Adrian Ballinger facts for kids

Adrian Ballinger (born February 25, 1976) is a world-famous British-American mountain guide and professional climber. He is the founder of a company called Alpenglow Expeditions, which leads climbing trips all over the world.

Ballinger is an expert at climbing the world's highest mountains. He has successfully reached the top of an 8,000-meter peak 18 times. These are mountains that are over 8,000 meters (about 26,247 feet) tall, the highest on Earth. He is also known for being one of the few people to climb both Mount Everest and K2, the two tallest mountains, without using extra oxygen.

One of his unique methods involves using special altitude tents before a big climb. These tents help climbers' bodies get used to the thin air found at high altitudes. This preparation can cut the time needed for an expedition in half. Ballinger is also a skilled skier and was the first person to ski down from the summit of Manaslu.

A Career in the Mountains

Ballinger started his career as a guide for a company called Himalayan Experience. He even appeared on the Discovery Channel show Everest: Beyond the Limit, which followed the company's climbing teams.

In 2004, he started his own company, Alpenglow Expeditions. Based in California, the company guides people on exciting climbs across six continents.

Major Climbing Achievements

Adrian Ballinger has an impressive record of climbing the world's highest peaks. He has reached the summit of Mount Everest nine times. In 2011, he did something amazing by climbing three 8,000-meter peaks in just three weeks. He climbed Everest twice and the nearby mountain Lhotse once.

In 2019, Ballinger and his team climbed K2 without using supplemental oxygen. This is a very difficult and dangerous achievement because the air is so thin at the top of K2. The climb was filmed for a movie called Breathtaking: K2 - The World's Most Dangerous Mountain.

That same year, he helped lead a Discovery Channel expedition. The team was trying to solve the mystery of whether climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine were the first to reach the top of Everest back in 1924.

Skiing from the Summit

Ballinger is not just a climber; he is also an expert skier. He is the only American to have skied down three different 8,000-meter mountains.

In 2022, he made the first-ever ski descent of Makalu, the fifth-tallest mountain in the world. He skied almost all the way down from the summit, a truly remarkable feat.

Personal Life

Ballinger is married to Emily Harrington, who is also a professional climber.

List of 8,000-Meter Summits

Here are the dates of some of Adrian Ballinger's successful climbs of the world's highest mountains.

• Everest (8,848m / 29,032’):
  • May 21, 2009
  • May 5, 2010
  • May 22, 2010
  • May 5, 2011
  • May 20, 2011
  • May 18, 2013
  • May 27, 2017 (without extra oxygen)
  • May 20, 2018
  • May 29, 2024

• K2 (8,611m / 28,251’):
  • July 24, 2019 (without extra oxygen)

• Lhotse (8,516m / 27,940’):
  • May 26, 2011

• Makalu (8,481m / 27,824'):
  • May 8, 2022

• Cho Oyu (8,188m / 26,906’):
  • Sept 25, 2013 (skied down)
  • Oct 1st, 2016 (skied down)
  • May 6, 2018

• Manaslu (8,163m / 26,759’):
  • Oct 3rd, 2008
  • Sept 28, 2009
  • Oct 1st, 2010
  • Oct 5th, 2011 (skied down)

See also

• List of Mount Everest summiters by number of times to the summit
• List of Mount Everest guides