With this measure, the “roof of the world” is not as high as you might think.
In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary set foot on the summit of Everest. Inspired by this feat, thousands of explorers of all ages have attempted to conquer this deadly peak. The reality is that many climbers have frequented the Himalayas to the point that the beautiful scenery is turning into… a massive pile of waste. But we are not here to criticize that.
We are here to conclude that Everest, by another definition, is not the tallest mountain in the world. This is not an unfounded conclusion; scientific research has indicated this.
The summit of Everest.
The highest mountain in the world must be Chimborazo in Ecuador, part of the Andes range. The reason is that the distance from the peak of this mountain to the center of the Earth is the greatest, which makes Chimborazo the highest mountain when measured by this distance.
According to the New York Times, the summit of Chimborazo is 6,268 meters above sea level, which is about 2,580 meters lower than the summit of Everest (8,848 meters). However, if measured from the center of the Earth, we have a different height champion.
The Earth is not flat as many claim, but it is also not a perfect sphere: the Earth bulges at the equator and is slightly flattened at the poles. This means that mountain peaks near the Earth’s equator will be higher than their counterparts elsewhere.
The summit of Chimborazo, appearing much gentler than Everest.
So how much taller is Chimborazo? According to data reports from MathSciNotes, Everest is 6,382 km from the center of the Earth, while Chimborazo is 6,384 km when measured by this standard. A difference of 2 km is significant enough for Everest to be considered shorter than Chimborazo in terms of height measurement. In fact, 2 km is quite enough for Chimborazo to be deemed the highest in the world, while Everest doesn’t even make it into the top 20.
Alright, Chimborazo is taller, but why is Everest still the preferred mountain? It is because of the difficulty of the ascent. If you are a mountaineer, you will want a challenge as tough as possible. That is precisely what Everest offers to adventure seekers.
Climbers take up to 10 days to reach the Base Camp, the first limit they must overcome if they want to conquer Everest. They will need 6 weeks to acclimatize to the harsh climate— a necessary procedure if you want to climb safely— and it takes 9 days to reach the summit.
In contrast, for Chimborazo, you only need about 2 weeks to acclimatize, and a mere 2 days to reach the peak.
Everest remains the roof of the world when measured from sea level.
However, it must be reiterated that Everest is still the roof of the world when measured from sea level! And if measured by this standard, then Chimborazo is not even the highest peak in the Andes; that title goes to Aconcagua.
So if you plan on conquering Everest, rest assured you are climbing the roof of the world, the highest mountain on Earth! If you are a bit less adventurous, you might consider climbing Chimborazo, which seems much easier, yet you can still confidently claim you’ve ascended the highest mountain in the world.
Moreover, if measured from base to summit and the distance from the equator, Mount Everest is outperformed by another mountain: Mauna Kea.
Photo of the summit of Mauna Kea. (Photo: Marisa Estivil).
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world above sea level, but there are several different parameters for measuring mountain height. Mauna Kea in Hawaii is the tallest mountain when measured from base to summit. Meanwhile, due to the Earth’s crust being slightly thicker at the equator, Chimborazo in Ecuador is the highest when measured from the center of the Earth.
Mauna Kea is an inactive volcano that last erupted 4,500 years ago. Its name means “White Mountain” in Hawaiian, and the summit of Mauna Kea stands at an elevation of 4,205 meters above sea level. Although it is the highest mountain in the state, this height seems modest compared to Everest. Nevertheless, the base of Mauna Kea is often overlooked. When considering the base that extends deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, the height of Mauna Kea more than doubles to 10,210 meters, surpassing Everest.
