This mountain is the closest point on Earth to the stars. And it’s not the famous Everest.
What is the tallest mountain on Earth? It turns out the answer to that question is more controversial than you might think.
Chimborazo is the highest peak in Ecuador. It is also the closest point on Earth to the stars. (Photo: Getty Images).
If you measure height from sea level, then it is clear that Mount Everest, at 8,849 meters, located between the borders of Tibet and Nepal, is the tallest mountain in the world.
However, if you measure a mountain from its base to its summit, then Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano on the island of Hawaii, stands at a height of 10,211 meters.
But there is still another contender for the title of the highest mountain: Chimborazo, a dormant volcano located in the Cordillera Occidental range of the Andes in Ecuador.
When measured from sea level, Chimborazo is significantly lower than Everest, at 6,263 meters. However, the summit of Chimborazo is actually 2,072 meters farther from the Earth’s center than Everest, making it the closest point on Earth to the stars.
When the Earth Isn’t Really Round
“If you imagine the Earth as a blue dot in space, then Chimborazo is the only place you can stand and be as far from the center of that dot as possible,” explains Derek van Westrum, a physicist at the National Geodetic Survey of NOAA, the federal agency responsible for mapping and charting.
The reason lies in Chimborazo’s location, which is 1.5 degrees south of the equator.
Van Westrum explains that the Earth is actually slightly bulging around its “waist.” “The Earth is made of rock and is fairly round, but due to its rotation, it bulges at the equator,” he says.
The centrifugal force from the planet’s continuous rotation has caused the Earth to bulge at the equator, and thus Chimborazo is farther from the Earth’s center than the high peaks of the Himalayas, as they are all located farther from the equator.
Ecuador has recently capitalized on this statistical oddity to promote Chimborazo as an emerging destination. The idea is that, unlike Everest or Aconcagua (the highest peak in the Andes), this majestic mountain is physically and financially accessible to adventurous travelers. They only need to drive about four hours south from Quito to conquer this snow-capped peak.
Chimborazo is located four hours south of the capital, Quito. (Photo: Moment RF/Getty Images).
Climbing Chimborazo
Chimborazo is actually only the 39th tallest mountain in the Andes when measured from sea level, but for a brief time in the 19th century, it was thought to be the highest peak in the world.
This rumor originated with the famous German geographer and explorer Alexander von Humboldt, who climbed Chimborazo in 1802. Von Humboldt only reached an altitude of about 5,882 meters before descending into the highland valley he later named the Avenue of Volcanoes.
However, the widely circulated stories of his daring conquest of this giant Andes mountain attracted many European explorers to Ecuador. Among them was British mountaineer Edward Whymper. After conquering the famous Matterhorn and Mont Blanc in the Alps in 1880, Whymper became the first known person to reach the summit of Chimborazo.
Today, around 500 climbers register to conquer Chimborazo each year, but just over half of them make it to the summit.
The ascent to Chimborazo is “easier” compared to climbing peaks in the Himalayas. (Photo: Alamy Stock).
The main climbing season is from late September to February, when the weather is milder and the mountain is usually covered with a thick layer of snow. However, the Ecuadorian Ministry of Tourism states that the appeal of the Andes in Ecuador is unlike most other climbing centers, as it is a year-round destination.
The highest mountains in this country are relatively mild due to their tropical location, with very little change in daylight between seasons. Most peaks are also easily accessible from highland cities like Quito or Cuenca. For example, Chimborazo is almost equidistant from both mountains on the Pan-American Highway.
Santiago Granda, Ecuador’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, states: “More and more people are starting to come to train and prepare for the major challenges at Chimborazo. You are farther from the Earth’s core and closer to the stars—and that is a huge attraction.”
Those hoping to reach the summit typically take two days to conquer it, compared to about two months to climb Everest. Of course, climbers also need about a week to acclimatize beforehand.
Many come to Chimborazo for its unique high-altitude environment. Granda notes that: “For some Ecuadorians, this is the first time in their lives they have seen snow.”
This mountain is also home to 8,000 wild vicuña, ancestors of the domesticated alpaca, and is inhabited by the world’s largest hummingbird. Additionally, it features twisted queuña forests, which can survive at higher altitudes than any other tree species.
