298
TIL how tall buildings are
(i.redd.it)
That's a misleading graph as it starts at 4000m
I think this is more to visualize the size of the ascent on K2, rather than the true size of the mountain.
at 800m the Burj is still at 1/10 of the 2nd tallest mountain.. seems big no?
What's misleading about it?
~~Everest isn’t 8000 meters from the base to peak. It’s 8000 meters at the peak but the foothills are several hundred meters high before you even get to everest. The buildings shown would have to be shown below ground if we really wanted to see them compared to everest’s height.~~
- The buildings are shown as you would see them if they were built at the base of the mountain, to show its size. The sea level is irrelevant for this illustration.
- This isn't Mount Everest.
load more comments
(4 replies)
What's misleading?
It literally tells you the foot of the mountain is already around 4000m above sea level.
Technical question for actual climbers.
How high up can you go by vehicle and still say you 'climbed' the mountain?
Nobody goes on foot from sea level to the top of the mountain, so at what point does the ascent start?
If you're not starting on foot from the bottom of the Mariana Trench, you're just a filthy casual.
What if I'm standing on the beach but my balls are all the way inside Challenger Deep?
i thought I would see a dick measuring joke but this is new
come on, kiss the abyss
Nobody goes on foot from sea level to the top of the mountain
Tim Macartney-Snape climbed Mount Everest that way. It took him 3 months.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Macartney-Snape#Everest:_Sea_to_Summit_Expedition
The exception that proves the rule.
But thank you, that's pretty interesting.
The practical answer is: you drive as far as you legally can.
As a disclaimer, pictured here are the Himalayas, which are at a completely different scale to where I've been, but in my experience there are typically parking spaces/bus stops at the end of public roads. At this point you leave the built up infrastructure and enter nature, and these are often located in a place where the flatter valley ends and a steeper ascent begins. In many cases there are smaller private roads further up to service more remote cabins or farmsteads. Sometimes there are even taxi services that drive you further along using private roads, which can be seen as not fully scaling the mountain yourself. Generally, the closest public parking is considered the starting point and most people will therefore start at the same spot.
I expect that by 2050 it will be common for the 0.01% to land a flying car 100 meters from the summit and then claim to have conquered the peak.
For Everest in particular, Base Camp 1 is at about 4000m IIRC, and that's where ascents typically start after some time to acclimate to the already high altitude.
I mean you park the car in the parking lot and then you start at the trailhead. That's really as far as you're allowed to drive up, not like you can drive on the hiking trail
Not a climber but I’m assuming the base of the mountain.
I guess that's what my question is. what is considered 'the base?'
I suppose it varies for each mountain.
load more comments
(2 replies)
load more comments
(3 replies)
Wow the Mia Khalifa is barely a dot on there. I know which one I want to get on top of.
I was going to say I'm very impressed with those buildings actually considering how thin and scrawny they are in comparison, but then I realized 4000m of mountain height from the sea level are technically not visible in this picture.
Context: the foot of Mt. Everest is in itself higher than most mountains. And then on top of all that there is an actual mountain peak you can see on the pictures.
I very much enjoy the friendship and company of hobby climbers. Professional climbers are, in my experience, 10% incredible and kind people with amazing life stories, 90% self aggrandising spoiled narcissists who think they're invincible, but should instead be dead without the support of dozens of people in their lives, who have never received proper credit or even an honest humble thanks.
Most people who go to do climbs like Annapurna and Everest are already a negative in my book.
Can you beat the Aggro Crag?
This makes thebuildings more impressive to me
Which beast?
Can't imagine the amount of force that pushed these huge mountains up, with their immeasurable mass. Wow.
Billy Brennan: So Mr. Kirby, when you climbed K2, did you base camp at twenty-five or thirty thousand feet?
Paul Kirby: Thirty thousand feet, we were pretty close to the top.
Billy Brennan: You were about a thousand feet above, actually.
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 30 Nov 2025
298 points (95.4% liked)
Today I Learned (TIL)
8343 readers
1 users here now
You learn something new every day; what did you learn today?
/c/til is a community for any true knowledge that you would like to share, regardless of topic or of source.
Share your knowledge and experience!
Rules
- Information must be true
- Follow site rules
- No, you don't have to have literally learned the fact today
- Posts must be about something you learned
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS