Minya Konka

— Among the dozens of brilliant projects they initiated, three stand out today as hallmarks in the history of mountaineering: the first ascent, in 1932, of Minya Konka, the storied Chinese mountain rumored to be higher than Everest; the first ascent, in 1936, of Nanda Devi, in India, which remained for fourteen years thereafter the highest mountain ever climbed; and the gallant attempt on K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, in 1938.