7 summits

MOUNT EVEREST

As the highest mountain on earth and head of the Eight Thousanders, reaching the summit of Mount Everest is often considered to be the ultimate achievement for mountaineers and because of the cost involved in the expedition as well as the lengthy duration, it is for many people a once in a lifetime experience.

MOUNT ACONCAGUA

In order of elevation, Aconcagua is number two on the 7 summits list and is the highest peak outside of Asia as well as the highest in the Southern Hemisphere. It is located in the Andes mountain range of Argentina.

DENALI

Number three on the 7 summits list in terms of elevation is Denali. This impressive mountain is situated in the Alaska Range of mountains in the US state of Alaska. It is the main feature of the Denali National Park and its proximity to the Arctic Circle means that sub-zero temperatures and extreme cold weather are to be expected year round.

MOUNT ELBRUS

Mount Elbrus is number five in elevation on the 7 summits list. It is based the Caucasus Mountain Range in Southern Russia. Though there is some contention as to how the Caucasus Mountains are distributed between Europe and Asia, Elbrus lies north of the Caucasus watershed which is deemed - by most of the relevant authorities - to be the borderline between the two.

KILIMANJARO

Due to the non-technical nature and only moderate difficulty of the climb, the iconic Kilimanjaro is often one of the first extreme-altitude mountains that climbers attempt. The allure of being one of the 7 summits combined with its location in beautiful Africa makes Kilimanjaro a very popular mountain indeed. The extreme altitude should not be ignored but with adequate preparation, Kilimanjaro is very `summitable`.

MOUNT VINSON

Vinson Massif is the highest peak in Antarctica. It is based in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains and is the sixth highest of the 7 summits. Due to its isolated location, it is the ‘youngest` of the 7 summits as it was the last one to be successfully summited, and the popularity of climbing this mountain is mainly attributed to its status as one of them.

CARSTENSZ PYRAMID / PUNCAK JAYA

The Carstensz Pyramid, also known as Puncak Jaya is the lowest elevated mountain of the 7 summits on the Messner version list. It is the highest summit of Mount Carstensz in the Sudirman Range of the western central highlands of Papua Province in Indonesia.