It is well known that Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world with 8,848 metres above sea level but a curve in the earth’s equator means that there’s a mountain in Ecuador that’s closer to space by over a mile.
This is justified with the fact that planet earth is not a perfect sphere and the peak of Mount Everest isn’t the closest point in space.
Mount Chimborazo is actually only 6,268 metres above sea level, some 2000 metres smaller than Everest. So how can it lay claim to being the highest mountain in the world?
If the mountains are both measured from the point to the earth’s centre, Chimborazo is the highest point in the world by a huge margin of1.5 miles higher than Everest. And Mount Chimborazo gets even more impressive. It’s a volcanic mountain. Although it hasn’t erupted since 550 AD so there are no worries there.
Unlike the famous Himalayan peak where expeditions take months of training and weeks to climb, you can tackle Mount Chimborazo in a couple of days.
It’s also a lot cheaper to tackle, costing just a few hundred pounds for some tours, or a couple of grand if you fancy tacking a holiday onto the end of your adventure.
But just because the mountain is an easier climb, that doesn’t make it easy. The high altitudes and changeable weather make the mountain a huge challenge.
Even seasoned climbers struggle with this peak. The mountain wasn’t conquered until 1880 and it was a British explorer, Edward Whimper who conquered it.
Everest’s title certainly is currently being challenged as there are other mountains that lay claim to being the largest in the world.
Denali in Alaska also fights for the crown of biggest mountain, with some experts citing that its higher than average base elevations make it the tallest mountain in the world.
Also is Mauna Kea in Hawaii will be the world’s tallest mountain if it’s measured from base. It’s 10,200 metres tall, but as its base is below sea level, only 4,205 metres are usually counted.
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