Everest

South Pole

North Pole

First ⁽¹⁾

1953

Edmund Hillary
Tenzing Norgay

1911

Roald Amundsen
Olav Bjaaland
Oskar Wisting
Sverre Hassel
Helmer Hanssen

1968

Ralph Plaisted
Gerald Pitzl
Jean-Luc Bombardier
Walt Pederson

First unsupported unassisted ⁽³⁾

1978

Reinhold Messner
Peter Habeler

1993

Erling Kagge

1994

Borge Ousland

First solo unsupported unassisted ^{(5) (3)}

1980

Reinhold Messner

1993

Erling Kagge

1994

Borge Ousland

Number ⁽¹⁾

3031

191

211

Number unsupported unassisted ⁽³⁾

144

58

43

Number of solo unsupported unassisted ^{(5) (3)}

1

6

2

Expedition average length ⁽⁹⁾

47 days

54 days

62 days

Nearest medical center ⁽¹¹⁾

161 km

Kathmandu

4110 km

Punta Arenas

1310 km

Longyearbyen (Spitzberg)

Maximum altitude

8848 m

2855 m

0 m

Available quantity of oxygen ⁽¹³⁾

30,2%

59,8%

100%

Average temperatures ⁽¹²⁾

-8°c / -25°c

-28°c

-40°c / -5°c

Average humidity ⁽¹²⁾

45% / 10%

3%

85%

Expedition average cost ⁽¹⁰⁾

35 000 €

75 000 € 

45 000 €

Average age ⁽⁸⁾

34 years

38 years

37 years

First at the two Poles ⁽⁶⁾

-

1980

Ranulph Fiennes
Charles Burton 

1982 

Ranulph Fiennes
Charles Burton

First at the two Poles unsupported ^{(6) (2)}

- 

1986

Robert Swan 

1989 

Robert Swan

First at the two Poles unsupported unassisted ^{(6) (3)}

-

1995 

Marek Kaminski

1995

Marek Kaminski 

Number at the two Poles ⁽⁶⁾

-

44

44

Number at the two Poles unsupported ^{(6) (2)}

-

31

31

Number at the two Poles unsupported unassisted ^{(6) (3)}

-

10

10

First at the three Poles ⁽⁷⁾

1987 

Young-Ho Heo

1994

Young-Ho Heo 

1991 

Young-Ho Heo

First at the three Poles unsupported ^{(7) (2)}

1993/97

Antoine de Choudens
François Bernard
Antoine Cayrol

1999

Antoine de Choudens
François Bernard
Antoine Cayrol

1996

Antoine de Choudens
François Bernard
Antoine Cayrol

First at the three Poles unsupported unassisted ^{(7) (3)}

1997

Antoine de Choudens

1999 

Antoine de Choudens

1996 

Antoine de Choudens

Number at the three Poles ⁽⁷⁾

14

14

14

Number at the three Poles unsupported ^{(7) (2)}

7

7

7

Number at the three Poles unsupported unassisted ^{(7) (3)}

1

1

1

⁽¹⁾ F.A. Cook et R.E. Peary, with their teams, may have reached North Pole, with dogsled, in 1908 and 1909 respectively ; for more information, please refer to History of North Pole

⁽²⁾ "unsupported" : human powered only, without external power aids (motorized vehicle, dogsled, parasail,...)

⁽³⁾ "unassisted" : without any outside help such as air-resupply, rescue or oxygen ; nevertheless, the "unassisted" label does not exclude a distant logistical support

⁽⁴⁾ "crossing" : crossing of the arctic ocean or the antarctic continent from seacoast to seacoast via the Pole ; this label also applies to return trips

⁽⁵⁾ "solo" : the explorer shall be alone, but it does not imply to be also "unsupported" or "unassisted"

⁽⁶⁾ North Pole and South Pole

⁽⁷⁾ North Pole, South Pole and Everest

⁽⁸⁾ all types of expeditions

⁽⁹⁾ expeditions unsupported

⁽¹⁰⁾ per person, for a team of 6/8 people (Everest) ; of 2 people (North Pole & South Pole)

⁽¹¹⁾ first medical center reachable from the furthermost point of the expedition (Everest summit, North Pole, South Pole)

⁽¹²⁾ during traditional expedition seasons and over the all expedition length (Everest : April & May, September & October at base camp and summit ; North Pole : March & April over all the journey ; South Pole : November & December over all the journey)

⁽¹³⁾ at the goal (Everest summit, North Pole, South Pole)

All expeditions up to 10/30/07

Source : 3 Poles, Adventurestats / Explorersweb, The Himalayan Database