Read on for a complete rundown of the world’s 10 most dangerous mountains for climbing, listed in no particular order. Most death statistics for Himalayan mountains come from The Himalayan Database, which collected data from 1950 to 2019, or 8000ers.com.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2008. It has been updated for clarity and accuracy.
1. Nanga Parbat in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (26,657 Feet)
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Known as “Killer Mountain,” this craggy monster in Pakistan is an enormous ridge of rock and ice. Nanga Parbat is the ninth-highest mountain in the world, and its southern side is what many call the tallest mountain face on the planet. The Rupal Face rises 15,090 feet above its base.
This peak was the subject of German interest in the 1930s. When only Britain had access to Mt. Everest, German climbers saw Killer Mountain as the highest mountain reasonably scalable by climbers at the time. But that doesn’t mean it was easy.
Nanga Parbat claimed 31 lives before it was conquered by Austrian Hermann Buhl in 1953. Annapurna was regarded as the most dangerous mountain in the world for many years, but Nanga Parbat has recently retaken the record, according to ExplorersWeb.
2. Annapurna in Central Nepal (26,545 Feet)
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3. K2, Pakistan-China Border (28,251 Feet)
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4. Kangchenjunga, India-Nepal Border (28,169 Feet)
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5. Matterhorn, Switzerland-Italy Border (14,691 Feet)
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6. Mt. Everest, Nepal-China Border (29,029 Feet)
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7. Siula Grande, Huayhuash Range of the Peruvian Andes (20,814 Feet)
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8. Mt. Washington in New Hampshire (6,288 Feet)
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9. Denali in Alaska (20,320 Feet)
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10. Mont Blanc Massif (15,777 Feet)
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Nanga Parbat and Annapurna have both been called “Killer Mountain” for their high death tolls for climbers. While Annapurna has long held the record, there has been a higher number of recent deaths on Nanga Parbat, so it has retaken the mantle of “world’s deadliest mountain,” according to ExplorersWeb.
While Everest is not the deadliest mountain, it’s still very dangerous and continues to attract the highest number of people. For that reason, the mountain has hundreds of casualties, and many bodies have remained on Everest for decades. As many as 200 bodies may remain somewhere on the mountain.
The highest unclimbed mountain in the world is believed to be Gangkhar Puensum, a 24,840-foot mountain on the border of China and Bhutan. According to Condé Nast, climbing mountains higher than 20,000 feet has been prohibited in Bhutan since 1994 because mountains like Gangkhar Puensum are sacred.