8 of the Most Beautiful Mountains in

the World

Perhaps Sir Edmund Hillary - the New Zealand

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 photoset celebrates the
beauty witnessed along the way.
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.
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 Garhwali 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, 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 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.
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 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 Wilfred Kuehm. To their credit they took
the much more difficult southeast ridge to accomplish the
feat.
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.
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.