The most difficult mountain to climb. Tibet, Western Nepal. Legend of the "Stone Mirrors"

Everest

Location: Nepal, China. Himalayas
Height: 8 848 m

Everest is the modern Golgotha. Everyone who has the courage and decides to climb the mountain that breathes grave cold knows that the chance to return may not fall. The bodies of those who are no longer destined to descend will certainly remind of this. Of the more than 7,000 who climbed Everest, about 250 people are officially considered dead. In percentage terms, this figure is not so large, but the statistics cease to reassure and turn into a nightmare when you rise and see the bodies of those who also believed in their invulnerability.

Annapurna

Location: Nepal. Himalayas
Height: 8 091 m

Annapurna is best described in the words of the American climber Ed Vitus: “Annapurna is one continuous danger, completely covered with ice. One large piece of ice with ice growths on it. And the question is which way the next growth will turn, forward or backward. Annapurna is considered to be one of the most dangerous mountains. About 40% of climbers who tried to conquer it remain lying on its slopes.

Mont Blanc

Location: France, Italy. Alps
Altitude: 4 695 m

Mont Blanc or White Mountain is the highest massif in the mountain range and the highest peak in Europe. Among climbers, Mont Blanc is not considered particularly dangerous for climbing, but by some sinister twist of fate it breaks records for mortality. Over the history of ascents, numbering more than two centuries, the slopes of the White Mountain claimed the lives of several thousand climbers - a figure that even Everest is far from.

Nanga Parbat

Location: Pakistan. Himalayas
Height: 8 126 m

Before Everest gained its popularity among climbers, it was Nanga Parbat that held the lead in the number of climbers who died on its slopes. For which she received the nickname of the Killer Mountain. In 1953, trying to get to its top, 62 people died at once. Since then, apparently, the mountain has quenched its thirst for blood. To date, mortality has decreased significantly - to 5.5%.

Kanchenjunga

Location: Nepal, India. Himalayas
Height: 8 586 m

This is the third highest mountain in the world. Kanchenjunga is a true climber's nightmare, as inclement weather reigns here all the time and avalanches break down every now and then. Only 190 daredevils managed to climb to the top of Kanchenjunga, and the mortality among climbers here reaches 22%.

K2

Location: Pakistan, China. Himalayas
Height: 8 614 m

Mount K2 or Chogori provides the most extreme conditions for climbing. This mountain knows no mercy and does not forgive mistakes - every fourth climber who tries to reach its top dies. IN winter period ascent is not possible at all. Our compatriots have made their contribution to the history of climbing K2. On August 21, 2007, Russian climbers managed to climb the most difficult route, which until that time was considered impassable western slope tops.

Aigar

Location: Switzerland, Alps
Height: 3970 m

Eigar is considered one of the deadliest peaks in the world, despite its insignificant height. He is often referred to as "The Cannibal". Big problems for climbers turn into an incredibly large height difference and constantly changing weather. For a century and a half of ascents, the summit claimed the lives of 65 people.

Fitzroy

Location: Argentina, Chile. Patagonia
Height: 3 359 m

This majestic granite peak is both the most unvisited and one of the most dangerous mountain peaks. On average, there is only one successful ascent per year. The climber faces two problems at once: firstly, in order to climb to the top, you need to overcome a sheer section of rock 600 meters high, and secondly, inclement weather that can last for weeks can generally discourage any desire to climb the rocks. In addition, you can climb Fitzroy only from December to February - the summer months in the southern hemisphere.

Vinson Massif

Location: Antarctica
Height: 4 892 m

The highest mountains of Antarctica are not considered too difficult to climb in the climbing environment. Since 1958, about one and a half thousand people have climbed their peaks. The hardest part is getting to the array itself. Antarctica is a good place for penguins, but it's easy for people to freeze to death or perish in a blizzard here.

Matterhorn

Location: Switzerland, Italy. Alps
Height: 4 478 m

One of the most difficult peaks in the Alps to conquer - its northern slope is generally considered impregnable and technically the most difficult to conquer. Frequent avalanches and rockfalls do not facilitate the ascent. However, in 1865, the summit of the Matterhorn was conquered twice at once. True, the first group of four people fell into the abyss due to a cable break.

In April of this year, one of the most tragic incidents in the history of conquering the mountain happened on Everest: as a result of an avalanche at an altitude of 5800 meters, 16 Sherpa guides died. However, the highest peak in the world is not the most dangerous and difficult. Let's take a look at the list of the 25 most dangerous mountain peaks in the world.

Everest, Nepal/China

Everest, being the highest peak in the world, at the same time is not the most difficult to climb, but still quite dangerous. In the entire history of ascents on the slopes of the mountain, about 250 climbers have died. This year alone, an avalanche at an altitude of 5800 meters buried 16 Sherpa guides under it.

Makalu, Nepal/China

Makalu (pictured: a mountain with a glimpse of the sun on top), the fifth highest mountain in the world, is located just 12 km from Everest, on the border of Napal and China. The difficulty of climbing it also lies in the fact that it is difficult to get to it. Now helicopters are used for this. Makalu is considered one of the most difficult peaks among the eight-thousanders. The conquest of the "Crown of the Earth" - the conquest of all 14 eight-thousanders of the planet - is a great achievement in high-altitude mountaineering. On this moment only 30 climbers succeeded (27 men and 3 women).

Photo: Oleg Dubinets

Mont Blanc, France/Italy

Technically, Mont Blanc is not a difficult peak, which attracts a huge number of climbers of various levels to it. Perhaps that is why, according to various estimates, up to 8,000 people died on the slopes of Mont Blanc.

Photo: tomas meson

Chogori or K2, Pakistan/China

Chogori or K2 - the second highest peak in the world - perhaps the most difficult and deadly dangerous mountain in this list. For every four successful ascents of Chogori, there is one death. Expeditions to K2 depart only during the summer season.

Photo: Kev Little

Cerro Torre, Argentina/Chile

Looking at the photo of Cerro Torre, one can easily imagine why this peak is so difficult. Due to the strongest cold winds, the steep top of the mountain is often covered with a dense crust of ice. The first successful attempt to climb was made only in 1974.

Photo: Geoff Livingston

Annapurna, Nepal

Annapurna was visited by only 157 people, about 60 more died before reaching the top. Thus, the mortality rate on this mountain is 38%, which is even higher than that of K2. However, this is not the limit: Kanchenjunga has a higher mortality rate, but more on that below. The southern slope of Annapurna is considered one of the most difficult routes to climb.

Photo: Steve Razzetti

Eiger, Switzerland

The Eiger in Switzerland is notorious for its impregnable northern wall with a vertical drop of 1650 m. 64 people died on this slope alone. The first ascent of the Eiger was made in 1858.

Jannu, Nepal

Mount Jannu in the Nepalese Himalayas attracts the attention of climbers around the world as one of the most beautiful and difficult peaks of the Himalayas. The most difficult sections start after 7000 meters.

Photo: My Himalayas

Logan, Canada

Mount Logan is the second highest peak in North America after McKinley, it is included in the list of "Seven Second Peaks", which includes the second highest peaks of all seven continents. Some of these peaks are considered more difficult than their more famous and taller rivals. What is worth only, for example, K2 (mentioned above). Although the ascent of Logan itself is no more difficult than McKinley, however, before that, climbers still have to make a long way to the foot.

Photo: robertlbolton24

Dhaulagiri I, Nepal

The Dhaulagiri mountain range consists of 11 peaks, the main of which exceeds 8 km, the rest exceed 7 km. From 1808 to 1832, Dhaulagiri was considered the highest peak in the world, but climbers turned their attention to it only in the early 1950s. Only the eighth expedition was successful. Dhaulagiri I ranks seventh in the ranking of the most high peaks and has a higher mortality rate among those comparable in height Himalayan mountains. Since 1950, 58 climbers have died on the mountain.

Photo: Zolashine

Gauri Shankar, Nepal/China

Gauri Shankar is located near his neighbor Melungtse. Since it is ascended from the side of Nepal, and not Tibet, she accepted large quantity climbers. As with Melungtse, climbing Gauri Shankar is extremely difficult.

Photo: Ashish Bhujel

Siula Grande, Peru

The peak of Siula Grande, located in the Peruvian Andes, gained fame thanks to the book "Touching the Void" by climber Joe Simpson. The book tells the story of two young British climbers who, in 1985, set off to conquer Siula Grande on a route that no one had yet climbed. In 2003, this exciting book was made into a documentary.

Photo: eathikesleephike

Banntha Brakk, Pakistan

Only three expeditions have reached the summit of this mountain in the Karakorum mountain range. Known as one of the most difficult peaks world: between the first successful ascent in 1977 and the next one in 2001, a whole 24 years passed. For the difficulty of climbing and the high mortality rate, the mountain was nicknamed the "cannibal".

Photo: nunkun

Vinson Massif, Antarctica

Climbing Vinson is not too difficult, but the problem is that it is the highest peak in Antarctica. The existence of this mountain range became known only in 1957, it was then that it was discovered by American aircraft. The highest point - Vinson Peak (4892 m) is part of the Seven Summits climbing project.

Photo: Stefan Radovanovic

Cerro Paine Grande, Chile

The summit of Cerro Paine Grande is part of the Cordillera del Paine mountain range in Chile. As with Fitz Roy, the difficulty of the climb lies in sheer cliffs and unpredictable weather.

Photo: Sebastian Irarrazaval

Lhotse, Nepal/China

Lhotse is directly connected to Everest and is considered the fourth highest peak. About 400 successful ascents and 20 deaths have been recorded on Lhotse. Climbing Lhotse isn't all that difficult: at least one tour operator offers a package that includes climbing both peaks on the same expedition.

Photo: Carsten Nebel

Melungtse, Nepal/China

The only successful attempt to climb Melungtse was recorded in 1992, but to a greater extent not because of the difficulty of climbing, but because of the difficulty of obtaining permission from the Tibetan authorities. Nanga Parbat, Pakistan

Mount Nanga Parbat was dubbed "the eater of people." For the first time it was possible to conquer it only in 1953, and many subsequent attempts ended tragically. The peculiarity of the ascent to Nanga Parbat is that part of the ascent from all sides is made up of sheer walls, the length of one of which, called Rupalskaya, reaches 4600 meters - this is the most long wall in the world. Nanga Parbat has never been conquered in winter.

Photo: Getty

St. Elias, USA/Canada

Mount St. Elias (St. Elias), located on the border of Yukon and Alaska, is not spoiled by the attention of climbers due to terrible weather conditions that make climbing difficult most of the year. Because the summit is only 10 miles from the ocean, it is subject to frequent Pacific storm winds.

Kanchenjunga, India/Nepal

Until 1852, Kangchenjunga was considered highest mountain world, however, calculations made after the expedition of 1849 showed that Everest is higher, and Kanchenjunga is the third highest peak. Despite the global downward trend in mortality in mountain climbing, in the case of Kanchenjunga this rule does not work. IN last years the number of tragic cases has increased to 22% and is not going to fall.

There is a legend in Nepal that Kanchenjunga is a woman mountain and she kills all women who try to climb to its top. For a long time, the only woman who managed to climb to the top and go back down was the British climber Jeanette Harrison, who conquered the Main Summit in 1998. A year and a half later, she died while climbing Dhaulagiri. In 2008, the Austrian Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner climbed the highest point of one of the most beautiful mountains of the Himalayas, in 2009 - the Spaniard Edurne Pasaban, the Polish Kinga Baranovska and the Korean Oh Eun Son.

Near Mount Kailash, travelers experience completely new sensations that they did not know before. One becomes good and it seems as if the most beautiful place on earth, they are no longer afraid of anything, the surrounding place begins to frighten others and seem to push them away from themselves, many are left speechless. Someone says that if you ask a question that concerns you near this mountain, then you can solve it easily and non-standard.

Mythic Frontier

IN Lately in addition to pilgrims, dozens of expeditions flock to the mountain, people who dream of conquering the snowy peak. However, something special happens to each of them: a mythical frontier grows in front of someone, which he cannot cross, no matter how much he wants to. Others have blisters on their palms as soon as they touch the mountain.

Amazing and geographical position Mount Kailash: it is 6666 km from the North Pole, from South Pole the distance to the foot of the mountain is twice as long, but to Stonehenge it is also 6666 km.

However, physically the mountain rarely resists climbers, avalanches and rockfalls are rare here. Nevertheless, all tourists voluntarily refuse to go up literally after 300-400 meters. Be close to sacred mountain only the most outcast people can do it.

Legend of the "Stone Mirrors"

However, there is a sacred mountain road that can be reached. There is a legend that tells of two travelers who turned off sacred road When they climbed Mount Kailash, after returning to their village in just a few months, young people aged 60 years and died. Doctors then could not find any visible reason for such withering.

Recently, thanks to experiments, it was revealed that in 12 hours at Mount Kailash, people's nails and hair grow as much as they would grow under normal conditions for two to three weeks.

Near the foot of the mountain is the "Heavenly Cemetery", where the corpses of Tibetans are taken out to be eaten by vultures. Such funerals are considered auspicious for the soul of the deceased.

Who among us sometimes does not want to achieve world fame, who among us does not see himself in dreams, shrouded in rays of glory. The conquest of the world is the goal, and in order to achieve the goal, it is necessary to draw up detailed plan actions.

You will need

• Talent, perseverance, English tutor.

Instruction

Since you want the whole world, not just the CIS, you need to speak English - the number one language in the world. If you take it to the top educational institution Great, first step completed. Taught - pick up old textbooks and notes, refresh yours, then sign up for courses. If you see an English textbook for the first time, hire a tutor, he will select an individual program for you, and in a year or two you can quite well master foreign language. Of course, you can hire someone to translate your work into English, but think about future press conferences!

Think about what area you are talented in. Perhaps you sing well? You thought about a book in your youth, but there was no time? Write original and at the same time easy to use computer programs? Do you play tom-tom? It is with your ingenious skill that you will conquer the world.

Now the key is persistence. Record a song and send it to a US company. Put it on youtube so ordinary people will know about you. Submit the manuscript to the publisher. Go to the international conference of programmers. Join the African American tom-tom-playing competition. If you suffer - do not be discouraged, there are many producers and competitions in the world, and you are the only one.

When you are finally noticed and offered a contract, feel free to go on tour, translate the book into all languages ​​of the world, go to give charity concerts in Africa. The whole world will know about you!

Helpful advice

If you are going to conquer the world not in the near future, but in 10 years, you can immediately bet on the Chinese language.

Sources:

• international language

Lost in the mountains of Tibet amazing country with the same name. In fact, Tibet is part of the Republic of China, but it is very difficult to call it just Chinese province. This is a separate state, with its own language, cultural traditions and religion, so original and incredible that it seems to be an enclave of another world, mystical and mysterious.

Road to Tibet

For a long time, Tibet was closed to foreigners, but fortunately, in 1984 the ban was lifted, and the foothills of the Himalayas showed the world the richest culture and history of this ancient country. However, getting here is still quite difficult. In order to enter the territory of Tibet, you must obtain permission from a special Bureau, and this is not so easy. Accompanying a licensed guide is a prerequisite for staying in this area. In addition, entry laws foreign tourists so unstable and changeable that at times no one is allowed here except the Chinese.

The road to Tibet may be through China itself or through Nepal. Pleasure is not cheap, the average fare from Nepal is $ 1,000. You will have to issue a permit - a special permit, as well as a group visa, one cannot get into Tibet alone, only with a group. A visa to this state in a state is issued separately, not the same as to China, so it makes sense to have 2 packages of documents.

Lhasa

The capital of Tibet is the city of Lhasa. You can get to this high-altitude oasis by flight from any relatively large Chinese city. You can get there by car, winding along the mountain serpentine, there are even excursions with hiking. And quite recently, the real "road to heaven" was completed. This nickname has already been given to the Qinghai railway connecting lowland China with the heights of Tibet. The canvas runs along the most picturesque route, opening a view of the full-flowing Brahmaputra and the snow-white peaks of the mountains. And besides, traveling by this train will significantly save travel time from Shigatse province to the capital of Tibet, as it takes only a couple of hours.

Upon arrival in Lhasa, the journey does not end, but, on the contrary, only begins, because there are many monasteries ahead that should be visited. Religion occupies an important place in the life of the Tibetans, so the road to Tibet can be considered not only physical movement, but also the path of spiritual enlightenment. High in the mountains there are many temples, Buddhist and Hindu, monasteries, spiritual schools and ancient sources of power, touching which is the greatest happiness. Oddly enough, Tibetan rituals are also associated with the road, with all kinds of walking. For example, the local natural shrine, Mount Kailash, was chosen for the bark, a rite of purification from all sins, which is achieved on foot sacred mountain. Both day and night, Tibetans and pilgrims walk around the main Buddhist shrines. And yet, somewhere here begins the path to the mystical Shambhala, the legendary portal to another dimension. Obviously, Tibet is the crossroads of worlds, and roads where everyone can choose the path to their liking.

Last update: 11/24/2018

Conquest of mountain peaks is not an easy task. It requires careful and serious preparation. Climbing or simple hiking are activities for lovers of nature and a healthy lifestyle.

In May 2004, British climber Neil McNab and his partner Andy Perkins made their way through a high-altitude, difficult snowstorm over the Denali Pass, at an altitude of 6,000 meters above sea level. It was in the swamps of Mount McKinley in Alaska - the highest mountain top in North America. They were looking for a fallen Korean climber who had been left for dead during his attempt to reach the summit hours earlier. “His jacket was open, his bare arm looked frozen, and his head was chained to the ground,” recalls McNab, an IFMGA/UIAGM high-level guide and ISIA/ISTD ski and snowboard teacher. “When Andy felt for a pulse, he suddenly woke up, sat up, yelled and passed out again,” McNab says. “We no longer had a body to deal with. Now we had salvation in our hands.”

It was the start of an 18-hour saga as McNab and Perkins lowered a rock climber 1,000m down the mountainside to save their lives and abandon their own attempt at this point. For their efforts, they were awarded the Medal of Valor by the US Government.

Climbing is full of such stories, and the statistics can make a terrifying impression. Prior to 2007, for example, the death rate on Everest among those trying to reach the summit was staggering in 10 years. Everything today more people rises than ever before. Are you planning to commit one of the deceptive difficult ascents in the UK like Ben Nevis or Snowden? Or maybe you want to rush to the heights of the most powerful Chomolungma (Everest)? Then you need the right preparation and the right decision making.

Hike planning

“Climbing is like solving a puzzle,” McNab says. “The easier you climb, the more ways to solve the puzzle. The most difficult climbs have only one solution, and in these cases you either have the skills to solve the sequence of actions or you don't."

There is a mass of mountain literature, which outlines various approaches to the campaign. At this time the cards Google Earth can be used to study height, gradients, the proximity of one vertex to another, and the distance to suitable base camps and access points. Each mountain will also have an optimal season, which must be taken into account. For example, the annual Everest hiking season falls in May to take advantage of short period, which marks the beginning of the Asian monsoon. The winds at the summit then decrease to normal speed.

Climbing mountains is also high performance endurance, so any of classic types sports such as running, cycling, rowing or even climbing hills or small mountains are a great start.

Acclimatization

In the ascent itself, the importance of acclimatization comes down to a simple physical equation. The higher you go, the less oxygen. Your body uses oxygen to feed your muscles. The harder you work, the more your body needs it. With less oxygen available on high altitudes, everything has to work harder, and your physical and mental abilities are drastically reduced.

At higher altitudes, above 4000 m, the effect is even more insidious. This can be shortness of breath, headaches, fatigue and dizziness, and more serious consequences can develop. Acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), or high-altitude cerebral edema (HAPE) can be fatal.

You can mitigate these potentially catastrophic effects by being as fit as possible and carefully planning your acclimatization process to suit your own expedition. Acclimatization can take weeks, depending on how high you intend to go.

Travel light

Unless you're on an old-style Himalayan expedition staffed by porters and Sherpas, you're more likely to carry everything yourself. This will include a rope, a harness, a set of equipment, climbing crampons, an ice ax, clothing for warm and cold conditions, food and water. If you are climbing a classic vertical large wall such as The Nose on El Capitan V national park Yosemite in California, which usually takes three to five days, you may also need a bigwall overnight platform .

“Reducing the load will result in a marginal gain that could make a difference,” McNab says. “Hard work at height can be like climbing five flights of stairs while breathing through a straw. Any extra weight only complicates everything.

So think about how the intrepid Jacques Balmat, who on June 5, 1786, armed with only a bottle of brandy and a baguette, decided to spend the night on the Grande Moule at an altitude of 3000 m. In doing so, he found a route to Mont Blanc, which meant that he would the first conqueror on August 8, 1786.

Studying the weather

Bad weather is without a doubt the biggest obstacle between failure and success on any mountaineering expedition. No wonder the Himalayan expeditions rely so heavily on the weather from the “window”. They usually rely on good weather for five to seven days, allowing top-level teams to ascend and descend in sufficient time to avoid danger. Even then things can go wrong. For example, as it was during the disaster on Everest in 1996. Then eight climbers died after descending from the summit too late into the teeth of a howling blizzard.

For more low altitudes the weather can be equally critical. “In general, climbing mountains in bad weather is a really bad idea,” McNab says. “If the weather is bad, conditions generally will not improve. The higher you go and try to navigate around glaciers or open slopes in zero visibility, it's really not that much fun."

The best defense against natural disasters is to keep an eye on the weather and be prepared to make informed decisions and return if weather get worse. It is better to stay safe and return to the fight another day than to put yourself or any rescuers in unnecessary danger.

Come down alive

“Getting to the top is not necessary. Going down is a must,” says Edmund Wisturs, the only American to have climbed all 14 eight-thousanders in the world. However, high descents have caused some of the most infamous failures in mountaineering history. For example, the accident that befell Whymper on the way down from the first descent of the Matterhorn (four of the nine were lost) or modern disasters, such as the death of Briton David Sharp, who crashed from the descent from the summit of Everest.

A classic high-altitude mistake among climbers, succumbing to summit fever, is spending too much time getting to the top and using up all the oxygen in the process. This means they don't have enough oxygen to descend safely, as Sharpe did. First of all, rational decision-making is necessary. And not just in states of extreme fatigue at oxygen-hungry altitudes.

“It’s more difficult at altitude,” McNab said. “The more you get tired, thinking becomes more and more difficult. But making the right decision can save your life."

In particular, always go back if you can't reach the summit at the appointed time. Stuart Hutchison, John Tess and Lou Kasiske survived the 1996 Everest disaster. And all because they turned back, having learned that there was a narrow passage for climbers trying to conquer the Hillary Step. This critically delayed their own summit attempts. Some of their colleagues went on - and paid with their lives.

Saint Jerome once said: Solvitur ambulando, Latin expression meaning "Everything can be solved while walking." He was not the only author who succeeded in identifying the simple relationship between walking and insight: over the centuries, countless great minds have trodden their own path. "I walked through my best thoughts", said the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, while Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher, went even further and proclaimed, "All truly great thoughts come from walking".

Simply put, walking is the best medicine for a person. And the higher the dose, the faster the recovery. If you need to switch and clear your head, you should think about hiking in the mountains. Lack of experience is no problem - some of the most inspiring tracks in the world can be taken over by complete beginners. Believe me, the view from them is quite capable of competing with more tiring high-mountain trails.

Regardless of your physical fitness, each of the routes listed below is quite achievable, and each is exclusive in its own way. All you have to do is enjoy the beautiful view around you... and keep going.

The mass fascination with mountains, not as objects for painting landscapes or places for walking, began in the 19th century. In England they mastered their own mountains, in Europe they went to the Alps and the Pyrenees. This was the so-called "Golden Age of Mountaineering", when the mountains were close, not too high, and not too dangerous. But even then the first victims of mountaineering appeared. After all, the influence of height on a person has not yet been properly studied, professional clothes and shoes have not been produced, but about proper nutrition only those who had visited the Far North knew.

With the spread of mountaineering to the masses, its march across the planet began. As a result, competitive mountaineering began with a risk to life. And then the latest equipment stopped helping, but the most durable equipment, and the most high-calorie food. Under the motto "As high as possible, and as quickly as possible," climbers began to die in dozens. The names of famous climbers who ended their century in their home bed can be counted on the fingers. It remains to pay tribute to their courage and see in which mountains climbers die most often. It seems inappropriate to develop criteria for the "mortality" of mountains, so in the dangerous ten they are located almost in an arbitrary order.

1. Everest(8848 m, the 1st highest peak in the world) is at the top of the list out of respect for the title of the most high mountain on Earth and the mass character of those who want to conquer this mountain. Mass character generates mass mortality. Throughout the climbing routes, you can see the bodies of the poor, who never had a chance to descend from Everest. Now there are about 300 of them. The bodies are not evacuated - it is very expensive and troublesome.

Now dozens of people conquer Everest every day in a season, but it took more than 30 years to make the first successful ascent. The British started this story in 1922, they also finished it in 1953. The history of that expedition is well known and has been described many times. As a result of the work of a dozen climbers and 30 Sherpas, Ed Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first conquerors of Everest on May 29.

2. Dhaulagiri I(8 167 m, 7) did not attract the attention of climbers for a long time. This mountain - the main peak of the massif of eleven more mountains with a height of 7 to 8,000 m - became the object of study and the site of expeditions only at the end of the 1950s. Only the northeast slope is available for climbing. After seven unsuccessful attempts, the international team achieved success, the strongest of which was the Austrian Kurt Dimberger.

Dimberger had recently conquered Broad Peak with Hermann Buhl. Fascinated by the famous compatriot's style, Kurt convinced his comrades to march to the summit from the camp at 7,400 m. The climbers were saved by the usually ruinous weather. After 400 m of altitude, a strong squall came up, and a group of three porters and four climbers turned back. After conferring, they set up the sixth camp at an altitude of 7,800 m. Dimberger, who had frozen his fingers during the unsuccessful assault, insisted that the rest of the expedition members also climb Dhaulagiri, which took 10 days. The conquest of Dhaulagiri became an example of the correct organization of a siege-type expedition, when the skill of climbers is reinforced by timely laying of routes, delivering cargo and setting up camps.

3. Annapurna(8091 m, 10) is the main peak of the Himalayan massif of the same name, consisting of several eight-thousanders. The mountain is very difficult to climb in technical terms - the final segment of the ascent is overcome not along the ridge, but slightly below it, that is, the risk of falling off or falling under an avalanche is extremely high. In 2104, Annapurna claimed the lives of 39 people at once. In total, according to statistics, every third climber dies on the slopes of this mountain.

The first to conquer Annapurna in 1950 were Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, who became the shock pair of a well-organized French expedition. In principle, only a good organization saved the lives of both. On the final stretch of the ascent, Lachenal and Erzog went out in light boots, and Erzog also lost his mittens on the way back. Only the courage and dedication of their colleagues Gaston Rebuff and Lionel Terray, who escorted the climbers half-dead from exhaustion and frostbite from the assault camp to the base camp (with an overnight stay in an ice crack) saved Erzog and Lachenal. There was a doctor at the base camp who was able to amputate their fingers and toes on the spot.

4. Kanchenjunga(8586 m, 3), like Nanga Parbat, before the Second World War attracted the attention of mainly German climbers. They examined three walls of this mountain, and all three times were unsuccessful. And after the war, Bhutan closed its borders, and the climbers were left with one route to conquer Kanchenjunga - from the south.

The results of the survey of the wall were disappointing - there was a huge glacier in its center - therefore, in 1955, the British called their expedition reconnaissance, although it did not look like reconnaissance in terms of composition and equipment.

Kanchenjunga. The glacier is clearly visible in the center

On the mountain, climbers and Sherpas acted in much the same way as the 1953 expedition on Everest acted: reconnaissance, checking the path found, climbing or retreating depending on the result. Such preparation takes more time, but saves the strength and health of the climbers, giving them the opportunity to rest in the base camp. As a result, 25 George Bend and Joe Brown left the upper camp and covered the distance to the top. They had to alternately cut steps in the snow, then Brown climbed 6 meters up and pulled Bend on the insurance. A day later, on their way, the second assault pair: Norman Hardy and Tony Streeter.

Now, about a dozen routes have already been laid on Kanchenjunga, but none of them can be considered simple and reliable, so the martyrology of the mountain is regularly updated.

5. Chogori(8614 m, 2) as the second peak of the world has been stormed since the beginning of the twentieth century. For more than half a century, the technically difficult peak has repelled attempts by climbers to conquer itself. Only in 1954, members of the Italian expedition Lino Lacedelli and Achille Compagnoni nevertheless became the pioneers of the route to the summit, which was then called K2.

As later investigations established, Lacedelli and Compagnoni, before the assault, acted, to put it mildly, not in a comradely manner with their expedition colleague Walter Bonatti and the Pakistani porter Mahdi. When Bonatti and Mahdi, with the greatest effort, brought oxygen tanks to the upper camp, Lacedelli and Compagnoni shouted over the snowy ridge to leave the tanks and go down. With no tent, no sleeping bags, no oxygen, Bonatti and the porter expected to spend the night in the upper camp. Instead, they spent the hardest night in a snow pit on the slope (Mahdi froze all his fingers), and the assault couple reached the top in the morning and went down as heroes. Against the backdrop of honoring the conquerors as national heroes, Walter's furious accusations looked like envy, and only decades later Lacedelli admitted he was wrong and tried to apologize. Bonatti replied that the time for apologies had passed ...

After Chogori, Walter Bonatti became disillusioned with people and walked around the most difficult routes alone

6. Nanga Parbat(8125 m, 9) even before the first conquest, it became a grave for dozens of German climbers, who stubbornly stormed it with several expeditions. Getting to the foot of the mountain was already a non-trivial task from a climbing point of view, and the conquest seemed almost impossible.

What was the surprise of the mountaineering community when, in 1953, the Austrian Hermann Buhl was practically alpine style(almost light) conquered Nanga Parbat alone. At the same time, the upper camp was set up too far from the top - at an altitude of 6,900 m. This meant that the storming pair - Buhl and Otto Kempter, needed to gain 1,200 m of altitude to conquer Nanga Parbat. Kempter felt unwell before the assault, and Buhl at 2:30 in the morning went to the summit alone with a minimum of food and cargo. After 17 hours, he reached the goal, took a few photographs, reinforced his strength with Pervitin (in those years he was a completely legal energy drink), and turned back. The Austrian spent the night standing, and at 17:30 he returned to the upper camp, having completed one of the most outstanding ascents in the history of mountaineering.

7. Manaslu(8156 m, 8) is not a particularly difficult peak to climb. However, they prevented her from conquering for a long time. locals, chasing climbers - after one of the expeditions, an avalanche descended, killing about 20 and so few locals.

Japanese expeditions tried to take the mountain several times. As a result of one of them, Toshio Ivanisi, accompanied by Sherpa Gyalzen Norbu, became the first conqueror of Manaslu. In honor of this achievement, a special postage stamp was issued in Japan.

Climbers began to die on this mountain after the first ascent. They fell into cracks, fell under avalanches, froze. It is significant that the three Ukrainians climbed the mountain in alpine style (without camps), and the Pole Andrzej Bargel not only climbed Manaslu in 14 hours, but also skied off the top. And other mountain climbers did not manage to return alive with Manaslu ...

Andrzej Bargel considers Manaslu as a ski slope

8. Gasherbrum I(8080 m, 11) is rarely attacked by climbers - the peak is very hard to see because of the higher peaks surrounding it. Ascend to main summit Gasherbrum is possible from different directions and along different routes. Working through one of the paths to the top, an outstanding Polish athlete Artur Heiser died on Gasherbrum.

The Americans, who were the first to set foot on the summit in 1958, described the ascent as “we used to cut steps and climb rocks, but here it was only necessary to trudge through deep snow with a heavy backpack.” The first climber of this mountain is Peter Schenning. The famous Reinhold Messner first climbed Gasherbrum in alpine style with Peter Habeler, and then climbed both Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II alone in one day.

9. Makalu(8485 m, 8) is a granite rock rising on the border of China and Nepal. Success (that is, climbing to the top of at least one participant) on Makalu is only every third expedition. Yes, the good ones suffer losses. In 1997, during the victorious expedition, Russians Igor Bugachevsky and Salavat Khabibullin died. Seven years later, the Ukrainian Vladislav Terzyul, who had previously conquered Makalu, died.

The first to reach the summit were members of an expedition organized by the famous French climber Jean Franco in 1955. The French explored the northern wall ahead of time and in May all members of the group conquered Makalu. Franco managed, having taken all the necessary photographs at the top, to drop the camera, which flew down the steep slope. The euphoria from the victory was so great that Franco persuaded his comrades to lower him down on a rope, and indeed found a camera with precious shots. It is a pity that not all incidents in the mountains end so well.

Jean Franco on Makalu

10. Matterhorn(4478 m) is not one of the highest peaks in the world, but climbing this four-sided mountain is more difficult than climbing another seven-thousander. Even the first group that climbed (a slope of 40º on the Matterhorn is considered gentle) to the summit in 1865 did not return at full strength - four out of seven people died, including the guide Michel Kro, who accompanied the pioneer Eduard Whymper to the top. The surviving guides were blamed for the death of the climbers, but the court acquitted the accused. In total, more than 500 people have already died on the Matterhorn.

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