Hey OC, Mount This

[Philboid Studge]

ocmpoma once wrote

Absolute knowledge: Everest is the highest peak on Earth.
Absolute truth: Garfield was the worst President.

So I wrote

Mauna Kea is the world's highest mountain, when measured from its base. (Isn't measuring from sea level rather arbitrary?)

To which OC wrote

Mauna Kea might be taller than Everest (and is more massive as well), but Everest's peak is higher.

Turns out, we're both wrong, OC. (Especially you. :|)

Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador is a frigging mile and a half higher than Mount Everest. By the same formula (taking into account that the Earth is an oblate spheroid and not a perfect sphere), the Dead Sea -- the "lowest" point on Earth -- is three miles higher than the peak of Mount McKinley!

I'd rather mount Chimborazo than either Everest or McKinley.

Also, near the equator you weigh less than in NYC, so it would be even easier to climb.

And if you're from NJ, you're already used to breathing in all sorts of crap, so dealing with lower oxygen shouldn't be a problem either.

Especially me, eh?

Another great example of why one should define what the baseline (which will always be arbitrary, why not measure the highest as being furthest from the center of the solar system?) being used is...

Cool.