Mountaineering History

The History of Mountaineering goes way back to the time when no one had the technology and the skills to write about them yet. Because of that, we are left to surmise what the early Mountaineers did, the technology that they used, what motivated them to climb, or if they even thought of doing it. Therefore, this section will only focus on the recorded History of Mountaineering . We hope that they would give you some idea of how intrepid explorers dared to climb mountains, “because it is there,” if we were to borrow George Mallory's words when he was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest.

What is now one of the most revered sports was inspired by non-sporting purposes of early humans such as the building of altars for the Mountain spirits, erecting of watch towers for country sites, and making meteorological or geological observations.

Today, Mountaineering is a popular sport, hobby, even profession of walking, Hiking and mountain climbing on either rock (rock-craft) or snow (snow craft). It is frequently undertaken for the thrill of reaching the summit.

The achievements made in the sport are no mean feat. They require a lot of physical, mental and even logistical preparations if one aims for a successful climb. Aside from popularizing the sport, mountain expeditions also contributed to a lot of scientific studies. Below are some of the highlights in the Mountaineering world:

1874 - Grove, Gardiner, Walker, Sottajev and Knubel reached the summit of the highest mountain in Europe: Elbrus.
1913 - Karstens, Harper, Tatum and Stuck reached the summit of the highest mountain in North America: Mount McKinley also known as Mount Denali.
1953 - Norgay and Hillary reached the summit of the highest mountain in the world: Mount Everest in Nepal.
1985 - Dick Bass reached Mount Everest and became the first person to reach all of the Seven Summits. Please read Seven Summits for more information.
But not everyone was born for the rough terrain. Mountaineering, a practice handed down by the hunters and workmen of the ancient communities, requires high technical and gymnastic abilities. It is therefore important to be well-trained and climb mountains that are within your level of experience. The most expensive equipment can never compensate to your experience so make sure to build your experience up first before anything else.

Hiking, a more gentle component of Mountaineering, is walking on unspoiled mountain trails with the intention of exploring and enjoying nature. What used to be man’s mere familiarity with mountain treks in the spirit of the hunt is now a leisurely, even therapeutic activity.

The term “Hiking” is used by all English-speaking countries with variations in different regions. Australians, for instance, use the term “bushwalking” while the English simply call it “walking.” Overnight Hiking is specified as “backpacking” by the English while New Zealanders call it “tramping.”


Today, Mountaineering is already a multi-billion dollar industry which has spawned numerous websites, trails, and equipment are marketed to meet the lures of the sport. Aside from the monetary component, this activity is already popular and continues to become more popular among the younger generation who do it to appreciate and commune with nature more. They are the ones who will continue writing the History of Mountaineering until every mountain in the world has been climbed.