Lists about brave mountaineers who climbed the highest point on planet earth, Mount Everest, which rises more than 29,000 ft. in the Himalayas at the border of China and Nepal.

The Top of the World

True Stories

Mount Everest serves not only as a testament to the majesty of nature&#39;s beauty, but as an alluring siren song calling to <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/worst-scuba-diving-accidents/jacobybancroft">the heart of every adventurer </a>. Despite the risks, thousands swarm to Nepal every year in an effort to conquer the tallest point on Earth. Many of them never leave.

Over 250 bodies remain on Everest, giving it claim to the title of the world&#39;s largest open-air graveyard. While most Mount Everest deaths occur due to avalanches, falls, and exposure to the harsh climate, the area known as the &ldquo;Death Zone&rdquo; holds a terribly high body count and comes with its own unique set of problems .

The Death Zone is commonly known as the area above 26,000 feet. When the human body enters this altitude, it slowly starts to expire. Then it becomes a <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/ticking-clock-movies/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">race against the clock</a> for climbers to make it from this mark to the peak and back again before their body fails them. Since oxygen at this level is only a third of what it is at sea level, climbers may find themselves sluggish, disoriented, and fatigued. The pressure makes weight feel ten times heavier and causes extreme distress on organs. Because of these severe effects, climbers usually only have a window of 48 hours inside the Death Zone and are strongly urged to use supplemental oxygen at all times.

If someone dies on Everest, it&#39;s almost impossible to retrieve their body, especially in the Death Zone. Due to unbearable weather conditions, severe lack of oxygen, pressure on weight, and the fact that many bodies on Mount Everest are completely frozen onto the mountain face, most cadavers are left exactly as they fall. Attempts are sometimes made to retrieve the body of a loved one, but those expeditions can cost upward of $25,000 and are extremely dangerous for the retrieval team.

Overall, standard protocol is to simply let these figures, frozen in their final moments, become a permanent addition to the rocky terrain. It would make sense that the mountain&#39;s nickname is EVER REST.

In the spring, the snow on Everest melts, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47638436" target="_blank">exposing cadavers </a>covered under the ice for years. As more appear, the Expedition Operators Association of Nepal is concerned about how to retrieve them. Recovering remains from higher altitudes can cost up to $80,000. In the meantime, some climbers have begun referring to the deceased as landmarks.

12 Disturbing Stories Of Bodies Left On Top Of Mount Everest

General

12 Dizzying Stories Of The Dead Bodies Still On Top Of Mount Everest

Sabrina Ithal

Outdoor Activities

In addition to being the highest point on Earth at 29,000 feet above sea level, Mount Everest is also one of the most sought after destinations of mountaineers and outdoor enthusiasts. While it&#39;s not considered one of Earth&#39;s most dangerous mountains, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-death-climbing-mount-everest/laura-allan" target="_blank">people die attempting to summit</a> its peak each year, prompting many to wonder what it&#39;s like to climb Everest and if it&#39;s worth it. Despite the costs, dangers, and extreme endurance needed, many climbers claim it is.&nbsp;

Everest has been inspiring people to reach its peak since Edmund Hillary and&nbsp;Tenzing Norgay succeeded in 1953, romanticizing the ultimate feat of humans conquering nature and pushing their limits. Contributing to Everest&#39;s mystique is the fact that not everyone who takes it on survives, evidenced by the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-stories-about-deaths-and-dead-bodies-on-mount-everest/sabrina-ithal" target="_blank">number of bodies</a> the mountain holds. Advances in technology, like weather prediction, contribute to Everest&#39;s survival rate but also diminish the mountain&#39;s dangerous reputation.

As more and more climbers visit the mountain each year, creating trash problems and lines at the summit with devastating consequences, Everest should not be taken lightly; there are still many ways to perish before and after snapping a selfie at the top.&nbsp;British mountaineer George Mallory <a href="https://blog.theclymb.com/out-there/because-its-there-the-quotable-george-mallory/" target="_blank">may have climbed the mountain</a> &quot;Because it&#39;s there,&quot; but according to those who&#39;ve summited Everest, it takes much more determination and hard work than that.

What It's Actually Like To Summit Mount Everest

What It's Like To Climb Mount Everest & Reach The Summit

Erin McCann

During the evening of November 24,&nbsp;2009, John Jones and a group of fellow&nbsp;cave explorers entered Nutty Putty Cave located near Salt Lake City, UT. Nutty Putty is a hydrothermal cave known for its tight twists and crawl spaces; management has&nbsp;occasionally closed this cave&nbsp;off to the public due to its dangerous conditions. Yet <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/what-is-extreme-spelunking-and-deep-cave-exploration/cynthia-griffith" target="_blank">spelunkers of all ages</a> are always keen to navigate the crevice, and Jones was no exception. Unfortunately, Nutty Putty became&nbsp;Jones&#39;s final resting place.

While exploring the cave, Jones got wedged in a small opening and was unable to free himself. Rescuers tried to save him, but&nbsp;after a long, dramatic, and ultimately unsuccessful rescue attempt, John perished, leaving a wife, a daughter, and an unborn son behind. The&nbsp;2016&nbsp;film&nbsp;The Last Descent retold Jones&#39;s story to the world at large. In the years following Jones&#39;s death, researchers have&nbsp;initiated&nbsp;efforts to better understand caving injuries and deaths to make spelunking safer.&nbsp;

No One Could Save John Jones From His Tragic Spelunking Accident - But His Death Sparked Change

Over 100 People Couldn't Save John Jones From Suffocating While Trapped In A Cave - But His Death Sparked Massive Change

Melissa Sartore

Explainer

The tale of Chris McCandless has been told many times over. In his 1996 book&nbsp;Into the Wild, author Jon Krakauer explored the fate of the fiercely independent young man who met his tragic end at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/scary-denali-stories/hugh-landman" target="_blank">Denali National Park</a>&nbsp;in 1992.&nbsp;The 2007&nbsp;movie of the same name introduced still more audiences to McCandless.&nbsp;Today, experts continue to examine what actually brought the 24-year-old&#39;s life to an end, contributing to his polarized legacy.&nbsp;

The myriad misfortunes that plagued McCandless may change your opinion of the real story of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/christopher-mccandless-into-the-wild-true-story/colleen-conroy" target="_blank">Into the Wild</a>. The events leading to McCandless&#39;s passing were rife with missteps and miscalculations, but his final fate may have been completely out of his hands. A hero to many, a criminal to some, and a victim to others, McCandless lived a life that was much more complicated than it looks on the surface.

Everything That Had To Go Wrong For Chris McCandless To Meet His Fate

How Chris McCandless Died: Everything That Had To Go Wrong In 'Into The Wild'

As a reporter from the BBC once stated, &quot;When [Mount] Everest takes a life, it also keeps it.&quot; The number of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-stories-about-deaths-and-dead-bodies-on-mount-everest/sabrina-ithal" target="_blank">bodies on&nbsp;Everest</a> grows every year from the climbers who lose their lives on its slopes. Causes of death include hypothermia, exhaustion, lack of oxygen, and falls, among other realities. Once the bodies are frozen, they become attached to the hillside, and on Everest they stay -&nbsp;permanently. One of Everest's most famous residents, Green Boots, who <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebs-bad-trendy-hair/machk?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">fell victim to</a> the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/deadliest-everest-climb-facts/mariel-loveland" target="_blank">deadliest day in Everest history</a>, resides&nbsp;at a particular location on the mountain where most hikers must pass. As a result, Green Boots on Everest has become one of the landmarks for those heading up the slopes.So who is Green Boots? Not many know the real story behind his life or&nbsp;what led him to climb Everest. In reality, he's believed to be&nbsp;Tsewang Paljor, an Indian climber&nbsp;who passed in the 1996 Everest Disaster.&nbsp;If you ever find yourself trekking up Mount Everest, keep an eye out for some neon green boots. They may just come in handy.

The Tragic Story of &quot;Green Boots,&quot; The Frozen Body On Mt. Everest That Hikers Use As A Checkpoint

The Creepy Story of "Green Boots," The Frozen Corpse On Mt. Everest That Hikes Use As A Checkpoint

Rachel Souerbry

Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Lists of great reasons to stay inside.

Chilling Tales of the Outdoors

Hunting

The woods are creepy. They&#39;re big enough and dense enough to always be hiding something, they&#39;re the setting for more than a handful popular horror films,&nbsp;and since they&#39;re full of life, there&#39;s a constant sense of being watched.

When hunters hit the forest - toting rifles and hoping for some decent game - there&#39;s always a chance of seeing something unnerving. Maybe it&#39;s a mountain lion or bear sighting, or maybe it&#39;s something worse. These hunters took to Reddit to share some of the creepiest things they&#39;ve come across while walking the woods.

Hunters Describe The Creepiest Things They've Seen In The Woods

Samantha Dillinger

There is nothing like the feeling of a fresh kill, bringing home dinner for the family, and camaraderie with fellow hunters. But what happens when you are no longer the hunter, and instead become the prey?

These terrifying stories from hunters will have you second guessing those noises you hear behind you on your perch. Was it just a deer? Maybe a small, furry woodland creature? Or maybe it was a bloodthirsty cougar ready to tear your throat out. Don&#39;t forget, animals like collecting <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/trophy-hunter-facts/mike-rothschild" target="_blank">big game trophies</a> too, and humans are perhaps the most coveted prize.&nbsp;

16 Hunters Share Their Horrifying True Stories

16 Creepy Hunting Stories That Are Absolutely Horrifying

Stefanie Hammond

Hiking can be an amazing way to explore new areas, get some much needed exercise or help relieve stress. Whether you&#39;re trekking&nbsp;through a state park or forging your own path through the wilderness, you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times. When nothing stands between you and the unknown, things can get very strange very fast. These stories of weird experiences while hiking may have you re-thinking your next excursion.

Hikers Share Their Weirdest Experiences In The Wilderness

Amanda Ashley

As long as men have been making history, women have been walking right beside them.

Herstory: Women of the Past

Exploring the thrilling, dangerous, often tragic expeditions of some of the world's most determined adventurers.

The Ends of the Earth

Feminism

All western schoolchildren have&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-sacagawea/rylee_en " target="_blank">heard of Sacagawea</a>, and even more know the story of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-the-real-pocahontas/stephanroget" target="_blank">Pocahontas</a>&nbsp;either from class or the Disney movie. But who was the great &ndash;&nbsp;and comparatively&nbsp;unknown &ndash;&nbsp;Marie&nbsp;Dorion? No less than one of the most resilient, courageous, and frankly&nbsp;badass&nbsp;women in history. Dorion&nbsp;(1786 &ndash; 1850) was the daughter of a French Canadian father and a Native American&nbsp;mother. A seasoned survivalist, she would&nbsp;go on to become the&nbsp;only female member of John Jacob Astor&rsquo;s legendary Astoria expedition, whose goal was&nbsp;to establish the first trading post at the mouth of the Columbia.

Along with her&nbsp;husband, Pierre Dorion, and a band of trappers,&nbsp;Marie&nbsp;traversed mountains, plains, and raging rivers &ndash;&nbsp;all with her small children in tow. Stranded after her spouse and the other members of her party were killed and scalped, Marie and her two young sons set out against all odds across a glacial&nbsp;winter landscape. It was&nbsp;a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/10-of-the-most-doomed-expeditions-in-history/analise.dubner" target="_blank">brutal journey</a>&nbsp;that has more than earned its place in the epic-odyssey canon.

Today, the story of Marie Dorion and the Astoria&nbsp;expedition, or the story&nbsp;of&nbsp;Marie Dorion and John Jacob Astor, is the stuff of towering and underappreciated history. Read on to find out more.

The Insane Untold Story Of The Most Badass Woman In American History

The Insane Untold Story Of The Most Badass Woman in American History

Lisa A. Flowers

Outdoors

Let's face it: for a country with a fairly short history, America sure has a lot of haunted hiking trails. It turns out that the country's scariest hiking trails aren't the ones with the furthest drops or raging rivers to traverse, but the ones whose pasts can't seem to rest.&nbsp;From sea to shining sea, haunted hikes abound, and the large, sprawled out country has just about every flavor of fear to offer. From wailing women to restless soldiers to indescribable creatures (looking at you, Jersey Devil), America can be a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/haunted-national-parks/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">pretty freaky place to explore</a>.Here is a collection of some of the more spooky hiking trails in America, as determined by your votes.

Scariest Hiking Trails In The U.S. That You Can Explore (If You Dare)

Colleen Conroy

2019

Mount Everest has been one of the most popular destinations for thrill-seeking climbers&nbsp;from time immemorial. But the reward of this&nbsp;accomplishment is matched only by the grave risk it poses. Everest&#39;s summit lies more than&nbsp;29,000 feet above sea level, several thousand&nbsp;feet beyond the point where&nbsp;oxygen levels get so low that the body&nbsp;begins shutting down, getting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-death-climbing-mount-everest/laura-allan" target="_blank">closer to the end</a> by the minute. Few can live at such extreme&nbsp;altitudes for longer than a few hours without supplemental oxygen, making the venture a dangerous one. The <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-stories-about-deaths-and-dead-bodies-on-mount-everest/sabrina-ithal" target="_blank">remains</a> of former climbers abandoned across Everest&#39;s trails are somber reminders of the trek&#39;s high stakes.

Although mortality rates have decreased dramatically in the past several decades, 2019 saw an alarming spike in climbers who perished. Although not nearly as shocking as the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/deadliest-everest-climb-facts/mariel-loveland" target="_blank">most devastating day in Everest&#39;s&nbsp;history</a>, the sudden increase&nbsp;in mountaineer deaths is cause for alarm.

Nepal, one of the two countries that border Everest, distributed a record number of climbing permits in 2019, over twice that of neighboring Tibet. As a result,&nbsp;overcrowding near the top&nbsp;of Everest&nbsp;led to long lines among those waiting to summit the mountain. While waiting in line isn&#39;t inherently&nbsp;dangerous, every second above 26,000 feet, also known as the &quot;death zone,&quot; is crucial. Low oxygen levels compounded by&nbsp;novice&nbsp;climbers, inexperienced expedition leaders, and inclement weather led to 11 deaths and one of the most fatal years in Mount Everest&#39;s recent history.

Why Was 2019 One Of The Deadliest Years In Mount Everest’s History?

Why Is 2019 Mount Everest's Deadliest Year In History?

Bailey Benningfield

Lists about hiking, climbing, camping, where to do it, what to bring, and what could happen once you get there.

The Great Outdoors

Mountain Climbing

There are more insane true stories of mountain climbers out there than you can count. Unfortunately, more than a couple of these stories end with climbers losing their lives doing what they love. Everest, K2, Nanga Parbat, and many more of the world's tallest peaks are the settings for some of the most insane mountain climbing stories you'll ever hear.Mountain climbing injuries of all kinds are incredibly frequent and you'll be amazed at some of the incredible things that these climbers have lived through. Of course, for every crazy mountain climbing story with a happy ending, there's another with a considerably less happy ending. Perhaps the saddest parts of this list aren't the stories about death, but what happened after the stories about survival and heroism. Too many of the great men and women on this list went on to die at young ages - some from illness or circumstances unrelated to climbing, but most as a result of future <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/mountain-climbing-accidents-deaths-on-mount-everest/notable-famous-deaths?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">mountain climbing accidents</a>. From Hermann Buhl to Anatoli Boukreev, many of these climbers could only avoid death so many times.Fortunately, not all of these mountain climbing tales end in tragedy. Some of these men and women lived well into old age and others are still alive today. For some, it was the birth of their children that convinced them to come down the mountain; for others, they merely survived time and time again until they had had enough. No matter how these stories end, they all help to paint the picture of just what it means to be a mountain climber.

The Most Insane Stories About Mountain Climbers

Jordan Love

Mountain climbing is a potentially treacherous hobby, but when the proper precautions are taken, it can be&nbsp;a fun and challenging sport. When those precautions are thrown out the window, or unexpected events occur,&nbsp;disaster strikes. This&nbsp;became clear&nbsp;with&nbsp;the infamous K2 disaster of 2008&nbsp;when 11 people, including both visitors and guides, perished while ascending&nbsp;and descending the mountain together.&nbsp;

On average, approximately&nbsp;one person perishes on the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/mountain-climbing-accidents-deaths-on-k2-peak/notable-famous-deaths" target="_blank">K2 mountain</a>&nbsp;for every&nbsp;four who reach the summit, but what happened on K2 in&nbsp;2008 became known as the most fatal climb of them all.&nbsp;Several international expedition groups had been waiting all summer for the weather to clear at the mountain on the border of China and Pakistan and started their expedition together on August 1. What followed is both a tragic and sobering reminder that adventure sports can be as unpredictable as they are exciting, and require careful planning.&nbsp;

Many people still have questions about what went wrong and how 11 people lost their lives during the&nbsp;2008 K2 climb. A 2013&nbsp;Sundance documentary,&nbsp;The Summit,&nbsp;recalls the events of that fateful day, but the details of what actually happened remain a mystery.&nbsp;

The Tragic Details And Unsolved Mysteries Of The K2 Disaster

What Happened On K2 In 2008 Disaster?

Ryan Sargent

Lists about real explorers and expeditions and fictional depictions of fast-paced, dangerous adventures in film, TV, anime, literature, and other media.

Choose Your Own Adventure

American history is full of wild tales of adventure, genuinely ludicrous achievements, and no&nbsp;small amount of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/racism-kept-alive-post-civil-war/setareh-janda">super depressing things</a>. Caught in this tawdry tangle of sometimes <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/oregon-trail-deaths/mike-rothschild">violent and horrific</a>, sometimes glorious and heroic history are Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, whose 19th century US Army unit Corps of Discovery embarked on&nbsp;the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which stands&nbsp;as a singular triumph of American spirit and will.&nbsp;The nearly three-year journey began in the mind of then-president <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-founding-fathers/amylindorff">Thomas Jefferson</a>, who made the rather expensive purchase of an enormous amount of land from <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/napoleon-bonaparte-facts/lisa-waugh">Napoleon</a> (who needed money for his endless wars). Known as the Louisiana Purchase, the&nbsp;land amounted to 828,000 square miles&nbsp;adjacent to the United States. The cost per acre was only 14&nbsp;cents, but when you're dealing with that kind of acreage, it added up ($11.25 million plus the cancelation of $3.75 million in debt). At the time, the United States was a young, relatively&nbsp;broke country. Jefferson stood by his decision, but plenty of citizens were in an uproar over the expense.And so, Jefferson came up with an idea to send an expedition across the territory,&nbsp;and beyond. He wanted explorers to venture all the way to the Pacific Ocean. No one knew then just how far that might be. Jefferson himself vastly underestimated the distance.Jefferson hired&nbsp;Meriwether Lewis and William Clark&nbsp;to organize and lead the expedition. Both men had extensive frontier wilderness experience.&nbsp;Lewis, a highly educated man, had once served as secretary to Jefferson. Preparations for the expedition lasted nearly a year. Jefferson secured funds from Congress to hire men and purchase&nbsp;provisions.Officially called the Corp of Discovery, and technically functioning as a US&nbsp;Army unit, Lewis, Clark, and between 30 and 40 young frontiersmen (<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/facts-about-sacagawea/rylee_en">and&nbsp;one noteworthy woman</a>)&nbsp;began their great adventure in May 1804. Neither they nor their country&nbsp;would ever be the same.Upon their return in September of 1806, the men informed Jefferson the United States sat upon a continent much larger than anyone had guessed, and much of it was already US territory. Jefferson predicted it would take 1,000 years to settle such a vast amount of land. In this instance, Jefferson was wrong. Arizona, the final state&nbsp;in&nbsp;the continental US, was incorporated in 1910, 104 years after the conclusion of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZtOOFmcARc&amp;list=PLY9yp6txPQS9SC6LXMhX4ZPE6vL4c1IEM">America's greatest expedition</a>.&nbsp;

All The Facts You'll Ever Want To Know About The Lewis & Clark Expedition

17 Weird Facts About the Lewis & Clark Expedition

Cheryl Adams Richkoff

Mount Everest, with its skyscraping heights, bitterly cold temperatures, and extreme weather, has claimed hundreds of lives. Mount Everest deaths are hardly uncommon, but&nbsp;people still climb the fearsome peak in hopes of reaching the summit. Those who prefer to remain at sea level might wonder what it&#39;s like to die on Mount Everest, as morbid as that thought is. Does it involve <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/what-its-like-to-fall-to-your-death/katherine-ripley">falling to your demise</a>? Or perhaps getting buried by an avalanche? One thing is certain: Dying while climbing Mount Everest is horrifying.

Dying on Mount Everest would certainly be a unique way to go. It&#39;s even more over-the-top than <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/what-falling-from-a-cruise-ship-is-like/katherine-ripley">falling from a cruise ship</a>&nbsp;or getting <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/what-being-swallowed-by-an-anaconda-feels-like/jacob-shelton">swallowed by an anaconda</a>. Unlike those rare instances, fatalities on the mountain happen every year -&nbsp;there are plenty of corpses on Mount Everest to prove it.

Please be warned that this list contains images of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-stories-about-deaths-and-dead-bodies-on-mount-everest/sabrina-ithal">dead bodies on Mount Everest</a>. The descriptions are also pretty grim, so if you&#39;ve ever thought about climbing this massive mountain, what you read may change your mind.

14 Things That Happen To Your Body When You Die On Mount Everest

What It's Like To Die On Mount Everest

Laura Allan

For many, hunting is a way of life. For others, hunting is just a sport. Regardless of the motivation, the activity can be dangerous. When placing yourself in the great outdoors - an animal's domain - anything can happen, and things can go wrong. And sometimes, things can turn tragic. We've rounded up a list of&nbsp;hunting trips gone wrong.&nbsp;The following are horrifying stories of&nbsp;animals killing&nbsp;hunters, animals that hurt hunters while in pursuit, and hunters forced to fight for lives.These are 17 true stories of hunters who became the hunted.

18 True Stories of Hunters Who Became the Hunted

Amanda Tullos

Outdoor activity lists at Ranker - The ultimate source for hundreds of outdoors lists and rankings