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are fourteen 8,000 metre Himalayan peaks, known as the 8000ers.
The first person to ascend all fourteen was legendary mountaineer
Reinhold Messner. The quest to ascend all fourteen 8000ers
has become the ultimate route tick. |
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Everest
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| Everest,
standing at an altitude of 8,840 metres on the Nepalese Tibetan
border is the highest 8000er. It was first ascended by a British
expedition in 1953. |
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| K2,
in the Karakorum range is the second highest peak at 8,611 metres
and is considered to be far harder than Everest. It was first climbed
in 1954 by an Italian expedition via the Abruzzi spur. |
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| Annapurna
in Nepal at an altitude of 8,091 metres, was the first 8000er to
be climbed. The French expedition suffered terrible frostbite injuries,
yet the leader Maurice Herzog went on to be a national hero in France. |
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The
other 8,000ers
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| The
remaining 8000 metres peaks are not the subject of quite so many
books. The 'easiest' is reputed to be Cho Oyu. |
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