Top 4 Most Beautiful Mountains Over 8000m
There are 14 mountains in the world that are over 8,000 meters (26,247 ft). That is the height above sea level. These 14 mountains are considered to be sufficiently independent of neighboring peaks. All of those peaks are located in Asia, the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges.
The Italian Reinhold Messner was the first person to climb all of the 14 mountains in 1986 without the aid of supplementary oxygen. In 2011 the Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner became the first woman to summit all of the 14 eight-thousanders without the aid of supplementary oxygen. Nepalese climber Nirmal Purja, climbed the 14 eight-thousanders in 6 months and 6 days, setting a new speed record on 29 October 2019.
In this article, I‘ve picked the 4 most beautiful peaks of the eight-thousanders in my opinion. My opinion is based on pictures I‘ve seen, the stories behind them and other factors that are hard to explain. In the end it‘s just my opinion. Let‘s start with number 4.
#4 – Nanga Parbat
8,126 meters, 9th highest in the world.
Nanga Parbat or “Killer Mountain”
Located in the Diamer District of Pakistan’s Gilgit Baltistan region. The name Nanga Parbat stands for „Naked Mountain“. By locals the mountain is called Deo Mir, meaning „huge mountain“. The mountain is notoriously difficult to climb. Because so many mountaineers died attempting to climb this mountain it got the nickname „Killer Mountain“. The first ascent was done by the Austrian climber Rakhiot Flank in 1953.
#3 – K2
8,611 meters, 2nd highest in the world.
K2 or “Savage Mountain”
K2 is the second-highest mountain in the world. Only Mount Everest is higher (8,848 meters). K2 is located on the China-Pakistan border. K2 is also called the „Savage Mountain“. K2 has the highest death per climber who tries to climb to the top. Approximately one person dies on the mountain for every four who reach the summit. K2 is the only eight-thousander that has never been climbed during „off-season“ meaning in the wintertime. As of June 2018, only 367 people have completed the ascent. The first ascent was done by the Italian climbers Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni in 1954.
#2 – Kangchenjunga
8,586 meters, 3rd highest in the world.
Kangchenjunga
Kangchenjunga is the 3rd highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest and K2. The mountain is located in the Himalayas. In the 19th century, Kangchenjunga was assumed to be the highest mountain in the world. The first ascent was done by the British Joe Brown and George Band in 1955.
#1 – Dhaulagiri
8,167 meters, 7th highest in the world.
Dhaulagiri
Dhaulagiri is located in Nepal. Dhaulagiri is the 7th highest mountain in the world. The first ascent was done by a Swiss/Austrian/Nepali expedition in 1960. As of 2007, there had been 358 successful ascents and 58 fatalities. 16,2% of those who attempt to climb Dhaulagiri die. Most ascents have followed the northeast ridge route of the first ascent, but climbers have climbed to the top from most directions.
Author
Stephen John
Founder, Tester & Editor
Stephen is the founder of Backpackfanatic. Besides managing daily operations he also edits, designs & tests products.
