World's 10 Most Dangerous Mountains
January 22, 2008
Take it or leave it, this morbid article on the climbing world’s most dangerous mountains has a few interesting nuggets. Did you know that K2 is thought to have a curse against women? Or that Mt. Washington in New Hampshire is more dangerous, stats-wise, than Denali? Read on for the full scoop, a list of the World’s 10 Most Dangerous Mountains for Climbing. . .
#1. ANNAPURNA, Central Nepal (26,545 ft.)
On this mountain, the 10th highest in the world, about 130 climbers have summited the avalanche-prone peak, but 53 have died trying — making Annapurna’s fatality rate of 41% the highest in the world.
#2. NANGA PARBAT, Kashmir (26,657 ft.)
Known affectionately as the Man Eater, this craggy monster in Kashmir is an enormous ridge of rock and ice. The peak is the ninth highest in the world and its southern side features the tallest mountain face on the planet. Nanga Parbat claimed 31 lives before it was conquered by Austrian Herman Buhl in 1953.
#3. SIULA GRANDE, Peruvian Andes (20,814 ft.)
In 1985, the duo of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, whose journey was chronicled in the book and film Touching the Void, attempted the western face of Siula Grande: a sheer, vertical ascent that had never been completed. They made it to the summit but Simpson fell during the descent, breaking his leg. Then Yates, lowering the injured Simpson down by rope, lost sight of him over a cliff. After an hour passed, with his position slipping away, and Simpson unable to secure himself, Yates cut the rope. Incredibly, Simpson survived the 100 ft. fall into a crevasse. Over the next three days he subsisted on melted snow and hopped the five miles back to camp, arriving shortly before Yates, assuming Simpson had perished, was due to depart for home.
What about Mount Blanc? I thought that was the No. 1 most dangerous peak in the world?
You have not mentioned The great Trango….. why?
Mt Cook [ Aorangi ], New Zealand’s highest peak has killed dozens of climbers. It may not rank with the Matterhorn, K2 etc, but its a killer peak.
when I lived in Japan we all walked up Fuji at least yearly and each time had a walking stick that got stamped, to show how far you made it. Great fortune to those that make it to the top. I should go walk it again.
I think this is top ten famous mountains rather than most deadly. What statistical method was used to draw up this list. Most deaths, deaths per attempt, death per summit. The stat for Everest is baloney 9%? maybe back in the 80s but not since the days when 500 people summit a season.
Alluding to what Ian states, i am sure more people die in one season on the mt blanc Massif than a lifetime on Nanga Parbat
Quite a bogus story .
The deadliest peaks are not necessarily those physical peaks that can be climbed on this earth but instead the deadliest peaks are those that are climbed by overconfident or underexperienced. I suppose if you climb even the least of the rock you take the chance you will not survive. A mountain is nothing more than a mountain. All the more reason to keep climbing and hiking!
Massif du Mont-Blanc is the most dangerous mountain, it has claimed the most lives. Why is it not in the list? Why are Fuji and Mt Washington even mentioned, is this a joke?
Have you ever climbed a mountain?
radson, and more people die in car accidents than mountain climbing. What’s your fucking point, pinhead?
It’s true that the K2 is the most deadliest peak.
The reason is that the valocity of air is to high and it’s hard to climb on it.Some people say that it’s an evil sprit and only great man can fight it.
There’s a gift shop at the top of Mt. Washington. Real dangerous.
k2 is also in pakistan
K2 is by far the most dangerous peak in the world. With the most unpredicatble weather and huge avalanches there is no mountain which comes close to K2. Only the most experienced and skilled climbers in the world have been able to reach the summit and come back to tell the story.
To Anderson,,, the gift shop are for the cowards that can’t climb it,so they drive up. Don’t take away from the ppl that brave the mountain.
rofl @ mount Washington being ranking just under Everest and just above Denali. Are you kidding me?! Washington is recommended for experienced “hikers”.
The reason Mt. Washington is on here is because of stupid people. Every year some numb nut tries to do it without the proper gear and gets killed when the weather shifts. I’ve seen people on that mountain so unprepared that I knew if they twisted an ankle they’d be dead before someone could reach them. The fact that it has an auto road and summit building makes it worse. Gives people a false sense of security.
The weather on Mt. Washington can suddenly turn from a sunny day to freezing with ice pelting you in 60mph winds. It’s pushed a lot of people to falls and being cut off from a safe return until it’s too late, even those properly equipped. The natives warned of the mountain, and those who “get it” have a lot of respect. It can kill you quick.
Not gonna lie, I agree with a lot of what is said about these top 10 (not Mt Wash though, its a friggin mommy/daddy/little joey tourist mark). However, whats with the math on #1? “…about 130 climbers have summited the avalanche-prone peak, but 53 have died trying — making Annapurna’s fatality rate of 41% the highest in the world.” If 130 have made it, and 53 other people have died trying, that means 183 people have tried, 130 were successful and 53 died. 53/183 = 29%
About the maths on No1.The article may be badly written as many climbers can die on the way down!So about 130 may have summited but all did not reach the bottom! This will throw out the percentages.
Clearly the main point of discussion here is the credibility of the article. Has anyone here climbed Mt. Washington? Probably not, it seems a lot of people are basing death on elevation and remoteness. The death toll for Mt. Washington is approximately 130+/- people in and around the mountain. No other mountain on this list has weather that comes close to winter conditions on Washington. Can you stroll up it on a sunny day at age 75…yes. Can you be experienced and die in 100 mph winds and avalanches…yes. That is just science. This last part goes out to “I know Math”. I’m glad your 4th grade reasoning skills helped you deduce your answer. If you knew anything about percentages in mountain climbing deaths, they are always based on the ratio of deaths to summits, that is where 41% comes from. You can’t deduce 29% from attempts, you have no clue how many people sat at Base camp or only got to 7,000 M, etc.
When we had to drive this year from British Columbia all the Way to Ontario for my grandma’s very late funeral (Canada) I saw the Rocky Mountains, and they looked pretty dangerous, but cool
The toughest to climb doesn’t equal most dangerous. Most dangerous is most deaths OR highest percentage of deaths to attempts.
Mt. Washington is listed due to its high number of deaths but, as already mentioned, it takes a fair bit of foolishness to die there. Most of the recent deaths were due to heart attacks. These was a serious case of hypothermia a few years ago (permanent brain damage) but those boys hiked up without any layers in a cold rain.
Clearly only very few people have the ability to climb the first 5 peaks mentioned .so for jo average who can walk mont blonc (easy) if that person was to even attempt to climb say mount everist un aided would be guaranteed a certain death certificate , work it out for yourselves DUMMIES!!!
i got annapurna for every search ive done so it must be the most dangerous !!!!
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