The world's 11 most difficult mountain climbs
What makes a mountain climb difficult? Is it the number of people who died trying to conquer the summits or the high altitude and risk for avalanches? All of these and more.
Unpredictable weather, falling rocks, slippery walls and extremely steep climbs only make the trip more dangerous. Some difficult mountains are not tested very often which is why they don’t claim a lot of victims. Others, like Everest, are more popular, which means more people trying to reach the top, resulting in more deaths.
Classifying the most difficult and dangerous mountain climbs is not easy. Numbers can be taken out of context, anecdotes can be exaggerated and assumptions can be wrong. Also, climbing can be less difficult than descending because people are exhausted and cold, but still have to make it down alive.
Legendary mountains continue to lure adventurers; in some cases, the more difficult the climb is, the better. But bad weather and dangerous crevasses can turn expeditions into survival quests. Kanchenjunga, Nepal and India
Kangchenjunga is the third highest mountain in the world. The huge massif of Kangchenjunga is buttressed by great ridges running roughly due east to west and north to south, forming a giant X. These ridges contain a host of spectacular 6-7,000 meter peaks, according to Summit Post. The climb is physically very demanding with long days and sections with a lot of exposure. The date rate is about 20 percent.
The Matterhorn, Switzerland and Italy
The giant horn-looking mountain has the highest fatality rate in the Alps – 450 climbers have died until 2013. Fewer people are climbing it because of the mountains lethal reputation. The problems come from the unpredictable avalanches and rock falls. The routes are also very steep. The weather can be dangerous and unpredictable even in the summer.
Mount Fitz Roy
At about 11,020 feet tall, Mount Fitz Roy is considered to be of “average height,” yet it easily ranks as one of the world’s most arduous climbs as mountaineers are presented with long sections of technical climbing thanks to its entirely vertical granite peak. The climbing routes are extremely steep on all sides leading to the top, and its weather is pretty erratic.
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