SEVEN SUMMITS

Expeditions on the roof of the world

The world’s highest mountains on each continent are known as the Seven Summits. Each mountain has its own unique history and mystical aura that has captivated many adventurers. Although a controversial topic in the mountaineering scene, the highest mountains on each continent have a certain appeal to high-altitude climbers from all over the world.

On the commercially offered routes, the altitude and acclimatization problems are usually the main difficulty of the ascent, rather than the technical difficulties, which rarely involve longer climbing passages.

Even if the ascents involve very few climbing sections, a high-altitude ascent to over 7000 m is always associated with certain risks (avalanches, HAPE and HACE, weather changes, falls) and requires very good physical condition, experience in alpine terrain and surefootedness.

Seven Summits is not the same as Seven Summits

The definition of Seven Summits and the definition of continental boundaries has been discussed for years. This page is based on the list defined by professional mountaineer Reinhold Messner (Messner List).

By Anurag Paul – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Overview of the Seven Summits

Mount Everest (8848 m) – The highest mountain in the world and a symbol of human ambition and conquest. It is also a very controversial summit that regularly makes headlines for being “overcrowded”.

Aconcagua (6959 m) – The highest mountain in America in the Andes of Argentina.

Denali (6190 m) -Also known as Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America in Alaska.

Kilimandscharo (5895 m) – The highest mountain in Africa in Tanzania, which is free-standing on all sides..

Mount Elbrus (5642 m) – Europe’s highest mountain in the Caucasus Mountains in Russia.

Mount Vinson (4892 m) – The highest mountain in Antarctica, offering extreme cold and isolation.

Puncak Jaya (4884 m) – The highest mountain in Oceania in Papua, Indonesia, also known as the Carstensz Pyramid.

Africa

Country: Tansania

First ascent: 1889

First ascenders : The Leipzig mountaineers Hans Meyer, the Austrian Ludwig Purtscheller and the local mountain guide Muini Amani

Travel period: January – March / June – November

Required ascent time : 7 to 9 days

Normal route: Marangu, Lemosho, Machame

Mount Kilimanjaro is a stratovolcano and represents the third glaciated high mountain range in Africa. The summit is climbed on around ten different routes, with the well-known Marangu (also known as the Coca-Cola Route), Lemosho and Machame Route being the routes chosen by most climbers. The summit is called Uhuru Peak, with the Kibo Crater measuring around 2 square meters.

Americas

Country: Argentina

First ascent: 1897

First ascenders: Matthias Zurbriggen, swiss-italian mountain guide

Travel period: November – February

Required ascent time: approx. 21 days

Normal route: North face

The Aconcagua is a symbol of the majestic beauty of the Andes. It is the highest mountain outside of Asia. The name comes from the Quechua language and means “stone guardian”. The mountain has five hanging glaciers and is usually climbed from the north side via the Plaza de Mulas. For the Incas, the mountain was considered a sacred mountain, which is why several places of worship have been found on the mountain over the years.

Country: claimed by multiple countries

First ascent: 1966

First ascender: Pete Schoening, John Evans, Barry Corbet und Bill Long

Travel period: November – January

Required ascent time: approx. 21 days

Normal route: High altitude tour glaciated

Mount Vinson may be the most secret and less traveled of the Seven Summits. This is probably due to the remoteness of this mountain, which is literally covered in storms. The starting point for the expedition is Union Glacier Camp. During the ascent via the normal route, Camp I is usually set up at around 3350 m, while Camp II is set up on the Shinn-Vinson Saddle (3960 m). The extreme cold is the biggest challenge when climbing Mount Vinson.

Country: Nepal

First ascent: 1953

First ascender: Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay

Travel period: April – May and December

Required ascent time: approx. 60 days

Normal route: Southern face

Mount Everest needs little description. Even though this magnificent mountain is overcrowded season after season and is often the focus of criticism, it exerts a unique attraction on many high-altitude mountaineers. For this reason, the Tibetans call it Qomolangma, which means “mother of the universe”.

Country: Indonesia

First ascent: 1962

First ascender: Heinrich Harrer, Philip Temple, Russel Kippax, Albert Huizenga

Travel period: January /November

Required ascent time: approx. 21 days

Normal route: North face

Puncak Jaya, also known as Castensz Pyramid, is a place full of secrets and mysteries, as the mountain is located in one of the most remote regions of the world. The name means “victory peak”.

The mountain is snow-free all year round and offers climbing passages up to grade V UIAA (the average, however, is III-IV UIAA). In the area close to the Carstensz Pyramid lies the largest gold mine in the world, the Grasberg Mine, as well as the indigenous Dani people who live in the nearby jungle area.

Country: Russia

First ascent: 1874

First ascender: Frederick Gardiner, Florence Crauford Grove, Horace Walker, Peter Knubel

Travel period: June – September

Required ascent time: approx. 9 days

Normal route: High altitude tour through the north and the south face, Skitour from the south face

The Elbrus is a stratovolcano in the Greater Caucasus, which has a double summit. The ascent is much easier due to the access via the “Gara-Bashi” cable car, which reaches up to 3847 meters. Several huts and a bivouac box on the way make for a pleasant ascent.

Country: USA

First ascent: 1913

First ascender: Hudson Stuck

Travel time: May – July

Required ascent time: approx. 28 days

Normal route: High altitude tour glaciated

Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, is located in Alaska and is considered a sacred mountain by the Koyukon tribe. The name means “the great one”. Denali is a challenging climb due to the extremely low temperatures. The temperature at the summit rarely exceeds -15°c, with temperatures often reaching -30°c. There are also frequent hurricane-like storms with winds of up to 120 km/h, which make climbing difficult.