Viridiana Álvarez, a business administration graduate with two master’s degrees in engineering and innovation, never imagined she would one day stand atop the world’s highest peaks. Born in Aguascalientes, she climbed her first mountain, Citlaltépetl, better known as Pico de Orizaba, in 2014 at age 30, using borrowed gear and little preparation.
Álvarez was introduced to mountaineering through friends who shared her passion for cycling and the outdoors. What began as a spontaneous climb became a life-changing pursuit. Within five years, she set a Guinness World Record for the fastest ascent by a woman of the world’s three highest mountains, Everest, K2, and Kanchenjunga, using supplemental oxygen.
“I spent 10 years behind a desk, like a normal person with challenges and aspirations. I never imagined I’d be here talking about climbing mountains,” Álvarez said. She later became the first woman from the Americas to scale the world’s four highest peaks.
In 2017, she conquered Mount Everest at 29,029 feet, followed by K2 in 2018, and Kanchenjunga in 2019. The Himalayan Database records that only 12 women have summited all three; Álvarez is the youngest to achieve it. “The mountains treat you the same whether you’re a man or a woman,” she said. “At minus 40 degrees, respect is earned equally.”
In 2020, she earned her first Guinness title as the fastest woman to climb the top three peaks. On May 19, 2025, she secured another by becoming the first woman to summit all 14 mountains above 8,000 meters, in combination with the Seven Summits.
Beyond mountaineering, Álvarez is also a certified Advanced Open Water diver and PADI ambassador. Her dual pursuit of heights and depths has made her a national icon. “Viridiana Álvarez is the pride of Mexico, whose achievements transcend borders,” said Julio Ocaranza of Guadalajara.
