mountaineer

/ˌˈmaʊnt(ə)nˌˈɪər/

/maʊntəˈnɪə/

Other forms: mountaineers; mountaineering

A mountaineer is a person who climbs or hikes mountains. If you live in Colorado and spend your weekends scaling peaks in the Rockies, you're a mountaineer.

The term mountaineer might seem to imply a serious climber, like Tensing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary, the mountaineers who were the first, in 1953, to climb to the summit of Mt. Everest. You can also use this word, however, for a more casual hiker who does a little rock climbing and mountain hiking. In many European countries, the word alpinist is more common.

Definitions of mountaineer

1. noun

   someone who climbs mountains
   synonyms: mountain climber

   examples:

   Sir Edmund Percival Hillary

   New Zealand mountaineer who in 1953 first attained the summit of Mount Everest with his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay (born in 1919)

   Tenzing Norgay

   Sherpa mountaineer guide who with Sir Edmund Hillary was one of the first to attain the summit of Mount Everest (1914-1986)

   types:

   alpinist

   a mountain climber who specializes in difficult climbs

   type of:

   adventurer, venturer

   a person who enjoys taking risks

   climber

   someone who climbs as a sport; especially someone who climbs mountains
2. verb

   climb mountains for pleasure as a sport
   type of:

   climb, climb up, go up, mount

   go upward with gradual or continuous progress