alpinist

noun

al·​pin·​ist ˈal-pə-nist 

variants or Alpinist

plural alpinists or Alpinists

1

: a mountain climber specializing in high, difficult ascents

In the world of alpinists Mr. Lowe was a celebrity, tackling routes that seemed impossible to other climbers and with as little equipment as he could.

—Daniel E. Slotnik

… on the top of the fifth highest mountain in the continental U.S., one on which alpinists practice before heading for the Andes and Himalayas …

—Paul Clark

2

: an Alpine skier (see alpine sense 4)

To the dedicated alpinist, cross-country skiing is an amateurish parody of the real art.

—Time

As for the women, the only American Alpinist with a shot at a medal is 20-year-old Cindy Nelson in the downhill.

—Peter Bonventre

Examples of alpinist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Once upon a time, alpinists laboriously hacked steps into it — literal stairways to heaven. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2024

This new edition, tested by Simon Messner, has a deeper connection with the alpinist. —Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2023

While some lament the move from bright blue to a subtler black, this simple product born from the industry that brings us yellowtail from ocean-to-plate has become an alpinist favorite without rival. —Maury Birdwell, Outside Online, 18 Oct. 2022

Top alpinists have lauded the feat as one of the most significant in climbing, exceeding the difficulty of scaling Everest. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023

For alpinists, the public’s fascination with the highest mountains is a bit like judging an ocean swimmer by how deep the water is. —John Branch, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023

As glacier melting increases, something many scientists blame on global warming, there has been a recent increase in discoveries of the remains of hikers, skiers and other Alpinists who went missing decades ago. —Robert Higgs, cleveland, 28 July 2023

To many of those inside the world of mountaineering, though, Nims Purja is a climber in every sense of the word — as much a showboat and a hustle-minded careerist as a talented alpinist. —Peter Rubin, Longreads, 25 Jan. 2023

An experienced alpinist from Northern Ireland was found dead and another climber from India went missing on the same mountain in central Nepal on Tuesday. —Bhadra Sharma, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1