Throughout history, mountains have represented a challenge for all those wanting to prove that everything can be obtained. The reality is that although that theory is somewhat true, it takes a huge effort, physical and financial, to make it possible. There are quite a few mountains that are deadly, almost impossible to reach the top and have fluctuating weather conditions that will terrify even the harder animal.
Asking a normal person what is the hardest mountain to climb, he will immediately say Mount Everest; it is like a legend. Although Mt. Everest is the tallest in the world, it is not the hardest one to climb. Some expert climbers say that from a technical point of view, Mt. Everest has an almost easy ascent.
The peaks in the following top 10 most challenging mountains to climb may seem pretty in a photo, but have death rates that will make Mt. Everest 4.4% rate seem like an accident.
10
McKinley
It is also known as Denali, and it is the highest mountain in North America. Even though it has only 6,194 m, it is a very difficult and treacherous experience for all those wanting to climb it. Believe it or not, but the success rate of surviving and reaching the top is in the vicinity of 50% (more than 100 climbers died). Although it is not that famous, it is incredibly dangerous.
Although it is said that it was first conquered in 1906, it later on turned out to be false. Later, in 1910 another attempt to reach the peak was considered to be suspicious. The first actual proven climb was done by Walter Harper in 1913.
9
Fitz Roy
Located in beautiful Los Glaciares National Park in Patagonia, just between Chile and Argentina, Fitz Roy is completely different than any other peak on this list. It has a low height of just 2685 m, just a third of Mt. Everest. Despite the dimensions, it is incredibly difficult to conquer due to its granite faces that add to the difficulty of the climb. Adding to the danger, Mt. Fitz Roy is extremely isolated and the weather very difficult.
To compare it to Mt. Everest, it is possible that on a single day, 100 people to reach the peak of Mt Everest, but only one person may reach the peak of Mt. Fitz Roy per year.
The first person to claim that he reached the top was Cesare Maestri in 1959, although he had no evidence, saying that his partner, Austrian Toni Egger died in an avalanche and all the photos were with him.
8
The Matterhorn
Located in the Swiss Alps, The Matterhorn is truly a dangerous peak. Despite the technical difficulty and the steep faces, the climbers are constantly threatened by avalanches and huge rock falls. More than 500 people have died on this mountain between 1865 and 1995.
The first person to climb the Matterhorn was Edward Whymper in 1865, but his success was shadowed by the death of 4 members of his expedition as they slipped down while they were descending. The only people that survived were Whymper and two other men (a father and son). From that day on, people are becoming more and more curious to conquer this iconic peak.
7
Vinson Massif
It is without a doubt the highest mountain in Antarctica. At 750 miles away from the South Pole, this 16,052 ft tall mountain was first climbed only 1966. The incredibly hard weather conditions, the extreme cold and constant changing weather make this mountain a difficult conquest. Although it is not very high, nor difficult, the fact that it is so remote and so close to the South Pole, make it extremely difficult to reach the top.
6
The Eiger
Located in Switzerland, the north face of the famous Mt. Eiger is also known as the “Murder Wall”, mostly because climbing this side requires a high level of technical skills and most of all endurance. Throughout the years, the North Face of Mt. Eiger has become a must conquer peak among mountaineers. The 6,000ft north face is under constant threat of melting ice and rock falls. Until now, 64 climbers have died while trying to conquer the peak since it was first conquered in 1938.
5
Baintha Brakk
First time someone managed to climb the 7,285 m Baintha Brakk, was in 1977. The difficult and inaccessible path is also proven by the fact that since 1977 nobody managed to reach the peak until 2001. In this time period, more than 20 expeditions have tried, but none were successful.
The dangerous combination of granite walls, high altitudes and steep paths, made this mountain almost an impossible climb for even the most experienced mountaineers.
Incredibly, this amazing yet impossible peak located in Pakistan has been conquered only 3 times, even though hundreds of attempts were made. The last successful climb was in September 2012, after 35 years since the first success made in 1977. It’s a huge contrast to Mt. Everest, which has been successfully climbed 300 times per year.
The south face of Baintha Brakk rises 3 km, out of which only 2 km can be traveled horizontally.
4
Kangchenjunga
This imposing 8,586 m high mountain maintains its status as an impossible mountain to climb, by increasing the death rates to 22% in the recent years. Even though the mountaineering techniques evolved significantly, Mt Kangchenjunga still remains extremely dangerous, even for the most experienced.
It is the third highest mountain on Earth, as climbers go up the weather conditions become more and more challenging, there are frequent avalanches and unfortunately, there are no direct routes to the top.
In general, the fatality rates on each difficult mountain tend to decrease year by year, but unfortunately, the Kangchenjunga is an exception to this rule.
3
K2 – Himalaya
This is the second highest peak on Earth and among the most dangerous ones. Known as Mt. Godwin Austin, the death rate since 1990 has been around 19.7%. The dangerous glaciers, ice pillars and other life threatening obstacles make this mountain quite an impossible climb. Also, the weather is extremely difficult, so the climb and descent become even more dangerous.
In 1986, 5 climbers died during a storm and 8 other climbers just a few days before the storm. In 2008, 11 climbers died and 3 were severely injured.
K2 has also a fast route to the top, but it is unbelievably risky and dangerous, so much that from the last 14 fatalities occurred here, 13 were on this route called Bottleneck. Also known as the “holy grail of mountaineering”, 280 people managed to climb the K2 until now.
2
Nanga Parbat
Translating from Urdu, this mountain is called the Naked Mountain. The 9th highest mountain in the world, Nanga Parbat is known by all mountaineers as the “Man Eater” as 62 people lost their lives trying to conquer it, which is about 5.5% of all attempts. 31 climbers lost their lives before it was first conquered in 1953 by the Austrian Herman Buhl. In 1934, 9 climbers, including the famous Willy Merkl died, and 1937, a huge avalanche killed 16 men instantly.
Until now, this mountain has never been climbed during the winter months; however, the mountain still claims lives. An example is climber Joel Wischnewski, which disappeared in February 2013 and, until now, it was not found.
1
Annapurna
Although it is the 10th highest peak on Earth, the Annapurna is by far the most dangerous. The first ascent was done in 1950 and since then, 53 people have died trying to conquer it. Until now, only 130 people have ever managed to reach the top. The highest peak of Annapurna is 8,091 meters high and it is without a doubt almost an impossible task. This mountain has the highest death rate in the world, reaching 40%.