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.
At 1750 metres the Monte Zoncolan is no giant – and yet it is regarded as the most feared climb in Italy. The notorious side is the western ramp from Ovaro: 10.1 kilometres, 1210 metres of ascent, 11.9 per cent on average and ramps of up to 22 per cent, plus a stretch of forest that climbs at around 15 per cent for six kilometres on end. The Giro d'Italia has been coming up here since 2003 – Gilberto Simoni, Ivan Basso, Igor Antón, Michael Rogers, Chris Froome and, in 2021, Lorenzo Fortunato have all won at the top. In winter the Ravascletto-Zoncolan ski area lies on its slopes.
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.
Mount Baker in northern Washington is a volcano in the Cascade Range. It his heavily glaciated and one of the snowiest mountains in the world. George Vancouver named the mountain after the Royal Navy officer Joseph Baker. Being relatively close to the coast, Mount Baker is visible from Victoria on Vancouver Island, from Vancouver and from Seattle. On the mountain's eastern flank is the Mount Baker Ski Area.
Mount Columbia is the highest mountain of Alberta and the second highest summit of the Canadian Rockies. It lies on the border between Alberta and British Columbia, with the peak being in Alberta, though. The Columbia Icefield, south of the summit, made up of eight major glaciers lies on the continental divide. From there rivers flow into the Arctic Ocean, into the Hudson Bay and into the Pacific Ocean.
Mount Edgecumbe is a dormant volcano and the highest mountain on Kruzof Island in the southeast of Alaska. In the native Tlingit language the mountain is named L'ux which can be translated as flashing or blinking. Mount Edecumbe got international attention in course of one of the largest April Fool jokes in history when on 1st April 1974 Oliver Bickar alarmed the population in the surrounding settlements who were in fear of an eruption when Bickar had actually only set dozens of tires on fire.
Mount Elbert is the highest mountain in the Rocky Mountains and in Colorado. It is also the second highest peak in the contiguous United States after Mount Whitney. In spite of these facts it is one of the less famous mountains in the Rockies and among the US state high points. It is named after Samuel Hitt Elbert, who was governor of the Territory of Colorad from 1873-1874, two years, before Colorado became the 38th US state.
The summit of Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth above sea level. The mountain is also known as Chomolungma (Mother Goddess) in Tibetan, and as Sagarmatha (Goddess of the Sky) in Nepali. It was not until the 1850s that Mount Everest was confirmed to be the highest peak of the world. Yet, the first known ascent was only accomplished in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay who chose the South Col route from Nepal, which has remained the most popular route to the summit since. The second main route from Tibet over the North Ridge was first successfully climbed in 1960. Because of the lack of oxygen in high altitudes, low temperatures, harsh weather, and extreme winds Mount Everest remains a dangerous mountain to climb. However, nowadays, due to a significant increase in commercial expeditions, often hundreds of climbers reach Everest's summit per year.
Mount Fairweather in the Saint Elais Mountains lies mostly in Alaska. Its peak is on the border to Canada though, which makes it the highest point in the province of British Columbia. Being only about 12 miles (20 km) east of the Pacific coast, Mount Fairweather has a very high prominence of almost 13000 feet (about 4000 m). According to a legend of the Tlingit natives Mount Fairweather or “Tsalxhaan” and Mount Saint Elias were originally next to each other, but separated after having an argument. This is why the Tlingit call the mountains in between the “Children of Tsalxaan”.
Mount Fay is the highest mountain in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, on the border between Alberta and British Columbia. In 1902 it was named after Charles E. Fay, a pioneer mountaineer in the Canadian Rockies. Fay was supposed to have the honour of being the first to summit “his” mountain. But Christian Kaufmann and Gertrude Benham, one of the few women alpinists of the turn of the century, beat him to it and made the first recorded ascent of Mount Fay on 19th July 1904.
Mount Giluwe is an eroded shield volcano that last erupted more than 200000 years ago. It lies in the Bismarck Range and is the second-highest mountain in Papua New Guinea as well as the highest volcano in Australia and Oceania, which makes it one of the Seven Volcanic Summits. Besides the main summit, the eastern subsidiary peak also reaches a height of 4300 metres. The summit can be reached via trekking routes. When choosing equipment, bear in mind the cold on the mountain at higher altitudes and at night.
Mount Gould, in the Glacier National Park, Montana, is the highest mountain of the Garden Wall. While not being particularly noticeable, seen from the west, the view from the east is very impressive, where the mountain rises up about 4000 (ca. 1200 m) feet over Grinnell Lake and Lake Josephine. Accordingly the normal route to the summit starts on the west side. It was also used during the first recorded ascent, made in 1920.
Mount Grinnell in Glacier National Park, Montana, lies approximately in the middle between Mount Gould in the south and Mount Wilbur in the north. It is named after George Bird Grinnell, one of the first white explorers of the area. Grinnell was also one of the main driving forces in establishing Glacier National Park in 1910. More famous than the main summit is Grinnell Point, a subpeak of the mountain, which is often photographed from the Many Glacier Hotel on Swiftcurrent Lake.
Mount Hood is Oregon's highest mountain and the fourth highest peak of the Cascade Range. It is situated about 50 mi east of Portland, close to the Oregon-Washington state border. The mountain is a stratovolcano. Its last major eruption dates back to 1781 and 1782 and it is still considered potentially active. The characteristic snow-covered top of the mountain is made up of glaciers and snowfields, which makes it difficult to determine the exact height of the mountain. There are five alpine ski resorts located at Mount Hood.
With an elevation of 5199 metres Batian is the highest peak of Mount Kenya. It is also the high point of Kenya and the second highest of the African continent, after Kibo in the Kilimanjaro massif, which makes Mount Kenya one of the Seven Second Summits. The few remaining glaciers on the top of the mountain are expected to vanish during the 21st century. The iconic peak is still visible far away and has a great historic and cultural significance for the local population. Europeans only discovered the mountain in the 19th century. In 1899 the first European successfully reached the summit of Mount Kenya.
Mount Kosciuszko is the highest summit on the Australian mainland. It is part of some Seven Summits-lists, when considered as the highest peak of the Australian continent. Until the 1970s there was a road ending just a few meters below the summit. Nowadays a hike gets you to the top of the mountain. The first known ascent of Mount Kosciuszko was made in 1840.
Mount Logan is Canada's highest mountain and the second highest peak of North America, making it one of the Seven Second Summits. It was only discovered in 1890 and named after Canadian geologist Sir William Edmond Logan, one year later. Summitting Mount Logan is generally considered a bigger challenge then the ascent of Denali. The remote location, extreme cold and storms are the biggest obstacles. The first successful summit attempt took place in 1925.
North of Mount Ruapehu, the highest mountain on New Zealand's North Island, the volcanic cone of Mount Ngauruhoe rises. With an estimated age of about 2500 years it is the youngest and also the highest summit of the Tongariro volcanic comlpex. The surrounding Tongariro National Park was formed in 1887 as New Zealand's first national park. In Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings-movies Ngauruhoe is presented to a worldwide audience as Mount Doom in Mordor.
Mount Rainier is a volcano and the highest mountain in the Cascade Range and the highest point in the state of Washington. George Vancouver named the mountain after British admiral Peter Rainier. The native Salish called the mountain “Tacoma” or “Tahoma”. There are different interpretations about the meaning though, “mother of waters” being one of these. After the Denali was renamed in 2015, disputes over also renaming Mount Rainier became stronger again. Mount Rainier is home to the largest glaciers in the US outside of Alaska. When attempting to reach the summit crossing these is one of the many obstacles one has to face.
Mount Robson is the highest mountain in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the second highest mountain in British Columbia, being entirely in the province. It steeply rises up almost 10000 feet (3000 m) from Kinney Lake on the south-west side to the summit. Whether the mountain's name goes back to Colin Robertson, a fur trader of the North West and Hudson Bay Company, is assumed, but not confirmed with certainty. The native Secwepemc call the mountain “Yuh-hai-has-kun” (“the mountain of the spiral road”). Mount Robson was first climbed in 1913. Reaching the summit is quite difficult and requires high climbing skills, with only about 10% of the attempts being successful, even though the mountain is not particularly high.
Lying on the US-Canadian border Mount Saint Elias is the second highest mountain of both the USA and Canada, as well as the second highest peak of the Saint Elias Mountains. The first European to see the mountain was the Danish Vitus Bering, who explored the area for Russia. Today it is unclear, whether Bering named the mountain himself, or if this was done by geographers later. Mount Saint Elias was first climbed in 1897. The ascent is extremely difficult, many attempts fail due to bad weather and bad visibility. In 2007 an Austrian expedition managed to ski down all the way from the summit to Icy Bay on the Gulf of Alaska on their second attempt.
Mount Shasta in northern California is the second highest summit of the Cascade Range and the second highest volcano in the United States. Its last eruption dates back to 1786. The first recorded ascent of the mountain was made in 1854. Today the summit is climbed frequently, although only about a third of the attempts are successful. The Mt. Shasta Ski Park is situated about 6 miles (10 km) south of the summit.
Mount Sidley is the highest of five dormant volcanoes in the Executive Committee Range in Antarctica. As the highest volcano on the entire continent, it is at the same time the lowest of the Volcanic Seven Summits. The massive shield volcano was discovered during a flyover in 1934. More than 50 years were to pass before the first ascent in 1990. Because of its location, extremely inaccessible even by Antarctic standards, Mount Sidley is rarely climbed. Its height has not yet been determined exactly either; some sources give a summit height of 4181 metres.
Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range, near the west coast of the USA. The volcano’s severe eruption on 18 May 1980 was the most destructive volcanic event in US history and killed 57 people. The north flank slid away, costing the mountain a good 400 metres in height. In the languages of the local Indigenous peoples, Mount St. Helens is known as Lawetlat’la (Cowlitz) and as Loowit or Louwala-Clough (Klickitat).
Mount Timpanogos in northern Utah is the second highest mountain of the Wasatch Range in the Rocky Mountains. The name comes from the native Ute tribe, and can be translatet as “rock and water mouth” or “rock and canyon”. The massive mountain's impressive appearance is due to its long ridge of about 7 miles, with many peaks being above 11000 feet (3300 m). Though not completely risk-free, reaching Mount Timpanogos' top requires no particular climbing skills which makes it one of the most frequently climbed summits in the Rocky Mountains.
Mount Vancouver is part of the Saint Elias Mountains and lies on the US-Canadian border. It has three summits. The north summit is the highest and lies in the Yukon. The international border runs along the south summit, also known as “Good Neighbor Peak”. The mountain was named after the British George Vancouver, who explored the Alaskan coast in the late 18th century. It was first summited in 1949. Due to its remote location summit attempts occur rarely today.
Mount Vinson is Antarctica's highest peak. The mountain is located near the Antarctic Peninsula, in the Ellsworth Mountains, about 1200 kilometres from the South Pole. It was only discovered in 1958. One year later Mount Vinson was confirmed to be the highest mountain of the continent. Finally, in 1966 the first expedition reached the summit. The remote location of Mount Vinson and the extreme climate in Antarctica are the biggest obstacles when attempting to reach the top of the mountain. In spite of these conditions, as one of the Seven Summits, Mount Vinson does attract mountaineers from all over, and as of today about 1000 people successfully climbed the world's southernmost continental high point.
With a height of 14505 feet (4421 m) Mount Whitney is the highest mountain of the Sierra Nevada, California and the contiguous United States. The summit is less than 90 miles away from North America's lowest point in Death Valley (282 ft below sea level). The challenging Badwater Ultramarathon leads athletes over 135 miles from Badwater in Death Valley to Whitney Portal on 8360 feet (2548 m). Whitney Portal is the starting point for many climbers on their way to Mount Whitney's summit.
Mount Wrightson in southern Arizona is the highest peak in the Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson. It was named after William Wrightson, who was killed in the Battle of Fort Buchanan 1865 by Apaches. In contrast to the much more massive Mount Lemmon, north of Tucson, Mount Wrightson has a characteristic pyramid-shaped top. It can be reached fairly easily with a 11 to 14 mile hike. Once at the summit one is rewarded with the best view over the area, overlooking much of southern Arizona and over the border to Mexico.
The Mutspitze is the local mountain of Dorf Tirol and forms the south-eastern end of the Texel Group in the Ötztal Alps. The summit is a popular destination for day hikes and offers magnificent views down the valleys south towards Merano and north into the Spronser Valley and the rest of the Texel Group. The ascent starts with the Hochmuth cable car and from there either from the east via the Mutkopf or from the west via the Leiter Alm and the Taufenscharte. The demanding route is easily manageable thanks to the hiking trails carved into the rock.
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