It has been an outstanding feat of human endeavor to climb the tallest mountains. Conquering mountains is a source of pride and self-satisfaction. This fascination continues till the present day. Most of the biggest mountain peaks are located in the Himalayas. Let us take a look at some of them.

Mount Everest

Mount Everest is famous as the tallest mountain peak in the world and was created around 60 million years ago. The peak has a height of 8850 meters (29,035 feet). It is still rising at 1.6 to 3.9 inches per year. Mount Everest is located along the border of Nepal and Tibet. In Nepal, it is known as Sagarmatha (Goddess of the Sky). In Tibet, it is known as Chomolungma (Mother Goddess of the Universe). Surveyor Radhanath Sikdar of Bengal discovered that it was the world’s tallest peak. The name Everest was given to the peak in 1865. The first people to climb it were Sir Edmond Hilary of New Zealand and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay of Nepal. This major milestone took place on May 29, 1953. The Everest base camp is located at a height of 5360 meters. The Nepalese government charges between ten thousand to twenty five thousand US dollars for permission to climb this peak. It is a major source of tourist revenue for Nepal. The longest stay on top of the peak was by Babu Chiri Sherpa, who stayed for twenty one and half hours. In May 2001, Erik Weihenmayer of US achieved the stunning feat of becoming the first blind person to climb Mount Everest.

K2

K2 is the second tallest mountain peak of the world. Its height is 8611 meters. It is also regarded as one of the toughest and dangerous mountain peaks to climb. It is located in the Karakoram segment of the Himalayan range in Pakistani Kashmir. K2 ‘s local name is "Chogori" which means King of Mountains. K2 is dubbed the Savage Mountain due to the arduous ascent and chilling statistics that for every four people who reach the summit, one dies trying. The K2 was discovered and measured by the Survey of India in 1856. In 1902, a six-man group of European climbers led by the Englishman Eckenstein, tried to climb K2. They could only reach 6,600 meters. At this time, early in the century, they had no knowledge of the obstacles in ascending such a high mountain. K2 was first conquered on July 31, 1954 by an Italian climbers team lead by Ardito Desio and giving him company were Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni. K2 has been climbed from almost all ridges as of today.

Kanchenjunga

Kanchenjunga is the third highest mountain peak in the world. The name comes from the Tibetan words "Kanchen" and "Dzonga" which stands for "The Five Treasures of Snows". It is located on the India-Nepal border. It is 8586 meters (28,169) feet in height. There have been a total of 38 attempts to ascend it, out of which 24 have been successful. The wildlife at Kanchenjunga has blue sheep, musk deer etc. Rinzin Namgyal, made the first map of the peak in the 19th century. In 1955, a British expedition led by Charles Evans successfully conquered it.

So has reading about these mountains made you excited. These mountains are waiting to be scaled. Do you dare to become a mountaineer and climb the tallest of tall peaks?

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