Fastest triple-header of the Lower Eight-thousanders (without bottled oxygen)

The fastest time in which a climber has summitted three of the Earth's 14 mountains over 8,000 m (26,246 ft) – known as the "8,000er hat-trick" – is 15 days by Erhard Loretan and Marcel Rüedi (both Switzerland), who in June 1983 climbed Gasherbrum II (on the 15th), Gasherbrum I (23rd) and Broad Peak (30th), all of which lie on the Pakistani-Chinese border. The three mountains represent the 11th, 12th and 13th highest peaks in the world.

Gasherbrum II (8,034 m, the 13th highest mountain) Gasherbrum I (8,080 m, the 11th highest) Broad Peak (8,051 m, the 12th highest)

Loretan (28 April 1959–28 April 2011) eventually climbed all 8,000-ers (the third person to do so, and only the second to do it without supplemental oxygen); he died on his 52nd birthday climbing the Grünhorn in the Swiss Alps (not one of the 14). Rüedi (1 November 1938–25 September 1986) managed nine of the 14 8,000ers but died during his descent of Makalu (8,485 m), the fifth highest peak.