10. Annapurna
Elevation: 8,091 meters
Annapurna is located in the Himalayas of Nepal, and this beautiful towering peak was previously known as Morshiadi. The name ‘Annapurna’ is a Sanskrit word which can be translated as ‘Goddess of the Harvests’. Literally, it means ‘full of food’, and perhaps this is one of the reasons it was the first of the 8,000m giants to be conquered – by an expedition led by Maurice Herzog – back in 1950. Unusually, especially for that time, the ascent took place without the use of oxygen tanks, and Herzog received the 1950 Société de Géographie’s Gold Medal for his achievement.
