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Galen Rowell

Gasherbrum I, also known as “Hidden Peak,” is the 11th tallest mountain in the world at 26,510 feet above sea level.

Polish alpinist Artur Hajzer, one of the remaining “Ice Warriors” from the 80s, initiated a project called Polish Winter Himalaya Climbing 2010-2015, and led a team of Polish climbers to make the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum I. The summit climbers were Adam Bielecki and Janusz Gołab.

At 14,494 feet (4,418 metres) above sea level, California's Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Whitney is part of the Sierra Nevada, a fault-block mountain range formed when shifting tectonic plates led to the cracking and faulting of the Earth's surface.

Second only to Mount Everest in height, K2 attracts hordes of climbers intent on conquering the 28,251-foot (8,611-metre) peak in the Himalaya. Also called Mount Godwin Austen, Dapsang, and Chogori, K2 is part of the Himalaya's Karakoram Range.