On This Day… – February 2nd

Born on this day
1929 George Christopher Band, British pioneer, who was a member of the successful Everest expedition in 1953 and who ascended Kangchenjunga in 1955 (first ascent) together with Joe Brown. He died in 2011, aged 82.
1935 Tsuneo Hirata, Japanese climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2000.
1953 Stéphane Schaffter, Swiss climber, who ascended K2 in 1985 and Everest in 2002.
1954 Ladislav Drda, Czech climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1995, Gasherbrum II in 1997 and Shisha Pangma Central-Peak in 2004. He died in 2014, aged 60.
1955 Wallace (Wally) Berg, American climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1987, Lhotse in 1990 and Everest four times (1992, 1993, 1997 and 1998). He also finished the Carstensz-version of the Seven Summits in 2000.
1961 Takashi Nozayama, Japanese climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2004.
1961 James Van Gelder, Australian climber, who ascended Broad Peak in 1986.
1962 Misael Alvial, Chilean climber, who ascended K2 in 1996, Everest twice (2004 and 2016) and Lhotse in 2006.
1966 William James (Jay) Martin, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2017.
1968 Hans-Günter Weinand, German climber, who ascended Gasherbrum II in 2013 and Manaslu in 2017.
1973 Neill Elliot, British (Northern Irish) climber, who ascended Everest in 2006.
1973 Jin-Kiat (Justin) Lean, Singaporean climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 1997.
1976 Ngata, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest three times (2007, 2010 and 2016), Kangchenjunga twice (2008 and 2009) and Cho Oyu in 2009.
1976 Pemba Tenjin, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest ten times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017).
1976 Muhammad Ali IV, Pakistani climber, who ascended Gasherbrum II in 2006, Nanga Parbat four times (2008, 2009, 2016 - first winter ascent - and 2017), Gasherbrum I in 2010, Broad Peak Foresummit in 2012, Broad Peak in 2017 and K2 in 2018.
1977 Alejandro Jesús Aguilar, Mexican climber, who ascended Everest in 2008.
1977 Luis Espinoza, Mexican climber, who ascended Everest in 2004.
1978 Wangchu II, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest five times (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012), Gasherbrum II in 2008 and Shisha Pangma Central-Peak in 2011.
1978 Pasang Jangbu, Nepalese Sherpa climber, who ascended Everest in 2010.
1979 Christopher Corcoran, British climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2014.
1980 Sebastian Josef Andreas Lippacher, German climber, who ascended Cho Oyu in 2009.
1989 Broery Andrew Sihombing, Indonesian climber, who ascended Everest in 2011, where he also finished the Carstensz-version of the Seven Summits.
1992 Philip Cason Crane, American climber, who ascended Everest in 2013.

Event on this day
2011 First winter ascent of Gasherbrum II (8034 m) by Denis Urubko (Kaz), Simone Moro (Ita) and Cory Richards (USA).

First ascent on this day
1952 Fitzroy (3441 m) by a French party.