Friday, October 31, 2025

Is Mt. Everest the hardest mountain to climb in the world?

 Not according to informed opinions - not mine, but those of the mountaineering community in general.

K2, only 300 feet or so lower than Everest, is more remote, technically more difficult, especially towards the top, has more fickle weather and the routes are subject to more avalanche danger.

K2 has an infamous reputation for killing climbers.

Nanda Devi is almost inaccessible, hidden inside a ring of high mountains with only one narrow way in, through the Rishi Gorge.

Everything has to come in through the gorge. First climbed in 1934 by Bill Tilman and Noel Odell, and an almost modern lightweight expedition, the ascent was not repeated until 1964.

You can see why it attracts climbers, though.

Mount Vinson is the highest point of the Antarctic continent.

It offers little technical difficulty beyond the usual problems of an expedition to Antarctica. Which are considerable.