The Highest Unclimbed Mountain In The World
And why it hasn’t been conquered
Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world and perhaps the most famous. Since Sir Edmund Hillary first reached the summit of Mount Everest in 1953, an additional 6,600 people have made the incredible climb. Reaching the peak of Mount Everest is still a difficult task, and it often results in a number of deaths each year. While Mount Everest is swarming with perspective climbers and dreamers, it raises a question. What is the highest unclimbed mountain in the world? If the tallest mountain in the world has been conquered, what mountains are left to be summited?
Lying roughly 220 miles east of Mount Everest stands Gangkhar Puensum, the highest unclimbed mountain in the world. Gangkhar Puensum resides in a remote corner of the nation of Bhutan. Gangkhar Puensum has a height of 24,836 ft and a prominence of 9,826 ft, both impressive numbers. To this day, no one has successfully reached the summit despite it being nearly a mile shorter than Mount Everest.
What makes Gangkhar Puensum a challenge to conquer? Why hasn’t anyone reached the peak of this tantalizing prize?
Bhutan’s Resistance To Climbers
Bhutan considers the highest mountains in their country to be sacred places. Bhutan is one of…
