Tallest of the Tall Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chogori

Mt. Everest was conquered by Hillary and Norgay on May 29th, 1953. The mountain stands 8,850 meters above the face of the earth, lastly amended in November 1999 when it was found to be two meters taller than previously measured. Mt. Everest is known as Jolmo Lungma in China, as Sagarmatha in Nepal, and as Chomolongma in Tibet.

Answer: K2

The second highest mountain in the world, and often considered one of the most dangerous, was first conquered on July 31, 1954, by an Italian duo: Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli. It stands 8,611 meters above the planet's surface near the Pakistan - China border.

Answer: False

The summit was not reached on this attempt because Kangchenjunga is believed to be a holy mountain by the Sikkim, and, out of respect, the final five feet were not climbed in 1955. The summit was first reached in 1975 by a Japanese expedition.

Answer: a rift

At 8516m, it is part of the Everest massif, but also the fourth highest peak in the world. Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger of Switzerland were the first to reach this summit. The west face of this massif is scarred by the Messner couloir, a rift in the rock face.

Answer: 1997

Only 42 years after the mountain was first climbed, a Russian expedition managed to climb the extremely difficult west face, known for its ferocity. The Russians lost two members on this expedition, but, on the 21st of May, they managed to summit the peak. The Russians received the Piolet d'Or award for this climb.

Answer: True

Although Cho Oyu stands at 8,201 meters tall, it has a death/ascent rate of only 2.1% (as of Jan. 2004). Over twelve hundred people have climbed this peak, which is considered friendly to climbers. It was first climbed by Joseph Joechler, Herbert Tichy, and Pasang Dawa Lama in 1954.

Answer: white mountain

Dhaulagiri at only 8,167 meters tall, was in 1808 considered to be the tallest peak in the world, until the discovery of Kangchenjunga. It is separated from Annapurna by the deepest gorge in the world -Kali Gandaki. The name "white mountain" comes from Sanskrit, and although other mountains carry the same name, Dhaulagiri is certainly the tallest.

Answer: Japan

The first two ascents were made by Japanese male teams, the first on May 9th, 1956, the second in 1971. In 1974 a Japanese female team led by Kyoko Sato climbed the east ridge, although they did lose one of their members along the way.

Answer: Tyrolean and Pakistani

Nanga Parbat is the westernmost peak of the Himalayan range and located entirely within Pakistan. Austrian Hermann Buhl managed to summit the 8,125 meter tall peak in 1953, after years of failed expeditions, mostly by German teams. This is considered to be a very dangerous peak to climb because of its many storms and avalanches. Buhl carried with him the local Pakistani flag as well as a Tyrolean pennant. Upon his return, he received an icy reception from his mates because he had not taken an Austrian nor a German flag with him.

Answer: True

This was the first over 8 km peak to be climbed. It has a deaths/ascents ratio of over 50%! It was first climbed on June 3rd, 1950 by Frenchmen Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal, making them the first climbers to go over 8 kilometers.

Answer: Shisha Pangma

Shisha Pangma is the 14th highest peak in the world, and a part of the Himalayan mountain range. Hidden Peak (Gasherbrum I or K5), Broad Peak (K3) and Gasherbrum II (K4) are 11th, 12th and 13th tallest respectively, located in the Karakoram Range in Pakistan. Broad Peak's summit is over a mile long, hence the name. Hidden Peak was given its name because it is very remote.

Answer: Chile

Ojos del Salado, this volcano in the famous "Ring of Fire" is the world's tallest active volcano straddling the border between Argentina and Chile. Its last eruption was approximately 1300 years ago so as there to being some discussion as to whether it's active or not. If not Ojos del Salado, then Llullaillaco would be the next candidate for the tallest active volcano in the world, and Guallatiri after that, all these in the Chilean Andes.

Answer: 14

These mighty fourteen are all located in the Nepal-Pakistan mountain range. Actually, to find a mountain that is not in central Asia (from the range that stretches from Kashmir to northern Mynamar and into central China) you have to go down to Aconcagua in Argentina! This truly makes central Asia the ceiling of the world.

Answer: Reinhold Messner

Reinhold Messner of Italy was the first to do all 14 peaks, the title conquered in 1986. He started climbing with his brother, Günther, but his brother perished while climbing Nanga Parbat. Jerzy Kukuczka was close to follow in 1987, and to 2004, there have been only seven climbers that can claim to have been on the 14 tallest mountains of the world.

Answer: Richard Bass

Dick Bass reached the 'mighty seven' on April 30th, 1985 being the first to do all seven. The peaks are Everest in Asia, Aconcagua in South America, Mt. McKinley in North America, Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Vinson Masiff in Antarctica and Kosciusko in Australia.