Mountain
Heights of mountains are typically measured above sea level. Using this metric, Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth, at . There are at least 100 mountains with heights of over above sea level, all of which are located in central and southern Asia. The highest mountains above sea level are generally not the highest above the surrounding terrain. There is no precise definition of surrounding base, but Denali, Mount Kilimanjaro and Nanga Parbat are possible candidates for the tallest mountain on land by this measure. The bases of mountain islands are below sea level, and given this consideration Mauna Kea ( above sea level) is the world's tallest mountain and volcano, rising about from the Pacific Ocean floor.
Clifton Maloney
Maloney was an accomplished mountaineer who at the time of his death was believed to be the oldest American ever to summit an "Eight-thousander", one of the fourteen peaks in the world that are greater than 8,000 meters in altitude. He climbed five of the "Seven Summits", the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents, including Denali in Alaska, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, the Vinson Massif in Antarctica, Aconcagua in the Andes, and Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus. On September 24, 2009, at the age of 71, Maloney summited the nearly 27,000-foot peak of Cho Oyu, the world's sixth-highest mountain, in Tibet. He reached the summit of the "Turquoise Goddess", as the mountain is known, with the help of a sherpa and a guide, Marty Schmidt. He then descended to Camp 2 at 23,000 feet. On the morning of September 25, 2009 he woke up and told a companion, ""I'm the happiest man in the world -- I have just climbed a beautiful mountain."" These were apparently his last words as he went back to sleep and never woke up.