First married couple to climb all 8,000m mountains
Who
Romano Benet, Nives Meroi
What
first first
Where
Nepal ()
When

Nives Meroi and Romano Benet (both Italy) – who were married in 1989 – have climbed all 14 mountains over 8,000 m (26,000 ft) together, between 20 July 1998 (Nanga Parbat, Pakistan, 8,125 m; 26,656 ft) and 11 May 2017 (Annapurna I, Nepal, 8,091m; 26,545 ft). Nives and Romano always climb together, carrying their own tent, without high altitude porters and without supplementary oxygen.


List of Nives's and Romano's ascents over 8,000 m: Nanga Parbat (1998), Shisha Pangma (1999), Cho Oyu (1999), Broad Peak (2003), Gasherbrum II (2003), Gasherbrum I (2003), Lhotse (2004), K2 (2006), Dhaulagiri I (2006), Everest (2007), Manaslu (2008), Kangchenjunga (2014), Makalu (2016), Annapurna II (2017).

In the process, Romano and Nives also set a speed record together, climbing the world's two highest mountains without supplementary oxygen in a total time of 295 days (or 9 months 21 days) between 26 July 2006 (K2) and 17 May 2007 (Everest) – the fastest married couple to do so. Nives is also the second woman - the first was Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner (Austria) in 2011 - to ascend the three highest mountains without supplementary oxygen.