Mexican mountaineer becomes first woman ever to complete two major climbing milestones

The 14 mountains recognized by the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) make up an elite and deadly group of peaks called the eight-thousanders, named after their staggering height of 8,000 metres (26,247 ft) above sea level. Climbers who attempt to scale these mountains – including Mt. Everest and K2 – have to enter the altitude range known as the ‘death zone’ to reach the summit, where the pressure of oxygen is insufficient to sustain human life. 

On the other hand, the Seven Summits refers to the highest peak on each of the seven continents, throwing climbers into a variety of different environments and terrains as they cross the world to reach their goals. Yet both challenges are notable in the climbing community, as they require immense amounts of physical and mental stamina, preparation, and resources to make it to the top.

And for the first time in history, a woman has completed both of these difficult missions – Viridiana Álvarez Chávez (Mexico).

The incredible mountaineer was celebrated in an awards ceremony with Guinness World Records this month, after she became the first female to climb the 14 8,000ers and the Seven Summits. 

In front of a room of press and proud friends and family, she was presented with an official certificate by Adjudicator Alfredo Arista, who thanked her for being an “inspiration and a motivation for all of us.”

Viridiana grew up in Aguascalientes, Mexico, with an immense love for the environment that surrounded her. A lifelong athlete, she competed in several athletics events before learning how to scale mountains. 

But within two years, Viridiana had gone from running her first race to climbing Mexico’s tallest mountain, Pico de Orizaba (5,636 m; 18,491 ft).

“My career as a mountaineer started with an unusual and inspirational purpose: a simple personal challenge to exercise, but I ended up giving up my office job; risking comfort to experience the magic of the mountains,” she told Guinness World Records. 

“It was proof that dreams do not have to be lifelong dreams and that anyone who sets them can achieve even what are considered ‘unattainable goals’, such as breaking a world record.”

After spending hours training on the mountainside, she fell in love with climbing, and the feelings it gave her when she overcame her obstacles.

“The mountain has been my greatest teacher in life,” she said. “[It] does not distinguish if you are a man or a woman. It's the same height, distance, and temperature for everyone – there is where you earn respect.”

As a highly educated woman and director of a business consulting firm, Viridiana knew that she wanted to make an impact with her accomplishments. So she became director of a civil association, Líderes de Altura A.C., that seeks to prevent suicide in children and young people. With every mountain she overcame, she did so as an inspiration for young people in Mexico, who see her as a role model.

“Some of the hardest mountains are not on maps. They are inside us,” she said. “Taking care of my mental health is as vital as wearing the correct equipment to climb a mountain. At each summit I conquer, I also honour the internal battles that no one sees.”

Climbing Mt Everest

And once Viridiana started climbing, she was determined to get to the top – no matter the toll. 

This bravery led her to her first Guinness World Records title in 2017, when she broke the record for the fastest ascent of the top three highest mountains with supplementary oxygen (female).

She crushed the highest mountain, Mount Everest (aka Sagarmāthā; Chomolungma) at 8,848 m (29,029 ft), followed by the infamous second-tallest peak K2 (8,611 m; 28,251 ft), and finished with the third-highest mountain Kangchenjunga (8,856 m; 28,169 ft) in a record-breaking 1 year 364 days, just beating the two-year mark.

And if that isn’t incredible enough – when she summited K2, she became the first Latina to do so in history.

After that, Viridiana was hooked on climbing challenges – and with the top three mountains already under her belt, she took on next the 14 eight-thousanders, located in Asia. 

These mountains have extreme conditions of altitude, climate, avalanches, and a high mortality rate – and the challenge demands extraordinary physical and mental endurance. But she quickly smashed all 14: Everest, K2, Kangchenjunga, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Dhaulagiri, Manaslu, Nanga Parbat, Annapurna, Gasherbrum I, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum II and Shishapangma.

Inspired, and somehow not tired, Viridiana then took on the Seven Summits, including: Everest (Asia), Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Elbrus (Europe), Mount Vinson (Antarctica), and Carstensz (Oceania). 

The summit of Carstensz, located in Indonesia, was last on her list, and she reached the peak on 12 October 2024. With that accomplishment, she culminated her decade-long career of challenging the limits of the human body and spirit. 

“It's not about getting there first, it's about getting there with purpose,” she once said.

But in Viridiana’s case – sometimes you can get there first, while still making a difference. Congratulations to this Officially Amazing mountaineer!