22 Facts About Alan Hinkes

Alan Hinkes OBE was born on 26 April 1954 and is an English Himalayan high-altitude mountaineer from Northallerton in North Yorkshire.

Alan Hinkes is the first British mountaineer to claim all 14 Himalayan eight-thousanders, a feat he completed on 30 May 2005.

Alan Hinkes spent 21 years on his "Challenge 8000", starting with his ascent of Shishapangma in 1987, and ending with his ascent of Kangchenjunga in 2005.

Alan Hinkes is recorded as summiting Mount Everest on 19 May 1996.

Alan Hinkes had to be air rescued from Nanga Parbat in July 1997 when flour from a burnt chapati got up his nose, making him sneeze so violently that he prolapsed a disc.

Alan Hinkes had to wait 10 days in agony before being rescued and brought to Islamabad for treatment.

Alan Hinkes has been referred to as the "chapati man" from this incident.

Alan Hinkes has climbed eight-thousanders in many styles: expeditions, two-man alpine and alone, and permutations in between.

Alan Hinkes has climbed new lines, he has climbed as guide, as camera man, and set speed records.

Alan Hinkes has climbed several on first attempt, others on third and fourth attempt.

Alan Hinkes has climbed with well-known mountaineers, including several expeditions with Doug Scott and Chris Bonington.

Alan Hinkes describes himself as risk-averse, who places value on understanding, and being in the right position, to capitalise on breaks in weather.

Alan Hinkes was not averse to leveraging the resources of bigger expeditions alongside.

Alan Hinkes logged the expedition's 30 April 1990 Cho Oyu ascent in the 1991 American Alpine Journal, as well as the expedition's ascent of Shishapangma 12 days later on 12 May 1990, but he notes they climbed Shishapangma's central summit.

Alan Hinkes says he spent "at least an hour and a half" criss-crossing the flat summit plateau, alone, until he "was sure there was no more uphill".

In January 2006, after Kangchenjunga, Alan Hinkes was awarded an OBE in the 2006 New Year Honours List for his achievements in mountaineering.

Alan Hinkes was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the University of Sunderland in 1999, and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of York in 2007.

Alan Hinkes was awarded Yorkshire Man of the Year in 2005, and was made an honorary citizen of his hometown Northallerton in the same year.

Alan Hinkes is an avid photographer and released a photographic essay book in October 2013 called 8000 Metres Climbing the World's Highest Mountains.

Alan Hinkes is the subject of an October 2017 documentary by filmmaker, Terry Abraham, Alan Hinkes: The First Briton To Climb The World's Highest Mountains.

Alan Hinkes started life as a geography and PE teacher, which he abandoned to concentrate on climbing.

Alan Hinkes never married but has a daughter, Fiona, whose picture, Hinkes displays in most summit photographs.