First female to climb the 14 8,000ers and the Seven Summits

The first female to climb the 14 8,000ers and the Seven Summits is Viridiana Álvarez Chávez (Mexico) and was achieved between 4 January 2015 and 12 October 2024.

Growing up in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Viridiana was always fascinated by the environment that surrounded her.

She competed in several athletics events before learning how to scale mountains. 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."

In 2019 she achieved the record for fastest ascent of the top three highest mountains with supplementary oxygen (female).

"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,” she told GWR.