8 of the Most Beautiful Mountains in the World

Perhaps
Sir Edmund Hillary - the New Zea land mountaineer and explorer - said
it best when he remarked, “It is not the mountain we conquer but
ourselves.” No matter how daunting the task, pure human ambition has
overcome unconquerable odds to subdue the tallest peaks in the world.
If mountains are the “stairway to god’s heart”, we have no doubt stood
beside him as equals. The following photo set celebrates the beauty
witnessed along the way.

Ama Dablam - Eastern Nepal

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.

Shivling - Uttarakhand, India

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.

Machapuchare - North-Central Nepal

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

Matterhorn - Italy/Switzerland

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.

Fitz Roy - Argentina/Chile

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.

Sajama - Bolivia

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.

The Rockies - Canada/US

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.

Pumori - Nepal/Tibet

Lining
the Nepal-Tibet border, Pumori - or ‘Unmarried Daughter’ - is a popular
climbing route in spite of avalanche danger. Because of its proximity
of Mount Everest, Pumori is often endearingly called ‘Everest’s
Daughter’. The view of Everest from here is considered to be one of the
best, given clear weather conditions