Collection: Mountains

La Meije, in the French Dauphiné Alps, is one of the best-known mountains of France, besides the Mont Blanc. For climbers the highest peak, la Grand Pic, is said to be one of the most challenging obstacles in the Alps. The first successful ascent was made in 1877. The name “Meije” is going back to the Provençal word “Meidjour”, meaning “midday”.

La Saulire is located in the world's biggest ski area “Les Trois Valléés”, on the border between the resorts “Courchevel” and “Méribel/Mottaret”. In winter tens of thousands of skiers pass the summit each day. Most of them use the groomed slopes. Only few are courageous enough to take the couloirs, some wild, steep, and narrow ski-runs in between the rocks.

The Lagginhorn is the second four-thousander in the Weissmies Group in Valais, close to the Italian border. It is also the lowest four-thousander in Switzerland. The ascent of the Lagginhorn is considered to be only slightly more difficult than that of the neighbouring Weissmies, which is only 7 metres higher. The popular normal route to the summit, which was already chosen for the first succesful ascent in 1856, starts in Saas-Grund in the valley and goes via the Weissmieshütte in about 2700 metres.

West of the Sella group the peaks of the Langkofel or Sassolungo Group form a nearly perfect half circle. The two dominant summits are the Langkofel (Sassolungo) in the northeast as the highest peak of the group and Plattkofel (Sasso Piatto) in the southwest. Due to the many ski resorts in the winter the area can be accessed with various aerial lifts, among them a gondola from Sella Pass to the mountain hut Utia Toni Demetz. The famous ski circuit Sella Ronda also leads alongside the Langkofel Group.

Les Diablerets (The Abode of Devils) lie on the border of the Swiss cantons of Valais and Vaud. The highest summit of the group, the Sommet des Diablerets, is also the high point of Vaud. Among the other major peaks of the group are the Oldenhorn, where the border of the third canton of Bern meets the other two, and the almost 3000 meter high Sex Rouge. The latter can be accessed via an aerial lift since the 1960s, which becomes part of the ski resort Glacier 3000 during the winter season.

Lhotse ist der vierthöchste Berg der Erde. Mit einer Schartenhöhe weit unter 1500 Meter ist der Lhotse der einzige der 14 Achttausender, der nicht zu den sogenannten ultraprominenten Gipfeln gezählt wird. Dies ist seiner Nachbarschaft zum Mount Everest zu verdanken, mit dem er über den Südsattel verbunden ist. Die Erstbesteigung des Lhotse erfolgte 1956 drei Jahre nach der des Everest. Die erste Besteigung des Nebengipfels Lhotse Middle gelang erst 2001, wodurch dieser fast 50 Jahre lang der höchste unbestiegene Punkt der Erde war.

The Linker and Rechter Fernerkogel are two peaks north-east of the Wildspitze, with the Mittelbergferner glacier between them. The Linker Fernerkogel is a popular tour destination in both summer and winter. The normal route leads to the summit from the north, starting at the Braunschweiger Hütte. The area is also used for glacier mountaineering courses.

Between the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa rises the five-kilometre-long Liskamm. Its highest point is the eastern summit. On the north-eastern side of the crest an icy rock face drops away for more than 1000 steep metres, while the heavily crevassed Lys Glacier lies to the south. The eastern summit was first climbed in 1861, and three years later mountaineers traversed the ridge for the first time. That traverse has cost many climbers their lives, which earned the Liskamm the nickname ‘the man-eater’.

The Lugauer rises far over 1000 meters west of the Radmer valley. The distinctive double summits western slope is not as steep and especially popular among many of the skiriders which visit the mountain each year. The great panorama from the summit is reflected in the name of the mountain. “Lug auer” in the local dialect can be translated as “look down”.

Seinem pyramidenförmigen Gipfel hat der Machapuchare den Beinamen „Matterhorn Nepals“ zu verdanken. Der eigentliche Name bedeutet soviel wie „Fischschwanz“, an welchen der Berg von Westen betrachtet erinnert, wenn der zweite Gipfel zum Vorschein kommt. In Nepal gilt der Berg als heilig, da er der Sitz Amitabhas, dem Buddha des grenzenlosen Lichts, ist. Deshalb wurde 1964 durch den nepalesischen König ein Besteigungsverbot ausgesprochen. Bis heute gilt der Machapuchare daher als höchster unbestiegener Sechstausender.

Less than 20 kilometres from Mount Everest, Makalu, the fifth-highest mountain on Earth, rises as an impressive four-sided rock pyramid. The Makalu massif also includes the peaks of Kangchungtse (also Makalu II, 7678 m) and Chomo Lonzo (7804 m) to the north. Locally, Makalu is also known as ‘Kumba karna’ (the giant). The first ascent of the summit in 1955 was made from the north via the saddle between Kangchungtse and Makalu; this route is regarded as the normal route today. During the search for the legendary yeti, the area around Makalu was a particular focus.

Manaslu – the ‘mountain of the spirit’ – is sometimes also called ‘Kutang’ and is the eighth-highest mountain on Earth. The summit has three steep flanks, while to the east it falls away more gently towards the 7992-metre subsidiary peak. Despite its lower altitude, the east summit was not climbed until 1986, some 30 years after the main summit. Anyone not up to an ascent to 8000 metres and beyond can try the Manaslu Circuit. The trekking route leads all the way around Manaslu, reaching an altitude of just over 5100 metres.

Marmolada is known as the Queen of the Dolomites and the highest mountain of the range. The Ghiacciaio della Marmolada on the north face is the last major glacier of the Dolomites. The area is especially popular for hiking. The so-called “Dream Path” from Munich to Venice is one of the famous routes running around the mountain.

(South) Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak together form the Maroon Bells. They are part the Elk Mountains and probably the most iconic mountains in Colorado. Some believe that they are likely to be the most photographed mountains in all of North America. Unlike most other mountain ranges of the Rockies the Elk Mountains and the Maroon Bells mainly consist of mudstone, which gives the mountains their characteristic color. But this also leads to rock fall being a serious danger, when climbing the mountains. This is why the White River forest service also named them the “Deadly Bells” on a warning sign.

If the perfect mountain exists, it must be the Matterhorn. Its solitary presence at the end of the Nikolai Valley and its almost perfect tetrahedral shape make the mountain a symbol for the beauty of the Alps and an object of projection for the challenges of Alpinism.

Mauna Kea - “the White Mountain” - is the high point of the Hawaiian islands. It may even be considered to be the highest mountain on the planet if you measure the height from the mountain base below sea level to the summit, where Mauna Kea reaches over 10000 meters. The dormant volcano is over one million years old. On the mountain top, which is easily accessible, the Mauna Kea Observatory was built.

The Minarets are a group of sharp peaks in the Ritter Range in the Sierra Nevada. They were named in 1868 due to their resemblance of the minarets of a mosque. 17 of the Minarets' peaks have been given unofficial names. The highest was named Clyde Minaret, in honour of Norman Clyde, a famous mountaineer. A number of routes of varying degree of difficulty lead to the top of Clyde Minaret.

The Mittagskogel (Slovenian: Kepa) is one of the highest mountains in the western Karawanks. The rock pyramid on the border between Carinthia and Slovenia belongs to the main crest of the western Karawanks. Its flattened summit gives the Mittagskogel an almost volcanic appearance. Names such as Mittagskogel, Mittagsgipfel, Mittagsberg or Zwölferberg are common in the Alps: they denote a mountain standing south of a larger settlement, pointing at the sun like the hand of a clock at twelve.

Between the Eiger and the Jungfrau, the Mönch completes the impressive trio in the Bernese Oberland. From the top station of the Jungfrau railway it is just over 600 metres of ascent to the summit, though the climb involves some technical challenges. Only in 1996 did re-measurement show that the mountain is nine metres higher than previously assumed. Geldings – ‘Münche’ in the local dialect – were once summered on pastures on the mountain, and ‘Münchenberg’ later became Mönch.

The Mont Aiguille is a striking mountain of the Northern Dauphiné Limestone Alps in the Isère region. Like the famous mesas of Monument Valley in Utah, its summit rises steeply out of its surroundings. It is the remnant of a former plateau that was worn away around the mountains by erosion and the grinding of former glaciers. Set apart from the main crest of the Massif du Vercors, the Mont Aiguille is visible from far away despite its comparatively modest height.

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain of France and in the Alps. It appears cliff-like from the south, whereas the impression from the north seems to be of a much rounder and more inviting summit. With a topographic prominence of 4696 meters, Mont Blanc is one of the eleven most prominent mountains on the globe. The community of Chamonix at the foot of the mountain hosted the first predecessor to the Winter Olympics in 1924. Today it is the starting point for a number of exciting freeride ski-runs.

The Mont Fort is a three-thousand-metre peak in the Valais Alps rising south of Nendaz. The mountain is surrounded by three glaciers; the Glacier de Tortin to the west is part of 4 Vallées, the largest ski area in Switzerland. The Mont Fort is easily reached by cable car from Nendaz or Verbier. At the top, and in the right weather, a spectacular view opens up over the massifs of Monte Rosa and Mont Blanc.

The Mont Pelvoux is a broad, massive mountain block in the east of the Écrins massif in the French Western Alps. The ascent is demanding: from the Refuge du Pelvoux on the southern slope, the normal route follows an ice gully that grows ever steeper. Once the plateau with the Glacier du Pelvoux is reached, the various peaks can be climbed comparatively easily.

The Mont Ventoux is the highest summit of the southern Dauphiné Limestone Alps. The giant of Provence was the goal of the first documented ascent of an Alpine mountain, undertaken by Francesco Petrarca and his brother, and many have since regarded that climb as the founding moment of alpinism. In cycling it is one of the sacred mountains of the Tour de France, even though the Ventoux has appeared on the race route only every four to five years on average since it was first crossed in 1951.

The highest mountain of the Maritime Alps is located only 50 km east of Nizza in one of the biggest nature parks of the Alps. The mountain itself seems quite unimpressive being framed by nearby mountain ranges. The regional park offers scenic hiking trails and is home to countless alpine marmots.

The Monte Baldo forms a ridge 30 kilometres long that rises above the eastern shore of Lake Garda and drops away on the other side into the Adige valley in the province of Trento. The highest point of the ridge is the Cima Valdritta. The mountain is very well developed and therefore easy to climb. During the ice ages the summit of Monte Baldo stood above the glaciers, which preserved a unique flora here that survives nowhere else.

The Monte Civetta in the province of Belluno towers above the Cordévole valley and the village of Alleghe. ‘Civetta’ means owl in Italian and goes back to the earlier notion that such a mighty mountain could only be conquered in flight. That is due above all to its north-west face, as steep as it is vast: more than 1000 metres high and three kilometres wide, it is one of the largest rock faces in the Dolomites.

The Monte Disgrazia is a chameleon. Seen from the north-west or south-east, it appears as a sharp, rugged, unconquerable horn. From the north-east, by contrast, the peak looks like an elongated plateau. The reason is the multi-peaked summit wall, which runs in an almost perfectly north-westerly direction and so allows very different views.

The Monte Pelmo is a mighty, free-standing dome of rock and one of the highest summits in the Dolomites, rising impressively out of the surrounding valleys. From the north-west it gives the impression of a gigantic armchair: the summit block in the middle, with the Monte Pelmetto and the north-west ridge as armrests. That is why the Pelmo is also called ‘God’s armchair’.

Monte Resegone is one of the most famous mountains of Lombardy. Although not being a tall mountain in height it still appears impressive with about a dozen different peaks stretching over a length of roughly three kilometers. The highest point of the mountain is Punta Cermenati. Monte Resegone rises about 1500 meters over the town of Lecco at Lake Como in the west. On clear days the summit area is visible from as far as Milan.

After the Mont Blanc massif, Monte Rosa is the highest massif in the Alps. Its highest summit, the Dufourspitze, is the second-highest mountain in the Alps and the highest in Switzerland. East of it, right on the border with Italy, lies the Grenzgipfel at 4618 metres, and further south the Signalkuppe (4554 m). The Capanna Regina Margherita (Margherita hut) stands directly on its summit – the highest building in Europe.

The Monte Stivo rises north-east of Lake Garda between the two valleys of Valle dei Laghi to the west and Vallagarina to the east. The summit offers a fine view of the northern lake and of peaks including the Marmolata, the Adamello group, Presanella and the Sella group. Just about 40 metres below the top stands the Rifugio Stivo Prospero Marchetti, run by the alpine club Società degli Alpinisti Tridentini (SAT).

Monte Viso is the highest mountain of the Cottian Alps. It exceeds all neighboring mountains by at least 500 metres in height and can be seen from a great distance. On the north face are the headwaters of the Po, Italy's longest river. This was one of the reasons making the area around the mountain a UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2013. On a clear day you can see the Milan Cathedral with field glasses from the summit. To the north the view goes as far as to the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.

The Montserrat mountain massif is situated in the center of Catalonia. The characteristic and impressive appearance of the mountain chain is due to the red sand stone and the many rock needles. The high point of Montserrat is Sant Jeroni. Well-known is the Benedictine Abbey Santa Maria de Montserrat in the east, which was tightly squeezed to the rock. Several air funiculars and the funicular railway Cremallera de Montserrat transport visitors onto the mountain nowadays. It is also a popular destination for hiking, climbing, or biking.

The pointed summit of Mount Aspiring rises in the Southern Alps on New Zealand’s South Island, west of Lake Wanaka. The Māori call the mountain Tititea, meaning ‘glittering peak’. Because of its shape it is also known as the ‘Matterhorn of the South’. Surrounded by glaciers in the national park of the same name, Mount Aspiring is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mountain is also a popular destination for climbing and winter sports.

Mount Assiniboine in the Canadian Rockies lies on the continental divide and the provincial border between Alberta and British Columbia. Thanks to its distinctive pyramid shape it is also known as the “Matterhorn of the Rockies”. The name of the mountain refers to the native tribe of the Assiniboine, but was given by geologist George Mercer Dawson in 1885. Not only is Mount Assiniboine popular with tourists, but also with climbers. The most demanding route to the top goes along the mountain's east face.