Summit Bids Begin! – Climbing the Seven Summits (2024)

FAQs

Which of the 7 summits is the easiest? ›

Although Kilimanjaro is a high-altitude trek – and takes at least six days to complete – it is by far the easiest of the Seven Summits. The climb is a pretty steady trek, and requires no ropes, rock climbing or technical mountaineering skills.

K2's east face, meanwhile, remains unclimbed. The hardest mountain to climb is often considered to be K2, the world's second-highest peak, due to its extreme weather conditions, technical climbing challenges, and high fatality rate.

In January 2010, the Spanish climber Carlos Soria Fontán, at the age of 71, completed the seven summits (Messner list) after reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro. He climbed the first one in 1968. On 23 May 2010, AC Sherpa summited Mount Everest as his last and final conquest of the Seven Summits (Bass list).

Completing the Seven Summits is a challenge even for extremely fit individuals. If you have the desire to tackle this goal, building top notch fitness and maintaining it over a long period of time is a must. Further this needs to be a high level of 'climbing specific fitness' and aerobic capability and strength.

The hardest of the Seven Summits to climb is generally considered to be K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. K2 is known for its incredibly steep and exposed terrain, unpredictable weather, and technical climbing challenges.

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Australian Steve Plain became the fastest climber to scale the highest peaks in seven continents, taking 117 days for a feat popularly called the "Seven Summits", after he scaled Mount Everest early on Monday, his expedition company in Nepal said.

Kilimanjaro and Elbrus are good starting points for your first Seven Summits peaks. The expeditions can be completed back-to-back in June, allowing you to complete two of the summits within a month.

While Mount Everest, at 29,032 feet, is the world's highest peak, it's K2 — a 28,251-foot-tall mountain that's 781 feet shorter — that is considered more deadly.

Who was the first to climb the 7 summits? ›

History of Climbing the Seven Summits

The first person to complete the Seven Summits was the American businessman, Richard Bass, who climbed Aconcagua (South America), Denali (North America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Elbrus (Europe), Mount Vinson (Antarctica) and Mount Kosciuszko (Oceania/Australasia) in 1983.

The Seven Summits Challenge has captured the imagination of many, it has given a focus to mountaineers worldwide, to climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents.

For this reason alone Denali is a tougher challenge than Aconcagua. Denali is probably the most strenuous of the Seven Summits. It requires that climbers know advanced glacier skills, rope team travel, and involves heavier load carries than Mount Everest and Aconcagua.

Australia: Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 m) or Carstensz Pyramid (4,848 m) At 2,228m, Mount Kosciuszko is the smallest mountain in the Seven Summits. According to Reinhold Messner, however, the 4,884m high Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia belongs to the "Seven Summits" instead of Mount Kosciuszko.