8000 meters

There are 14 mountain peaks over 8000 meters in the world. All them are on Himalaya and Karakoram ranges, among which the highest summit being Mt. Everest and then K2.

Why 8000 meters?


In 1875 two Italian rode hot air balloon and when it rose to 8000 meters high, one of them got killed for lack of oxygen. For the level of oxygen will reduce to only 1/3 of sea level, this is the reason why 8000 is defined the line of death.


Mt. Everest’s new height is 8844.43. It was first climbed by New Zealand Sir Hilary.



K2, the second highest, was named so by British map maker in 1856 on the summits of Karakoram ranges in formerly British India. Now lying on the border between China and Pakistan, it remains one of the most difficult for climbers with it ratio of death as high as 30, only next to Annapurna in Nepal with its ratio 51%.


For all the 14 high peaks, only 13 mountaineers have conquered, the first being a Italian. And there were two polands, three South Koreans, two Italian, one Spanish, one American, one English. The American was Edumund Viesturs between 1989 to 2005.

Chinese record was 10 peaks.