Mountaineers can all agree that climbing the Seven Summits, the highest peaks of each of the world’s continents, is among the supreme accomplishments of their sport; it is harder to get them to agree on exactly which peaks make up the Seven Summits. The problem is one of geographical classification and perspective. First, there is the question of whether Europe is considered part of Asia or constitutes a continent unto itself. If one accepts the notion of Eurasia as a single continent, there should really be only six summits. Another question arises regarding Europe: If one accepts the Urals as the dividing line between Europe and Asia, should the highest point in Europe be Mont Blanc, which is irrefutably wholly in Europe, or Mount Elbrus, which, depending on interpretation, only barely manages to escape classification as an Asian feature? Then there is the question of whether Australia is classified in isolation or includes Oceania. A pair of climbers formulated the two most popular schemes. The list of peaks compiled and climbed by American mountaineer Dick Bass draws the line at Australia proper; the list put together by Italian mountain climber Reinhold Messner embraces Oceania. Because neither climber subscribes to the concept of Eurasia or is bothered by the location of Mount Elbrus, their lists are otherwise identical. Here, then, are the world’s Seven—or maybe make that Eight—Summits.
Africa: Kilimanjaro
The highest peak in Africa surmounts Kilimanjaro, a volcanic massif in northeastern Tanzania, near the Kenyan border. The massif extends approximately east-west for 50 miles (80 km) and consists of three principal extinct volcanoes, the youngest and highest of which has a central cone, Kibo, that rises to 19,340 feet (5,895 meters). The Kibo summit was first reached in 1889 by German geographer Hans Meyer and Austrian mountaineer Ludwig Purtscheller. Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, established in 1973 to protect the mountain above the tree line as well as the six forest corridors that extend downslope through the montane forest belt, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
Europe: Mount Elbrus
The highest peak of the Caucasus and the highest point in Europe is Mount Elbrus in southwestern Russia. Formed more than 2.5 million years ago, this extinct volcano has twin cones that extend to elevations of 18,510 feet (5,642 meters) and 18,356 feet (5,595 meters). The taller cone was first ascended in 1874 by a British expedition led by Swiss guide Peter Knubel. Elbrus is covered by 22 glaciers, which feed the Kuban River.
North America: Denali
Denali (also called Mount McKinley), in the center of the Alaska Range in south-central Alaska, is the highest peak in North America. It rises abruptly to some 18,000 feet (5,500 meters) from the Denali Fault at its base to the higher, more southerly of its two summits. Denali’s official elevation figure was 20,320 feet (6,194 meters) from the early 1950s until 2015, when it was reestablished to be 20,310 feet (6,190 meters) by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) after thorough remeasurement using state-of-the-art equipment. In 1910 two prospectors of what was dubbed the “Sourdough Expedition” were the first climbers to conquer the North Peak. Hudson Stuck and Harry Karstens led a party to the South Peak, the true summit, on June 7, 1913. Nowadays, hundreds of climbers attempt to reach the summit each year.
South America: Mount Aconcagua
Mount Aconcagua, on the Chilean border in west-central Argentina, is the highest point in both South America and the Western Hemisphere, but its precise elevation has been debated since the early 20th century. In January 2001 a team of scientists using advanced GPS (global positioning system) technology reported an elevation of 22,840 feet (6,962 meters), plus or minus 16 feet (5 meters), but neither Argentina’s government nor the National Geographic Society recognizes this figure; the 22,831 feet (6,959 meters) height established by the Military Geographical Institute of Argentina remains the generally accepted figure. Mount Aconcagua has two summits—north and south—connected by a ridge. The southern summit has been measured at 22,736 feet (6,930 meters). The higher northern summit was first reached in 1897 by Swiss climber Matthias Zurbriggen.
Asia: Mount Everest
Mount Everest, the highest mountain in Asia and the world, stands on the crest of the Great Himalayas of southern Asia that lies on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Reaching an elevation of 29,035 feet (8,850 meters), it was first recognized as the highest point on the Earth’s surface by the governmental Survey of India in 1852. Major expeditions up Everest began in the 1920s, but it was not until 1953 that Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay—members of an expedition sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club—unquestionably reached its summit. Mystery still surrounds the disappearance in 1924 of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine, who may have reached the summit before vanishing. Mallory’s body was found at 26,760 feet (8,156 meters) in 1975; Irvine remains missing.
Antarctica: Vinson Massif
Discovered in 1935 by American explorer Lincoln Ellsworth, the Vinson Massif is the highest mountain in Antarctica. Located in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains in the western part of the continent, the peak overlooks the Ronne Ice Shelf. It rises to an elevation of 16,050 feet (4,892 meters) above sea level. Vinson is named for Carl Vinson, a U.S. congressman who championed exploration of Antarctica. Its summit was first reached in 1966 by an American expedition that was supported by the American Alpine Club and the National Science Foundation.
Australia: Mount Kosciuszko
The highest peak in Australia proper is Mount Kosciuszko, located 240 miles (390 km) southwest of Sydney in the Snowy Mountains of the Australian Alps in southeastern New South Wales. Situated in Kosciuszko National Park, it rises to an elevation of 7,310 feet (2,228 meters). Nearby are Mounts Townsend, Twynam, North Ramshead, and Carruthers, all of which top 7,000 feet (2,130 meters) in elevation. The first European to scale Mount Kosciuszko was Polish explorer and geologist Paul Strzelecki, who made the climb in 1840 and named the mountain after Polish patriot and hero of the American Revolution Tadeusz Kościuszko.
Australia/Oceania: Jaya Peak (Mount Carstensz)
If a wider net is cast down under to include Oceania, the highest mountain is Jaya Peak (also known as Mount Carstensz), found in the Sudirman Range of the west-central highlands on the island of New Guinea. Rising to an elevation of 16,024 feet (4,884 metres), it is the world’s highest island peak. Jaya Peak’s snowfield was reached by Dutch explorer Hendrik A. Lorentz in 1909, but it was another 53 years before its summit was climbed in 1962 by an expedition led by Austrian explorer and writer Heinrich Harrer, author of Seven Years in Tibet (1953).