For centuries, the way we've ranked mountains has been all about elevation. But National Geographic reports on a new metric gaining traction, one that factors in a particular peak's sense of grandeur. It's called jut, the brainchild of a 23-year-old computer scientist. Kai Xu, now a PhD student in computer science at NYU, first started thinking about a better way while staring up at Mount Tom in California's Sierra Nevada. Why? Because while its height of 13,652 feet is modest by global standards, its sheer faces and steep relief left him in awe. Xu set out to devise a formula to capture that:
- "His system takes into account both a mountain's height above its surroundings and the steepness of its rise, then spits out a single objective calculation that Xu has named jut—as in, how abruptly does a rock face jut into the sky? How magnificent is that relief to gaze up at?"
When Xu crunched data for about 200,000 peaks using Google Earth tools, the rankings changed dramatically. (See them
here.) Everest, although tallest above sea level at 29,029 feet, falls to 46th place by jut, while Annapurna Fang (25,089 feet) in the Himalayas is No. 1.
The story makes clear that not everyone's sold. Some purists argue that elevation should still carry more weight, and others bristle at seeing favorite peaks demoted. But many in climbing, geography, and photography circles are intrigued—calling jut a useful way to help adventurers uncover overlooked views. Read the full story.
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