Mountaineering Icon Hans Kammerlander Accused of Inflating Record of Second 7 Summits

Escalating in 2024, allegations have been raised that renowned mountaineer Hans Kammerlander faked or exaggerated several of his summit claims throughout his multi-decade climbing career. Kammerlander is an Italian mountaineer and ski guide from South Tyrol, Italy, famous for his collaborations with mountaineering legend Reinhold Messner, the first person to climb all fourteen 8,000-meter peaks without the use of supplemental oxygen.

Accomplishments with Messner include the duo becoming the first climbers in history credited with traversing two 8,000-meter peaks before descending to base camp in a single push. Kammerlander also teamed with Messner on successful climbs of the 8,000-meter peaks Cho Oyu, Gasherbrum I and II, Dhaulagiri, Makalu, and Lhotse. Famous British mountaineer Chris Bonington described Messner’s relationship with Kammerlander as the most “amicable” of Messner’s climbing partnerships. Kammerlander also held the Guinness World Record for the fastest ascent without supplemental oxygen of Mount Everest (16 hours and 45 minutes) and fastest ascent from Everest North Base Camp from 1996 to 2006.

Kammerlander is considered one of the most successful extreme alpinists of his time, with a climbing career spanning decades of notable achievements in the Himalaya and other ranges. Some of his accomplishments, however, have been disputed in recent years with the evolution of climbing technology and record-keeping. The most prominent accusations relate to his completion of the “Second Seven Summits,” the second-highest peaks on each continent.

Kammerlander’s first disputed claim occurred in 1996, when he claimed to have summited Shishapangma after climbing the central summit of the mountain (8,008 m). He, however, did not cross the ridge to the main summit (8,027 m), which was only a few meters higher. He later explained that he considered the central summit to be an eight-thousander and had already decided against pursuing all 14 eight-thousanders. This perceived disingenuousness left the climbing community at odds with some of Kammerlander’s claims moving forward.

Kammerlander has publicly addressed some of the issues. Regarding the Shishapangma summit, he admitted to his mistake and clarified his motivations at the time, stating that his goals were about personal challenge rather than tallying numbers. Following the Shishampangma incident, somewhat contrary to his previous defense, Kammerlander set his eyes on becoming the first person to climb “The Seven Second Summits”—the second-highest peaks on all seven continents.

In 2010, Kammerlander climbed only the lower west peak of Mount Logan, mistaking it for the true summit. After the error was exposed by other mountaineers who analyzed his summit photos, Kammerlander returned in 2012 to complete the correct ascent. However, this happened after he had already publicly claimed the Seven Second Summits record.

Kammerlander’s claim was also based on climbing Puncak Trikora, which was at the time considered the highest peak in Oceania. However, more accurate data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) proved that nearby Puncak Mandala was in fact taller. The discovery invalidates any ascent of Puncak Trikora as part of the Seven Second Summits challenge. However, the most controversial of Kammerlander’s ascents was still to come in 2009.

In 2024, conclusive drone video footage published by Russian mountain guide Alex Trubachev showed that Kammerlander had not reached the true summit of Dykh-Tau, the second-highest mountain in Europe, in 2009. Doubts had existed for some time due to the lack of clear summit proof and contradictory statements from his climbing partner, Flory Kern. When climbing Dykh-Tau from the west, you have your first view of the summit from the top of the “snow dome.” From there, you have to descend around 30 feet in altitude and regain another 120 feet. The horizontal distance from the snow dome to the summit is around 300 feet. A further note in Kammerlander’s book suggests that he did not reach the summit of Dykh-Tau. “I finally came across two sharp rock pinnacles and a steep cornice. Behind began an ascending traverse of about 300 feet in length. Then I was at the top,” Kammerlander had written in the book.

Kammerlander’s story about the summit arrival suggests he may have reached only the snow dome and not the true summit because from the end of the “ascending traverse,” you have to climb down a very steep, prominent rock spire. This impressive spire, the actual summit, was famously photographed by local Russian mountain guide Alex Trubachev. None of Kammerlander’s photos show either the true summit or himself atop it. A 2018 drone video by Alex Trubachev shows the very steep summit spire of Mt. Dykh-Tau. The summit cannot be reached by a 300-foot traverse, as Kammerlander wrote in his book.

Following the invalidation of Kammerlander’s ascents, the Austrian climber Christian Stangl was recognized as the first person to complete the Seven Second Summits in 2013. Stangl’s own prior fraudulent claim on K2 had been exposed, but he returned to complete the correct ascent.

The controversy highlights the importance of providing indisputable proof for claiming mountaineering records in modern times. While the errors on some peaks might have been unintentional, the compounding evidence has led to some reputational danger for Kammerlander. However, Kammerlander remains highly respected for his many confirmed achievements. These include his record-breaking speed ascent of Mount Everest in 1996 and numerous first ascents in the Alps and the Himalaya. The controversy highlights the increased scrutiny of summit claims, driven by modern photographic and GPS coordinate evidence, as well as a culture of accountability within the mountaineering community.