1. Ama Dablam – Eastern Nepal
(source: pamilne, andersonimages, mbollino)
First climbed in 1961 by the team of Mike Gill, Barry Bishop, Mike Ward,
and Wally Romanes, Ama Dablam is a mountain in the Himalaya range of
eastern Nepal. Literally meaning ‘Mother and Pearl Necklace’ the peak
was adopted by UK’s Invesco group as their worldwide logo and signature.
After a 2006 avalanche a climbing permit along with an officer are
required before you can climb Ama Dablam.
2. Shivling – Uttarakhand, India
(source: solafin, lopamudra, naadodi)
The Shivling mountain, so-called because of its status as a sacred
symbol of the Hindu god, Shiva, literally means ‘the phallus of Shiva’.
Considered one of the most stunning peaks of the Garhwal region, the
mountain soars 21,329 feet high. The Tapovan meadow which lies between
Shivling and Gaumukh has become a popular pilgrimage site due to the
stunning view of the mountain from that location.
3. Machapuchare – North-Central Nepal
(sources: willdanceforfood, dr-catherine, himalayafan)
Machapuchare, or ‘fish tail’, is revered by locals as sacred to the god
Shiva and therefore has been declared off limits to climbing. At about
1,500 feet taller than Shivling, Machapuchare has never been climbed to
its summit. The only known attempt at accomplishing the feat fell 50m
short, after which the mountain was declared forbidden to climbers.
4. Matterhorn – Italy/Switzerland
(source: uolli, effingham, chrchr_75, serac)
Matterhorn has the distinction of being an iconic emblem of the Swiss
Alps even though it isn’t the tallest peak in the region. Because of its
status as a huge tourist attraction and one of the best known mountains
in the world, authorities have taken extensive measures to build
tourist facilities to make the mountain more accessible to novice
climbers.
5. Fitz Roy – Argentina/Chile
(sources: etcheverry, lovemyblackcat, maegges, lluilui)
Named Fitz Roy by Francisco Moreno after the Beagle’s captain Robert
FitzRoy, the mountain is isn’t the tallest peak in the region and is
less than half the size of some of the Himalayan peaks. However, extreme
weather conditions and the difficulty of the climb has won the mountain
the reputation of being extreme. The mountain is alternatively known as
Cerro Chaltén.
6. Sajama – Bolivia
(sources: jgomba, nicointhebus, c_adrian)
Sajama is better known as a volcano (though extinct) but is technically a
mountain of volcanic ash. The highest peak in Bolivia, it is 21,463
feet high and is known for some of the tallest trees in the world, at
5200m. The first attempt to climb the mountain came from Joseph Prem in
1927, though the he wasn’t successful until August 1939 with the help of
Wilfrid Kuehm. To their credit they took the much more difficult
southeast ridge to accomplish the feat.
7. The Rockies – Canada/US
(sources: schlegl, madbuster75, clare&joe, hand_of_sands)
The Canadian Rocky Rockies have five national parks located inside,
including four that comprise the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World
Heritage site. We opted to profile the Canadian Rockies because they’re
older, heavily glaciated, and have a very distinct appearance (sharp
peaks separated by deep valleys). Mount Robson and Mount Columbia serve
as the mountain’s highest peaks at 12,972 and 12,293 feet respectively.
8. Pumori – Nepal/Tibet
