Learn on for an entire rundown of the world’s 10 most harmful mountains for climbing, listed in no explicit order. Most demise statistics for Himalayan mountains come from The Himalayan Database, which collected knowledge from 1950 to 2019, or 8000ers.com.
Editor’s Observe: This text was initially printed in 2008. It has been up to date for readability and accuracy.
1. Nanga Parbat in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (26,657 Toes)
Generally known as “Killer Mountain,” this craggy monster in Pakistan is a gigantic ridge of rock and ice. Nanga Parbat is the ninth-highest mountain on this planet, and its southern aspect is what many name the tallest mountain face on the planet. The Rupal Face rises 15,090 toes above its base.
This peak was the topic of German curiosity within the Thirties. When solely Britain had entry to Mt. Everest, German climbers noticed Killer Mountain as the very best mountain moderately scalable by climbers on the time. However that doesn’t imply it was simple.
Nanga Parbat claimed 31 lives earlier than it was conquered by Austrian Hermann Buhl in 1953. Annapurna was considered probably the most harmful mountain on this planet for a few years, however Nanga Parbat has not too long ago retaken the document, in accordance with ExplorersWeb.
2. Annapurna in Central Nepal (26,545 Toes)
On this mountain, the tenth highest on this planet, a number of hundred climbers have now summited the avalanche-prone peak because the first ascent in 1950. About 72 have died climbing — making Annapurna’s fatality price one of many highest amongst 8,000m mountains.
Whereas Annapurna was the primary 8,000m peak to be climbed, it stays a problem and an attraction. The area surrounding Annapurna is standard for climbing and was the positioning of what many name “Nepal’s worst-ever trekking catastrophe.”
In 2014, a snowstorm struck, inflicting avalanches and the deaths of 43 individuals. Nearly 6 toes of snow fell in 12 hours, and greater than 500 individuals wanted rescue.
3. K2, Pakistan-China Border (28,251 Toes)
The second-highest mountain on this planet, this peak has a grim fame, particularly with regards to feminine climbers. The primary lady to achieve the summit was the legendary Polish climber Wanda Rutkiewicz, who reached the highest in June 1986.
Over the following 18 years, all 5 feminine climbers who summited this peak have been killed. Three died through the descent down K2, and two others on close by mountains.
Rutkiewicz additionally perished shut by on Kangchenjunga in 1992. The curse was lastly damaged in 2004 by Edurne Pasaban, a 31-year-old Spanish mountaineer who continues to climb. In 2017, Vanessa O’Brien turned the primary American lady to summit K2.
K2’s remoteness and lengthy strategy make expeditions extraordinarily resource-intensive and prolonged. It’s recognized for unhealthy climate and avalanches, which declare the lives of many who try it. However its demise price has dropped shortly in recent times, from 25% in 2021 to only 13.7% by 2024, in accordance with 8000ers.com.
4. Kangchenjunga, India-Nepal Border (28,169 Toes)
In 1999, a brand new James Bond novel discovered the tremendous spy trekking up Kangchenjunga’s dramatic ridges. Bond might have stopped to admire the attractive view, however appears might be deceiving. Avalanches and bitter chilly have made this one of many deadliest mountains on this planet.
Kangchenjunga is the third tallest on this planet, with no less than 53 deaths recorded on the mountain since 1905, in accordance with The Himalayan Database. With 568 summits, the mountain’s fatality price hovers round 10%.
5. Matterhorn, Switzerland-Italy Border (14,691 Toes)
With its first ascent in 1865, the Matterhorn has lengthy been one of the crucial standard mountains on this planet. Nonetheless, quick access to excessive factors on the mountain can result in severe hazard for inexperienced climbers trying its busy routes.
As of late, the principal hazard on the Matterhorn is its recognition, with overeager vacationers sending free rocks onto the heads of fellow climbers beneath. Nonetheless, local weather change has additionally made the mountain extra harmful in recent times, with document warmth waves resulting in elevated closures, ExplorersWeb reported.
Storms are additionally frequent through the afternoons of summit season. The Matterhorn sees about six deaths per 12 months, with about 600 whole deaths recorded since 1865, in accordance with Zermatt.
6. Mt. Everest, Nepal-China Border (29,029 Toes)
With its marquee standing, it will be simple to imagine that Mt. Everest is the deadliest mountain of all of them. However, pound for pound, Everest claims a reasonably small share of climbers, contemplating the variety of makes an attempt yearly.
Everest has taken over 280 lives since 1900, in accordance with the Himalayan Database. However 1000’s of profitable ascents — which solely develop yearly as expeditions get extra environment friendly at sending individuals to the summit — imply the mountain’s general fatality price is now lower than 1%.
However make no mistake: Everest stays a really harmful mountain.
7. Siula Grande, Huayhuash Vary of the Peruvian Andes (20,814 Toes)
Siula Grande is an imposing mountain within the Peruvian Andes, with sheer south and west faces.
In 1985, the duo of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, whose journey was chronicled within the e-book and movie Touching the Void, tried the mountain’s western face. The sheer wall had by no means been ascended — and the story of Yates and Simpson turned legendary.
Simpson and Yates reached the summit, however Simpson fell through the descent, breaking his leg. Then, as Yates lowered the injured Simpson down by rope, he overpassed him over a cliff.
An hour later, together with his place slipping away and Simpson unable to safe himself, Yates minimize the rope. Extremely, Simpson survived the 100-foot fall right into a crevasse. Over the following 3 days, he subsisted on melted snow and hopped the 5 miles again to camp. He arrived shortly earlier than Yates was set to depart for residence.
8. Mt. Washington in New Hampshire (6,288 Toes)
To expertise a lethal mountain somewhat nearer to residence, look no additional than this New Hampshire peak. Quickly shifting climate, hurricane-force winds, and summer time ice pellets scouring this slope have claimed greater than 100 lives.
Temperatures on the peak can descend to -50 levels Fahrenheit. In reality, the strongest wind ever measured on Earth was recorded on this peak, a gale of 231 mph. Almost 150 individuals have died on the harmful mountain, which additionally sees about 25 rescues yearly, in accordance with the Mount Washington Avalanche Heart.
9. Denali in Alaska (20,320 Toes)
The best peak in North America can be one of the crucial remoted and outstanding on this planet. An enormous problem of Denali is the time it takes to climb, with expeditions lasting 2 to 4 weeks. Regardless of many climbers worldwide attempting for this bucket listing ascent, solely about half of them attain the highest.
Worse, Denali is vulnerable to earthquakes, and the mixture of excessive altitude and excessive latitude additionally means altitude illness kicks in a lot quicker. On the equator, a peak this measurement would have about half as a lot oxygen on the summit than at sea degree. Due to the latitude, the share of oxygen on Denali is way decrease.
From 1903 to 2006, practically 100 individuals died attempting to achieve Denali’s summit, in accordance with a 2008 examine. Climbers proceed to die on the mountain yearly, with a number of fatalities already recorded in 2024.
10. Mont Blanc Massif (15,777 Toes)
The tallest mountain within the Alps has an extended historical past of climbing and climbing accidents. In 1786, its first summit by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard was hailed as the beginning of recent mountaineering.
At present, Mont Blanc is among the many most closely trafficked mountains on this planet, with about 20,000 individuals summiting yearly. But all of its routes contain excessive hazards corresponding to falling rocks and avalanches.
Throughout peak season, rescue companies have been recognized to common 12 missions per weekend. And it has the highest fatality price of any mountain in Europe, with estimates of 100 deaths per 12 months.
Nanga Parbat and Annapurna have each been known as “Killer Mountain” for his or her excessive demise tolls for climbers. Whereas Annapurna has lengthy held the document, there was the next variety of current deaths on Nanga Parbat, so it has retaken the mantle of “world’s deadliest mountain,” in accordance with ExplorersWeb.
Whereas Everest isn’t the deadliest mountain, it’s nonetheless very harmful and continues to draw the very best variety of individuals. For that purpose, the mountain has a whole lot of casualties, and lots of our bodies have remained on Everest for many years. As many as 200 our bodies might stay someplace on the mountain.
The best unclimbed mountain on this planet is believed to be Gangkhar Puensum, a 24,840-foot mountain on the border of China and Bhutan. In response to Condé Nast, climbing mountains greater than 20,000 toes has been prohibited in Bhutan since 1994 as a result of mountains like Gangkhar Puensum are sacred.
