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Below is a list of Mountains throughout
the World that attract many climbers from
their region and around the world.
The most climbed mountains are
normally the highest mountains in that
region, as most climbers want to conquer
the highest peak in the region they are
visiting.
Mountains are normally listed by
height above sea level, or, height above
their base. Mount Everest on the China
and Nepal border is the highest mountain
above sea level, Mount McKinley in Alaska
USA is the highest above its base.
Everest at 29,000 feet sits on a plateau
that is about 15,000 feet above sea
level, so from base to peak is about
14,000 feet. McKinley is 20,300 feet
above sea level, 18,000 feet above its
base.
Both measurements are useful as height
above base shows how far you have to
climb and how impressive the mountain
looks before you climb.
Height above sea level is extremely
important when the mountain exceeds 8,000
feet as, altitude sickness can begin at
this height. Bewteen 12,000 and 14,000
feet, altitude sickness becomes a real
problem. From this height up, normally
requires a day or two stop every now and
again to aclimatise. Above 26,000 feet is
regarded as the Death Zone. Oxygen in the
death zone is about one third of that at
sea level. Only top climbers can survive
above 26,000 feet for a few days, all
others have to carry bottled oxygen.
Any injury or illness in the death
zone makes rescue extremely difficult.
Many people that take ill at that height
have to be left to die, their bodies are
then left where they died or are buried
in the snow or under rocks close to where
they died. Everest has well over 100
bodies laying around above 26,000 feet.
Climbing the highest mountain means
passing numerous bodies along the route.
One part of Mount Everest has been named
Rainbow Valley, due to the number of
corpses laying around that area with
their different coloured climbing
jackets.
Most mountains of a few thousand feet
have a number of areas that can be
deadly. Mountains with tourist trails up
to a 5,000 feet climb, 3 - 8 hours in
time, can attract climbers with very
little climbing experience, or none at
all. Mist and cloud lead to some novice
climbers, and intermediate climbers,
straying off the main trails and falling
over cliffs.
The mountains listed below start in
the UK where a mountain over 3,000 feet
is regarded as high and a good challenge
taken in one day. The list then shows
European mountains that work up to 15,000
feet, then Africa, Americas, and finally
the Asian mountains over 29,000 feet.
Feet above base listed below may be from
where the walking route starts from.
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Scafell Pike / Northwest England
3,209 ft above sea level, 3009 ft above
its base
Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in
England, situated in a remote part of the
Lake District. The second highest
mountain, Sca Fell, is situated next to
this one. These mountains have relatively
straight forward walking routes to the
top that take about 3 - 5 hours, but also
have some dangerous spots should you
stray from the main walking trails. The
walking trails are of loose rock said to
be sore on the boots and feet. There have
been a number of deaths on Scafell Pike
so the climb should be taken seriously.
There are 6 mountains in England over
3,000 feet. Use the map link and drag the
wee man onto the road by the mountain for
a view of the area. Map.
Reviews.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scafell_Pike
Photo
Tour . Inn at the bottom of the
Mountain . Video Slide
Show .
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Carrauntoohil / Southern Ireland
3,406 ft above sea level, 3,330 ft above
its base
Carrauntoohil is the highest mountain in
Ireland, situated 15 miles west of the
town of Killarney on the Macgillycuddy's
Reeks range in the southwest of Ireland.
This mountain takes 3 hours plus to climb
and is described as can be dangerous with
areas of loose rock. There have been a
number of fatalities on the mountain so
the climb should be taken seriously.
There are narrow roads that lead into the
mountains from all directions to a car
park close to the base of Carrauntoohil .
There are 13 mountains in ireland above
3,000 feet. Map.
Reviews.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrauntoohil
Climb
Information
Killarney
Area Guide . Killarney
Area Accommodation . Video
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Mount Snowdon / Northwest Wales
3,560 feet above sea level, 3,220 ft
above its base
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales,
probably the most climbed mountain in
Britain. It is located in Snowdonia
National Park in Gwynedd. The Snowdon
Mountain Railway (a rack railway) now
runs to the top for anyone not fit enough
to walk to the top. A restaurant and shop
can be found at the top station, just
below the summit with incredible views.
The easy walking routes take about 6
hours to the top and back. A few people
die on this mountain each year. There are
15 mountains in Wales over 3,000 feet.
The railway and tourist paths start from
the town of Llanberis. Map .
Reviews.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowdon
www.mountainwalk.co.uk/walkingsnowdon
. Area
Accommodation
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Ben Nevis / Scotland
Highlands 4,408 feet above sea
level, 4,340 feet above its base
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the
British Isles situated by the town of
Fort William. The mountain attracts an
estimated 225,000 visitors per year, many
of which are walkers using the
well-constructed Mountain Track. Novice
walkers following the Tourist Path take
about 3 to 5 hours to reach the summit.
For climbers and mountaineers, the main
attraction lies in the 2,300 ft high
cliffs of the north face. Most fatalities
are from climbing the cliffs and many by
straying off the main trail in bad
weather. It is said there are more deaths
on Ben Nevis than on Mount Everest. There
are 283 mountains in Scotland over 3,000
feet. Map .
Reviews.
ben-nevis.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Nevis
www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/bennevis
Photo Tour . Video
Tour .
Fort William
Area info & Hotels
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Kebnekaise /
Northwest Sweden 6,909 feet above
sea level, 4,662 ft above its base
Kebnekaise is the highest mountain in
Sweden situated in Lapland about 800
miles north of Stockholm. This is a
popular climb in summer with the main
tourist route departing from the very
small village of Nikkaluokta. There are regular
planes, trains and buses to the village
from southern Sweden. From Nikkaluokta it
is about 12 miles to the start of the
trail up the mountain from the Kebnekaise
Mountain Lodge, that is 2,264 ft
above sea level. Getting to the lodge is
an adventure in itself as you can hike
the 12 miles, take a boat trip part of
the way and hike the rest, or take a
helicopter that operates all day in
summer. The climb to the summit from the
lodge takes 4 - 6 hours and can be
dangerous in parts with ice. The closest
town with a number of hotels is Kiruna 40
miles east of Nikkaluokta. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kebnekaise
Trip
Information . Photo
Tour . Video
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Galdhopiggen /
Central Norway 8,100 feet above
sea level, 2,000 feet above its base
Galdhopiggen is the highest mountain in
Norway situated about 240 miles northwest
of Oslo. The main tourist route is from
the Juvasshytta
Mountain Lodge that is about 6,000 ft
above sea level. You can make the climb
yourself or join a guided tour that
departs most days. There is ice so can be
dangerous in places. Regular buses run
from Oslo and other Norwegian towns to
the tourist village of Lom and
Juvasshytta Lodge, that are 20 miles
apart. The area is a popular tourist
destination and there is a Ski
Centre on the mountain. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galdh%C3%B8piggen
Climb
Routes . Guided
Tours . Video of
Summit .
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Aneto / Pyrenees, France & Spain
border 11,168 feet above sea
level, 4,100 ft above its base
Aneto is the highest mountain in the
Pyrenees mountain range that runs along
the border between southern France and
northern Spain. The area has a Ski
Resort and National Park so there are
plenty of buses that run to the area from
Spain and France. For the climb, many
people base at the closest town of
Benasque
in the Hotel
Aneto, they then take a bus from
Benasque into the Natural Park
of Posets-Maladeta to the area named
La Besurta, then walk about 30 minutes to
the Refuge of La
Renclusa at 7,000 feet. The climb to
the summit begins at the refuge and
crosses a glacier on the way. Close to
the top is a narrow ridge named The
Bridge of Mohamed with extremely high
drops either side as can be seen on the
video. You can also stay at the refuge.
Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aneto
Climb
Routes
Photo
Tour . Video of
Winter Ski Tour of Aneto .
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Mulhacen / Southern Spain 11,413
feet above sea level, 6,700 ft above its
base
Mulhacen is the highest mountain in Spain
situated in the Siera Nevada Mountain
Range in the Granada region of southern
Spain, about 80 miles northeast of
Malaga. The popular route to the summit
is from the village of Capileira
at 4,700 ft above sea level. Most summit
attempts depart Capileira and spend a
night at the mountain Refuge at
Poqueira at 8,100 ft, but some try it
in one day. The mountain is classed as
dangerous with ice, snow, avalanches and
strong winds much of the year. Also, it
can get extremely warm in the height of
summer. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulhac%C3%A9n
Climb Routes
Guide . Area
Accommodation . Video of
Winter Ascent
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Mount Cook / New Zealand 12,316
feet above sea level, 5,500 feet above
its base
Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New
Zealand situated on South Island in the
Aoraki, Mount Cook National Park, about 7
miles north of Mount Cook
Village, 223 miles west of Christchurch. To climb the
mountain you have to travel by road to
mount Cook Village then fly to the
Plateau
Hut on The Grand Plateau on Mt Cook
at about 7,000 feet above sea level. Most
people climbing this mountain use a
company like Alpine
Guides that take 6 days to prepare
and climb the mountain. The climb is
about 5,500 feet and takes about 15 - 18
hours. This can be an extremely dangerous
mountain with changing conditions and
strong winds. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aoraki/Mount_Cook
Climb Routes
Guide . Photo
Tour . Video
Tour . Christchurch
Accommodation .
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Mont Blanc / Alps, France & Italy
border 15,782 feet above sea
level, 8,000 ft above its base
Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in
Western Europe. The main climb route is
from the scenic French town of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains at
4,200 ft above sea level. From the
village you take the Tramway
du Mont-Blanc up to the Eagle's
Nest at 7,800 ft above sea level.
From there, the climb begins and passes
through the Gouter corridor then up to
the Refuge on the
mountain Dome du Gouter at 14,121 ft,
where you stay overnight. From the
refuge, you make the final 1,600 ft climb
to the summit of Mont Blanc. This is
reported to be the deadliest mountain in
the world with about 60 deaths in one
year alone.
Many climbers visiting this region
also want to climb the fearsome looking
14,692 ft Matterhorn and the 13,025 ft
Eiger
with its deadly north face, 6,000 ft
almost straight down. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Blanc
Photo Tour
Guide . Routes
Guide . Video
Tour . Hire Guides .
Area
Accommodation . Reviews
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Mount Ararat / Turkey & Iran
border 16,854 feet above sea
level, 10,000 ft above its base
Mount Ararat is a dormant volcano with
two peaks, Greater Ararat and Lesser
Ararat at 12,782 ft. To climb this
mountain you need a permit and use a
certified Turkish guide. The guides offer
4 - 9 day excursions of the local area
and the climb to the top. The adventure
starts from the Turkish town of Dogubayazit at 5,300 feet above
sea level. You take a truck from the town
to the bottom of the mountain at 6,500
ft. The first overnight camp is at 10,500
ft. The next part of the climb is to
another camp at 14,000 ft. The next day
you climb to the summit. The climb is
fairly straight forward with the main
hazards being the snow, ice, exhaustion
and altitude. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Ararat
Tour
Guides . Other Tour
Guides . Video
Tour . Accommodation
Guide . Reviews
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Mount Elbrus / Eastern Russia
18,510 feet above sea level, 7,100 ft
above its base
Mount Elbrus is a dormant volcano in the
western Caucasus Mountain Range close to
the Russian border with Georgia. The main
route to the top is from the Mount Elbrus
Ski Resort of Azau
Village. You take a cable car from
the village to the MIR Station at 11,400
ft. You then climb to the Barrel
Huts at 12,300 ft and spend time
acclimatizing to the altitude. The first
part of the climb is to Priut 11
at 13,600 ft and again spend time
acclimatizing to the altitude. The final
climb to the summit from Priut 11 is
about 5,000 ft. The closest town to Azau
Village, and gateway to the region is
Mineralnye
Vody, about 150 miles north. The
climb is fairly straight forward with the
main hazards being the snow, ice,
exhaustion and altitude. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Elbrus
Routes
Guide . Tour Guides .
More Tour
Guides . Video
Tour . Area
Accommodation . Reviews
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Mount Kilimanjaro / Tanzania,
Africa 19,341 feet above sea
level, 14,000 ft above its base
Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcano situated
in the Kilimanjaro National Park in
Tanzania, East Africa. There are six
official trekking Routes to the
Top taking between 5 and 9 days. Most
people climbing this mountain do through
an agency as it has become a really busy
mountain and you can only climb the
mountain with reputable guides. The most
popular routes have huts at the end of
each stage. Other less popular routes
mean sleeping in tents. The way to the
mountain is normaly fly to Nairobi
in Kenya, then travel by road 128 miles
south to one of the villages at the base
of the mountain. Some airlines fly direct
to the smaller Kilimanjaro
Airport. The climb is fairly straight
forward with the main hazards being
exhaustion and altitude. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibo_%28volcano%29
Routes
Guide . Tour Guides .
Video
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Mount McKinley / Alaska, USA
20,320 feet above sea level, 13,000 feet
above its base camp
Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in
North America and the United States, the
highest mountain on land when measured
from its base to the summit, 18,000 ft.
To climb this mountain takes between 2
and 3 weeks, with the most popular route
having base camp at 7,800 ft and other
camps at 9,500 ft; 11,000 ft; 14,200 ft;
and 17,200 ft. The route to the mountain
is fly to Anchorage, main town in Alaska,
then drive/bus 113 miles north to the
village of Talkeetna
where you take a ski plane up to base
camp at 7,800 ft. Most people climbing
this mountain use guides as it is
extremely dangerous with 11 climbers
dying in one season alone. There is a
high altitude helicopter that can be used
for rescue when the weather is suitable.
Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_McKinley
Routes
Guide . Expedition
Info . Guides .
Video
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Huascaran / Western Andes, Peru
22,205 feet above sea level, 12,000 ft
above its base
Huascaran is situated in the Cordillera
Blanca range of the Western Andes, the
highest mountain in Peru. To climb the
mountain after altitude training of 2 or
3 weeks, is to start from the village of
Musho at 10,000 ft and climb up to base
camp at 14,000 ft on day 1, climb to
18,000 ft on day 2, climb to 20,000 ft on
day 3, then to the summit on day 4. This
is a dangerous mountain with strong
winds, ice falls and avalanche zones so
most people use guides. The way to the
mountain is fly to the city of Lima,
travel by bus 260 miles north to the city
of Huaraz,
then taxi 50 miles north to the village
of Musho.
The most climbed mountains in Peru are
the ones on the Inca Trail over 10,000 ft
leading to the Inca town of Machu
Picchu located on a ridge at about
7,700 ft, a 4 day
climb. Machu Picchu is about 800
miles southeast of Huascaran.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huascaran
Routes
Guide . Guides .
Video Slide
Show . Huascaran
Map . Machu Picchu
Map . Machu Pichu
Video
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Aconcagua / Andes, Argentina
22,831 feet above sea level, 14,600 ft
above its base
Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the
Americas, situated in the Andes mountain
range in western Argentina, 70 miles
northwest of the city of Mendoza,
750 miles west of Buenos Aires, close to
the border with Chile, 140 miles
northeast of Santiago
in Chile. The way to the mountain is fly
to Santiago or Mendoza, or to Buenos
Aires then Mendosa, then a bus from
Mendosa into the Aconcagua
Provincial Park for the beginning of
the climb at 8,200 ft. You need a permit
and most climbers use guides. There are
two main routes that are described as
fairly straight forward with the main
hazards being ice and altitude. The
Polish Traverse route takes about 14 days
moving your gear up plus resting and
getting used to the altitude. The first 6
days are spent getting yourself and gear
up to camp 1 at 16,200 ft. By the 10th
day, everything needed should be at camp
2 at 19,200 ft. After a rest and weather
permitting, on day 12 you go for the
summit taking between 10 and 12 hours for
the round trip. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconcagua
Routes
Guide . Guides .
Video
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K2 / China & Pakistan border
28,251 feet above sea level, 19,100 above
its base
K2 is the second highest mountain after
Mount Everest, situated on the Karakoram
Range, on the border between Pakistan and
China. This mountain is considered the
most dangerous to climb of the 26,000 ft
plus mountains with about a 23% Death
Rate. Eleven climbers of a 31 strong
team died here 3rd August 2008 close to
the summit, one died by falling on the
way up, one trying to recover his body,
and the rest on the way back down towards
top camp due mainly to ice falls. See the
video below for the fateful climb. Most
of their bodies, and body parts, ripped
apart in the ice falls, remain high on
the mountain.
There are a number of routes to the
top with the most popular now becoming
the Abruzzi Spur taking about 70 days all
in, and costing about £8,000 for the
package. The way to K2 is fly to Islamabad
northeast Pakistan, make your way 207
miles northeast to the village of
Askole at
9,100 ft by jeep, then trek for about 14
days to base camp on the Godwin Austin
glacier at 16,700 ft. Between camp 2 and
3 is the most difficult part of the climb
consisting of about 1,300 ft of near
vertical climbing on mixed rock and ice.
Top camp 4 is at about 26,000 ft. The
final 2,200 ft push to the summit takes
about 12 hours from camp 4 and is where
most people die by falling or by ice
falls. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K2
Routes
Guide . Professional
Lead Teams . Video of the
Dangers with Deaths .
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Everest/ China & Nepal border
29,029 feet above sea level, 19,600 ft
above above its base
Mount Everest is the worlds highest
mountain with two main climbing routes,
the North Ridge from Tibet, and the
slightly easier and more popular
Southeast Ridge from Nepal, first climbed
by Edmund Hillary in 1953. Packages for
this up to 70 day climb can cost between
£30,00 and £40,000. You can
obtain more basic packages of around
£7,000 that get you and your
equipment onto the mountain then you are
on your own. The southeast base camp is
at about 18,000 ft, and top camp 4 at
about 26,000 ft. The final 3,000 ft push
for the summit normally starts about
midnight and takes about 10 hours.
Above Camp 4 at 26,000 ft, you are in
the Death Zone where you can only survive
for a day or two using up your bottled
oxygen. You pass Greenboots
Cave at 27,890 ft where a dead Indian
climber with green boots has lay since
dying there in 1996. You then cross the
knife edge ridge named Cornice
Traverse with an 8,000 ft fall on one
side and a 10,000 ft fall on the other,
climbers that fall to their death from
here are said to have taken the Grand
Tour. Just above the Cornice Traverse is
the Hillary
Step, a 40 ft rock wall at 28,740 ft.
Just before the summit you pass Rainbow
Valley, so named as there are many bodies
lying around with different coloured
climbing jackets. There are well over 100
bodies laying around above 26,000 ft, so
the climb can be traumatic. Although
there have been over 200 deaths on
Everest, the percentage rate is only
about 6%, low compared to other mountains
close to this height with death rates
over 20%. Over 3,600 people have now made
the summit of Everest.. The summit is so
cold at times, severe frost bite often
occurs leading to toes, fingers, feet or
nose having to be amputated. It is just
your luck how cold it is when you reach
the summit, temperature at the top cannot
be predicted.
To get to the Everest Southeast Ridge
route, make your way by airlines to
Katmandu
capital of Nepal, take a small plane to a
scary airstrip at Lukla 73 miles
east at 9,380 ft, then trek for about 10
days, 38 miles to Everest Base
Camp at 18,192 ft. Many people do the
trek to base camp only, just for the
experience. Map.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest
Routes
Guide . Guides .
Video .
Video 2
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