Life and times (and units too : )

See how American writers are still (somewhat) obsessed with their medieval units/measures:


Annapurna was the last of the 14 peaks taller than 26,247 feet (8,000 meters) that Oh needed to climb to make history. She reached the summit — 26,545 feet above sea level — 13 years after she scaled her first Himalayan mountain, Gasherbrum II, in 1997.


(Source:  NY Times )


They won't even write the properly sensible "8000 meters" first. This is simply strange.