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| Mountaineers dread these peaks as they are a major challenge for the most dedicated climbers. Check out the 24 most intimidating mountains in the world. |
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Mount Logan
Country/Continent: Canada/North America
Height: 19,550 feet (5,959 meters) The highest mountain in Canada and the second-highest peak in North America, Mount Logan is considered a challenging pursuit for climbers because of its isolation and the long trek that mountaineers have to take even before they start the ascent. |
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Gaurishankar
Country/Continent: Nepal-Tibet border/Asia
Height: 23,405 feet (7,134 meters) The dual-summit mountain is characterized by steep faces and long, corniced ridges that make it extremely difficult to climb. |
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Siula Grande
Country/Continent: Peru/South America
Height: 20,813 feet (6,344 meters) The strenuous hike, harrowing descent and unpredictable weather of Siula Grande make it a dangerous adventure, so much so that it became the subject of a book titled "Touching the Void" (2003) by mountaineer Joe Simpson, which was made into a film in 2003. |
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Mount St. Elias
Country/Continent: Canada-United States border/North America
Height: 18,008 feet (5,489 meters) Extremely steep, this mountain is regularly battered by harsh Pacific storms owing to its closeness to the Pacific coast. |
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Eiger
Country/Continent: Switzerland/Europe
Height: 13,025 feet (3,970 meters) The north face of Eiger in the Swiss Alps has earned the nickname Mordwand (murder wall) as at least 64 climbers have died while attempting to reach the summit since 1935. Rockfalls, avalanches and a technically difficult climb are major hurdles for climbers. |
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Mount Vinson
Continent: Antarctica
Height: 16,050 feet (4,892 meters) The highest point of the frozen continent, the mountain was not discovered until 1958. Although technically not as difficult as its Himalayan or Swiss counterparts, climbing Mount Vinson is yet challenging due to its remote location. |
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Mount Khuiten
Country/Continent: Mongolia-Russia-China border/Asia
Height: 14,350 feet (4,374 meters) Straddling the border of three countries, Mount Khuiten's obscure location makes it an extremely challenging peak to surmount. |
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Baintha Brakk
Country/Continent: Pakistan/Asia
Height: 23,900 feet (7,285 meters) Nicknamed “the Ogre,” the mountain is known for rock faces that are particularly steep and complex. |
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Cerro Paine Grande
Country/Continent: Chile/South America
Height: 10,006 feet (3,050 meters) Located in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia, climbing this extremely vertical, rocky mountain gets all the more difficult because of the unpredictable weather. |
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Gasherbrum IV
Country/Continent: Pakistan/Asia
Height: 26,152 feet (7,925 meters) Part of the Karakoram Range, it is considered one of the most technically difficult peaks in the world because of its height, sheer faces and the unstable weather in the región. |
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Nanga Parbat
Country/Continent: Pakistan/Asia
Height: 26,660 feet (8,126 meters) Nanga Parbat has never been scaled successfully during winter. The ninth highest mountain in the world, technical difficulties pose serious challenges even to experienced climbers. |
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Dhaulagiri I
Country/Continent: Nepal/Asia
Height: 26,794.6 feet (8,167 meters) The steep-walled mountain is notorious for unpredictable weather and loose ice-sheets leading to avalanches and crevasses. Over 70 climbers have died attempting to reach the Summit. |
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Cerro Torre
Country/Continent: Argentina-Chile border/South America
Height: 10,262 feet (3,127 meters) Its sheer steepness, violent weather and lack of a clear line of ascent make it almost unfit for climbing. |
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Denali / Mount McKinley
Country/Continent: United States/North America
Height: 20,320 feet (6,193 meters) The tallest peak in North America poses significant risk even for experienced climbers. Over 100 people have lost their lives trying to scale the mountain, mostly due to hazardous weather, extremely low temperatures and altitude sickness. |
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Makalu
Country/Continent: Nepal-China border/Asia
Height: 27,825 feet (8,481 meters) Located 19 kilometers (11.8 miles) away from Mount Everest, Makalu is considered one of the hardest of the 14 "eight-thousanders" (the mountains that rise more than 8,000 meters above sea level) to climb due to its extremely unpredictable weather. At least 32 people have died trying to reach its summit. |
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Melungtse
Country/Continent: Nepal-Tibet border/Asia
Height: 23,555 feet (7,181 meters) An incredibly steep mountain, Melungtse was first conquered in 1992 by Slovenians Marko Prezelj and Andrej Stremfelj. |
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Matterhorn
Country/Continent: Switzerland-Italy border/Europe
Height: 14,691 feet (4,478 meters) With difficulties ranging from rock falls to avalanches, this cone-shaped mountain has claimed the lives of over 400 climbers since a British expedition team reached its summit more than 150 years ago. |
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Annapurna
Country/Continent: Nepal/Asia
Height: 26,493 feet (8,075 meters) At 32 percent, Annapurna has the highest fatality-to-summit rate among the "eight-thousanders". Until 2012, only 191 people managed to reach its peak successfully. A rock wall that rises 9,800 feet (3,000 meters) on the extremely steep south face is said to be one of the most difficult hikes in the world. |
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Mount Fitz Roy
Country/Continent: Argentina-Chile border/South America
Height: 11,171 feet (3,405 meters) The jagged granite-faced mountain is incredibly steep on all sides and throws a tough challenge to climbers. Also, weather here is unpredictable; expect strong winds, rain and low temperatures even during summer. |
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Lhotse
Country/Continent: Nepal-Tibet border/Asia
Height: 27,940 feet (8,516 meters) The biggest challenge for mountaineers attempting to climb the fourth tallest mountain in the world is that above 26,000 feet (roughly 8,000 meters), the air becomes too thin making it extremely difficult to breathe. Window periods to the summit are narrow due to violent weather, which pose another challenge to climbers. |
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Mont Blanc
Country/Continent: Italy-France border/Europe
Height: 15,771 feet (4,807 meters) The snow-mantled rock face of Mont Blanc may not be as intimidating as the Himalayan giants, but then, looks can be deceptive! It has the highest fatality rate of any mountain in Europe as around 8,000 climbers have died here while trying to reach its summit. |
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Kangchenjunga
Country/Continent: India-Nepal border/Asia
Height: 28,169 feet (8,586 meters) Arguably the most dangerous mountain in the world, it is also the third highest peak. With avalanches, blizzards, falling rocks and crevasses to be faced throughout the year, climbing this mountain is a tough challenge for even the most experienced mountaineers. |
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K2
Country/Continent: Pakistan-China border/Asia
Height: 28,251 feet (8,611 meters) Known as 'Savage Mountain,' the second-highest peak on Earth is also one of the most dangerous to scale. Over 80 people have lost their lives so far trying to reach the summit. Gale force winds, deep snow drifts, rockfalls and avalanches are some of its constants during summer season. |
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Mount Everest
Country/Continent: Nepal-China border/Asia
Height: 29,035 feet (8,849.8 meters) The world's highest mountain is also one of the most difficult to scale. More than 200 people have lost their lives trying to reach its summit. The Khumbu Icefall is considered the most dangerous stage of the South Col route to the peak due to the unpredictable movement of the ice. |
