''The Himalayan Database: The Expedition Archives of Elizabeth Hawley'' is a large digital and published record of mountaineering in the ''Nepalese Himalayas'' since 1903 (i.e. it does not include the ''Pakistan Himalaya'' peaks such as
K2 and
Nanga Parbat
Nanga Parbat ( ur, ) (; ), known locally as Diamer () which means “king of the mountains”, is the ninth-highest mountain on Earth, its summit at above sea level. Lying immediately southeast of the northernmost bend of the Indus River in ...
etc.), maintained by Richard Salisbury who digitised the records.
Background
The Himalayan Database (HDB), was developed and maintained by
Elizabeth Hawley
Elizabeth Hawley (9 November 1923 – 26 January 2018) was an American journalist, author, and chronicler of Himalayan mountaineering expeditions. Hawley's ''The Himalayan Database'' became the unofficial record for climbs in the Nepalese Himal ...
, who remained involved up to her death in 2018.
It was published as a CD and an 80-page paperback up until 2017.
From 2017 onwards, records of expeditions, their members have been searchable online, or available as a complete downloadable database. It fills in for the absence of officially maintained records. It has been published by the
American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club (AAC) is a non-profit member organization with more than 24,000 members. Its vision is to create "a united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes." The Club is housed in the American Mountaineerin ...
.
As well as being an important repository for climbing statistics on Himalayan mountains, the database also became known for its decisions to disregard or dispute various climbs.
[If a mountaineer wants worldwide recognition that they have reached the summit of some of the most formidable mountains in the world, they will need to get the approval of Elizabeth Hawley.] Notable cases was the decision not to record a 1990 ascent of
Cho Oyu by British climber
Alan Hinkes, which put a question-mark over Hinkes' claim to have summited all 14
eight-thousanders
The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) recognises eight-thousanders as the 14 mountains that are more than in height above sea level, and are considered to be sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no ...
;
and the 1997 ascent of
Lhotse by Italian climbers
Fausto De Stefani and
Sergio Martini which forced
Sergio Martini to reclimb Lhotse in 2000 to verify he had climbed all 14
eight-thousanders
The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) recognises eight-thousanders as the 14 mountains that are more than in height above sea level, and are considered to be sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no ...
(De Stefani decided not to re-climb).
Bibliography
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See also
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Eight-thousanders
The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) recognises eight-thousanders as the 14 mountains that are more than in height above sea level, and are considered to be sufficiently independent of neighbouring peaks. There is no ...
*
List of Mount Everest records
This article lists different records related to Mount Everest. One of the most commonly sought after records is a "summit", to reach the highest elevation point on Mount Everest.
Records
Highest number of times to reach the summit
Other ...
References
External links
The Himalayan Database main website for the database
Graphical Interface for The Himalayan Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Himalayan Database
Mountaineering books
Himalayas
Books about the Himalayas