or in several instances simply omit discussing skiing altogether in the database report. It is probably the case that information  from many years ago, while admirably back filled by Hawley, focused on ascents without reference to descent by skis. For the Pakistani peaks sources include web references, the American Alpine Journal and other expedition accounts. Similar sources are referenced for Shisha Pangma in China. Little or no attempt has been made to verify claims. Disputed claims are noted in the notes. It is hoped that by publishing this preliminary database, alpinists and others will correct, update and fill out what can only be considered a preliminary attempt to accurately catalogue skiing above 8000m. List of ski descents of Eight