Four Greatest UK Mountaineers of All Time

While UK’s history is full of fantastic mountaineers that paved the way for modern mountaineering, there are a few that stand out. We have narrowed it down to the top four. So, continue below to learn about the four greatest UK mountaineers of all time!

Edward Whymper (April 27, 1840 – September 16, 1911)

The first person on our list of the four greatest UK mountaineers of all time is Edward Whymper. Whymper is best known for being the first person to successfully ascend the Matterhorn. Aside from being the first person to ascend the Matterhorn, Whymper was also the first person to ascend many other mountains. After spending years ascending the tallest mountains in the world, he explored a large chunk of Greenland. This led to an extremely important advance in Arctic exploration. Finally, Whymper wrote many books that depicted his mountaineering experiences and other things related to mountaineering.

George Mallory (June 18, 1886 – June 8, 1924)

The second person our list of the greatest UK mountaineers is George Mallory. Mallory is mostly recognized for taking part in the first three British excursions to Mount Everest. Mallory is also known for mountaineering Mont Velan and Mont Blanc, and being the third person to ascend the Frontier ridge of Mont Maudit. During Mallory’s last expedition of Mount Everest, in 1924, he and his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine disappeared on the North-East ridge. The last sightings of Mallory and Irvine was when they were approximately 800 vertical feet away from the summit. Although this happened in 1924, Mallory’s body was discovered until May 1, 1999, when a group of mountaineers had set out to search for his remains.

Stephen Venables (May 2, 1954 – Current)

Mountaineer Stephen Venables – alchetron

The next person on our list of the greatest UK mountaineers is Stephen Venables. Venables is known as being the first Briton to ascend the summit of Mount Everest, without bottled oxygen. Other than that triumph, Venables was the first to ascend routes in; the Hindu Kush, Kishtwar Shivling, Solu Tower, Kusum Kanguru, and Panch Chuli V. Venables has also written many books about his mountaineering expeditions and personal life.

Joe Simpson (August 9, 1960 – Current)

The last person on our list of the greatest UK mountaineers is Joe Simpson. Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates, are most known for making the first ascent of the West Face of Siula Grande. Will the ascent was successful, the descent was nearly fatal for Simpson and Yates. Simpson even injured his right leg. This inspired Simpson to write his infamous book, Touching the Void. After the challenging descent, Simpson had numerous operations done on his leg. Initially doctors told him that he would never be able to climb again. But, two years after physical therapy, Simpson returned to mountain climbing. In the recent years, Simpson has made several unsuccessful attempts of climbing the North Face of Elger. He is also a renowned author and motivational speaker.