They are the natural watchtowers of the Earth. The 10 highest mountains in the world have been sources of legends since time immemorial and crowning them has become one of the greatest challenges that a human being can face.
Every December 11, International Mountain Day is celebrated, a day promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to raise awareness about the importance of conserving these natural jewels. According to UN data, these ecosystems are home to 15% of the world’s population and approximately half of the world’s biological diversity reserve. In addition, they provide fresh water for more than half of humanity.
There are mountains throughout the planet. The highest in Europe, Mount Elbrús, measures 5,652 meters, while the highest in Spain is Mount Teide (3,718 meters). On the other side of the Atlantic, Aconcagua boasts of being the highest in America, at 6,960 meters.
However, if we talk about the true giants of geography we must travel to Asia, specifically to the Himalayan mountain range, where all the mountains over 8,000 meters high are concentrated. The 14 eight-thousanders on the planet are located in the Himalayas and the Karakoram mountain range, although in recent times proposals have been emerging to raise the number of mountains until now considered main to 20.
We begin the ascent through this top 10 of the highest mountains in the world:
At 8,848 meters high, Mount Everest is the roof of the Earth and marks the border between China and Nepal. It owes its western name to the British George Everest, the surveyor general of India between 1830 and 1814 and responsible for a reconnaissance expedition in the Himalayas. These mountains are divided between three ranges: Siwaliks, Little Himalayas and Great Himalayas, where Everest is located. The height of the summit was formulated by the Indian mathematician and surveyor Radhanath Sikdar in 1852. Although its ascension was considered one of the greatest challenges that human beings could face, in recent times it has become the jewel of the crown of mass mountaineering.
At 8,611 meters above sea level, it is the second peak in the world, exactly 237 meters less than Everest, although for a time it was considered the highest peak on Earth. Discovered to the Western world in 1856 by the English topographical service, this summit is located in the Karakoram mountain range, on the border between Pakistan and China. It has inaccessible edges and walls that, together with its dimensions and the inhuman altitude at which they are developed, make K2 the paradigm of the difficulty of high mountains.
Summit located at the eastern end of the Himalayas, in the Indian district of Taplejung. At 8,586 meters above sea level, Kanchenjunga is the highest mountain in India and the third in the world. Its name in Nepali means the mountain of “the five treasures of the snow.” It is one of the most complex eight-thousanders to face, with a technical ascent throughout its exhausting route and unstable weather. Not in vain, the first official ascent took place in 1955.
Lhotse (meaning South Peak in Tibetan) is a mountain located next to Everest. They are only separated by a porthole, the south col, located at 7,980 meters and from where you leave to climb the normal route of the highest peak on Earth. From a mountaineering point of view, both mountains share their normal routes except for the last day. While Everest passes through the aforementioned South Col, Lhotse stops a few meters before. It is located on the border between the southern region of Tibet, China, and northern Nepal.
Located in the Mahalangur area of the Himalayas, 19 kilometers southeast of Mount Everest and on the border between China and Nepal, the Nepalese Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world, only a hundred less than the ‘killer mountain’. It is one of the most recognizable mountain colossi as it is an isolated peak with a quasi-pyramidal shape.
Another majestic massif of the Himalayas (sector of the Mahalangur Himalaya). With 8,188 meters of altitude, Cho Oyu is one of the ‘eight thousand’ with the lowest mortality rate and considered the ‘easiest’, with a mortality percentage of 2.5%, much lower than the average of 5% for the mountains of the Himalayas.
We continue in the Himalayan mountain range to present the White Mountain, the Sanskrit name for Dhaulagiri, the seventh highest mountain on Earth. The danger of this mountain is determined by the microclimate that reigns in the part of Nepal where it is located and by the steepness of its walls, on which dangerous glaciers hang. The Dhaulagiri is the culminating point of a high massif that extends for 30 kilometers a very short distance from the Kali Gandaki gorge.
The summit of Manaslu, at 8,163 meters, is the eighth highest on Earth. It is a complicated mountain, both in autumn and spring, due to the risk of avalanches. It is also located in the Himalayan mountain range in Nepal.
In addition to being the ninth highest peak in the world, Nanga Parbat is considered one of the most dangerous mountains. Located in the Karakoram mountain range, it is the second highest in Pakistan. In a single stroke of almost 7,000 meters, its slopes rise from the channels of the Indus and Braldo to the summit. The greatest slope on the planet. And the biggest precipice: 4,500 meters on the South wall, 3,500 meters on the West wall, or Diamir. It is, furthermore, a solitary mountain, to whose winds and storms many of its best-known tragedies are due.
Annapurna I, in Nepal, closes the top 10 of the highest mountains in the world. It is another mountaineering legend full of epics and tragedies. It was the first mountain trodden by a French expedition in 1950. Its northern face offers a route that features a sickle-shaped glacier, nearly 7,000 meters high. On the other hand, the impressive south face of the mountain presents extraordinary difficulty, with 3,500 meters of elevation gain with sections of rock and a large number of technical difficulties to overcome the impressive vertical sections.