Hans Kammerlander

Hans Kammerlander (born 6 December 1956, Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy) is an Italian mountaineer, living in Ahornach, a hamlet nearby Sand in Taufers.

He has climbed 11 of the 14 8000m peaks.

In 1984, together with Reinhold Messner he was the first climber to traverse two 8000 m peaks before descending to base camp.

He teamed with Messner, the first man to climb all fourteen 8000m peaks, on successful climbs of Cho Oyu, Gasherbrum I and II, Dhaulagiri, Makalu, and Lhotse, and is a UIAGM mountain guide (English, International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations).

Chris Bonington described Messner's relationship with Kammerlander as the most "amicable" of Messner's climbing partnerships.

In 1990 he made the first ski descent of Nanga Parbat.

From 1996 to 2006, he held the Guinness World Record for the fastest ascent without supplemental oxygen of Mount Everest (16 hours and 45 minutes) and fastest ascent from Everest North Base Camp.

In 1996 he failed in an attempt to be the first to ski down Mount Everest, after removing his skis and climbing down from 300 metres below the summit, skiing down from 7700m, although he set a then speed record during that attempt of 17 hours to climb from base camp to the summit of Everest via the North Col.

Kammerlander abandoned an attempt to be the first to ski from the summit of K2 when he saw a Korean climber fall to his death.

In 2001 Kammerlander announced that he would not attempt to climb Manaslu, necessary to complete all 8000m peaks, due to losing several close friends on an attempt on the mountain.

In 2012 Kammerlander claimed to be the first person to complete the Seven Second Summits, but doubts were raised about his ascent of Mount Logan.

A further fraudulent summit claim on Mount Puncak Trikora confirms that Italian Hans Kammerlander never completed the Second Seven Summits series.