Alan Hinkes
A quiet, relentless climber from Yorkshire who became the first Briton to stand atop all fourteen of the world's highest mountains.
Born 1954 (age 72)·British Himalayan mountaineer·Birthday: April 26·Baby Boomers
Biography
Alan Hinkes operates in a realm of thin air and immense consequence, a mountaineer whose understated demeanor belies a historic record of survival on the planet's deadliest peaks. Hailing from Northallerton, he methodically took on the Himalayan eight-thousanders—the 14 independent mountains over 8,000 meters—not for fame, but as a personal engineering challenge against the elements. His climbs were solo or small-team affairs, marked by a pragmatic, self-sufficient style. The final summit, Kangchenjunga in 2005, was a characteristically gritty affair in poor weather, completing a 17-year quest. In a pursuit where roughly one in four who attempt it die, Hinkes's success is a stark testament to meticulous planning, physical resilience, and a profound understanding of when to push forward and when to retreat.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Alan was born in 1954, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1954
#1 Movie
White Christmas
Best Picture
On the Waterfront
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1954Born
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1959Started school
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1967Became a teenager
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1970Could drive
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1972Could vote
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1975Turned 21
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1984Turned 30
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 40
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 50
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 60
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 70
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 72 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first British mountaineer to summit all 14 eight-thousanders, completing the feat on Kangchenjunga in 2005.
- Awarded an OBE for services to mountaineering following his historic achievement.
- Has survived multiple near-fatal incidents in the death zone, including a dramatic avalanche on K2.
Did You Know?
He is an ambassador for the outdoor clothing and equipment company Berghaus.
Hinkes is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
He famously uses a Yorkshire Tea teabag as a good luck charm on his expeditions.
Before becoming a full-time mountaineer, he worked as a geography teacher.
“The mountain isn't trying to kill you. It just doesn't care if you live.”
