8000m PEAK FACTS & STATISTIC

Everest  K2 Kangchenjunga Lhotse Makalu Cho Oyu Dhaulagiri Manaslu Nanga Parbat Annapurna Gasherbrum I Broad Peak Gasherbrum II Shisha Pangma

To the high altitude climber there is no greater challenge than taking on an 8000 metre peak and for many it is a life long dream.

To go over 8000 metres means going into an altitude range about which books are written and movies are made. It is where mountaineers begin to resemble astronauts in appearance. It is where oxygen is carried in pressurised cylinders and administered through breathing apparatus originally designed for fighter pilots. It is a place where you might want to duck if a passenger jet was to fly over at cruising altitude. It is a world that few people venture into and even fewer return from. It is where the human life span is quite literally measured in hours. It is where timing and judgment are critical and failure is not an option. It is an altitude range referred to within mountaineering circles as ‘The Death Zone’

The links on the right reveal statistics and video clips of the fourteen 8000 metre peaks.