Nives Meroi and Romano Benet (Italy)
Nives Meroi (born 17 September 1961 at Bonate Sotto, Italy) is an Italian mountaineer. As of 2008, she had climbed to the summit of eleven of the fourteen eight thousanders, utilizing the alpine style of climbing . Since 1989 Meroi has been married to Romano Benet, a climber and her partner in Himalayan mountaineering. In true alpine style, all of Nives’s and Romano’s 8,000 m climbs have been completed without supplementary oxygen and without sherpas. It has been said that “(…) their style of mountaineering belongs to another era.” On Saturday 17 May 2014 Italian alpinists Nives Meroi and Romano Benet summited Kangchenjunga (8.586m), the third highest mountain in the world. Their ascent marks a great return to the Himalaya and is also an important and unique journey. There are different types of mountains, and each summit has something special to it. That special something linked to the mantra that pervades alpinism, the “I look for myself in the mountains” that often, too often perhaps, seems to mean nothing at all since it’s so elusive and far removed from reality. At times though words aren’t necessary. There’s no need to say more, go to lengths to explain why. As in the case of this recent ascent of Kangchenjunga. Because the 12th 8000er of Nives Meroi and Romano Benet needs almost no explanation at all.
Chronology of her expeditions
- 2009 second attempt on Annapurnaand first on Kangchenjunga
- 2008 summit of Manaslu
- 2007 summit of Mount Everest, first summit success of an Italian woman without bottled oxygen
- 2006 summit of K2(first Italian woman)
- 2006 summit of Dhaulagiri
- 2004 summit of Lhotse
- 2003 she is the first woman who succeeds in ascendending all three eight-thousanders of the Gasherbrummassif (Gasherbrum I, Gasherbrum II and Broad Peak) during one season, within 20 days.
- 1999 summit of Cho Oyu
- 1999 summit of Shisha Pangma
- 1998 first summit of the 8000s, Nanga Parbat
- 1996 first attempt on Mount Everest, missed
- 1994 on K2, she gained 8450 m
