A series of large (5′ x 6′ feet) black chalk drawings (2015 – ongoing) on white felt of the top 10 deadliest mountains to climb in the world.
Found on the border between Switzerland and Italy, the 4,478-metre Matterhorn was one of the last great Alpine peaks to be climbed. The first ascent, in 1865, ended in tragedy when four of the party fell to their deaths on the way down. The north face is considered one of the six “great north faces of the Alps”, along with the Eiger, the Cima Grande di Lavaredo, the Grandes Jorasses, the Petit Dru, and the Piz Badile. The fatality rate is also among the highest of all Alpine peaks, with technical difficulty and the prevalence of rockfall and avalaches to blame.With upwards of 700 people a year now reaching the summit of Everest, Stephen Venables, the mountaineer, recently told Telegraph Travel that mass tourism had “devalued” the world’s largest peak. Nevertheless, reaching the top remains a dangerous undertaking. More than 200 have died on its slopes, and hundreds more attempts to climb it have failed.Sometimes you don’t have to be a tall mountain to be a lethal one. Take Mt. Fuji, for example. At its base sits the Sea of Trees, a large expanse of cedar, pine, and boxwood trees that was the only area not overrun by lava and ash during a massive eruption in 1707. This forest, know as Aokigahara, has attained cult status among Japanese as the perfect place to die. Rumors about the woods abound: locals speak of magnetic fields that disorient search and rescue operations; the forest’s population is said to consist of snakes, wild dogs, and the occasional demon.Fitz Roy, also known as Cerro Chaltén, lies on the border between Argentina and Chile. Perito Francisco Moreno named it Fitzroy in 1877, after the Beagle‘s captain Robert FitzRoy, who explored some of the area in 1834. It was first climbed in 1952 by French alpinists Lionel Terray and Guido Magnone. The mountain has a reputation of being “ultimate,” despite its average height, but because the sheer granite faces present long stretches of arduous technical climbing. In addition, the weather in the area is exceptionally inclement and treacherous. Although it is the highest peak in the Los Glaciares park, but it is less than half the Himalayan giants! The mountain climb, however, remains extremely difficult and is the preserve of very experienced climbers. Today, when a hundred people may summit Mount Everest in a single day, Cerro Chaltén may only be successfully ascended once a year.
