Seven Summits 220861 225980252 2008-07-16T08:54:19Z KlingonWarrior09 7395232 /* The Bass and Messner lists */ [[Image:Seven+Summits+Elevation+World+Map.png|thumb|480px|The ''Seven Summits'' on an Elevation World Map. The picture actually shows nine possible summits according to the different definitions of continental borders]] The '''Seven Summits''' are the highest [[mountain]]s of each of the seven [[continent]]s. Summiting all of them is regarded as a [[mountaineering]] challenge, first postulated as such in the 1980s by [[Richard Bass]] (Bass ''et al'' 1986). == ''Seven Summits'' definitions== Due to different interpretations of [[Continent|continental]] borders (geographical, geological, geopolitical) several definitions for the highest summits per continent and the number of continents are possible. The ''Seven Summits'' number of seven continents is based on the [[Continent#Number of continents|continent model]] used in [[Western Europe]] and the [[United States]]. ===Oceania=== The highest mountain of the [[Australia|Australian mainland]] is [[Mount Kosciuszko]] (2,228&nbsp;m), but it is actually smaller than the highest mountain in New Zealand, [[Mount Cook]] (3,754&nbsp;m). The highest mountain in Oceania is [[Puncak Jaya]], 4,884&nbsp;m<ref>A higher elevation of 5,030&nbsp;m still appears on some maps and sites, but is accepted by neither Indonesia nor the mountaineering community, nor is it supported by modern surveys. High resolution [[IFSAR]] data supplied by [http://www.intermap.com/ Intermap] shows no cell higher than 4,863&nbsp;m. See also [http://www.papuaweb.org/dlib/bk/hope1976/index.html Australian Universities' Expedition] (section 2, page 4).</ref>, in the [[Indonesia|Indonesian]] province of [[Papua (Indonesian province)|Papua]] on the island of [[New Guinea]]. It is also known as [[Carstensz Pyramid]]. Some sources claim [[Mount Wilhelm]], 4,509 metres, as the highest mountain peak in [[Oceania]].<ref>[http://www.dzs.hr/Hrv_Eng/ljetopis/2007/51-bind.pdf Statistical Yearbook of Croatia, 2007</ref> The peak belongs to the [[Bismarck Range]] of [[Papua New Guinea]]. But a Seven Summits list including Mount Wilhelm has never been widely supported or formally recognised; Indonesia is generally considered to span Asia and Oceania. ===Europe=== In [[Europe]], the generally accepted highest summit is [[Mount Elbrus]] (5,642&nbsp;m) in the [[Caucasus Mountains|Caucasus]]. This is the accepted summit when the Caucasus mountains are included within Europe's boundaries. The issue is disputed, with some people considering [[Mont Blanc]] (4,808&nbsp;m) to be Europe's highest mountain. ===The ''Bass'' and ''Messner'' lists=== The first ''Seven Summits'' list as postulated by Bass (The ''Bass'' or ''Kosciusko'' list) chose the highest mountain of mainland Australia, Mount Kosciuszko (2,228&nbsp;m), to represent the Australian continent's highest summit. [[Reinhold Messner]] postulated another list (the ''Messner'' or ''Carstensz'' list) replacing Mount Kosciuszko with New Guinea's Carstensz Pyramid (4,884&nbsp;m). Neither the ''Bass'' nor the ''Messner'' list includes Mont Blanc. From a mountaineering point of view the ''Messner'' list is the more challenging one. Climbing Carstensz Pyramid has the character of an expedition, whereas the ascent of Kosciuszko is an easy hike. Indeed, [[Pat Morrow]] used this argument to defend his choice to adhere to the ''Messner'' list. 'Being a climber first and a collector second, I felt strongly that Carstensz Pyramid, the highest mountain in Australasia ... was a true mountaineer’s objective.' {| class="wikitable" !colspan="8"|''"Seven" Summits'' (sorted by continent) |- !''"Bass"'' !''"Messner"'' !Summit !Elevation ''m'' !Continent !Range !Country |- |align=center|X |align=center|X |[[Mount Kilimanjaro|Kilimanjaro]] (''Kibo'' Summit) |align=center|5,895 |[[Africa]] |[[Mount Kilimanjaro|Kilimanjaro]] |[[Tanzania]] |- |align=center|X |align=center|X |[[Vinson Massif]] |align=center|4,892 |[[Antarctica]] |[[Ellsworth Mountains]] |claimed by [[Antártica Chilena Province|Chile]] |- |align=center|X | |[[Mount Kosciuszko|Kosciuszko]] |align=center|2,228 |[[Australia (continent)|Australia]] |[[Great Dividing Range]] |[[Australia]] |- | |align=center|X |[[Puncak Jaya|Carstensz Pyramid]] ''(Puncak Jaya)'' |align=center|4,884 |[[Australia-New Guinea]] |[[Maoke Mountains]] |[[Indonesia]] |- |align=center|X |align=center|X |[[Mount Everest|Everest]] |align=center|8,848 |[[Asia]] |[[Himalaya]] |[[Nepal]], [[People's Republic of China|China]] |- |align=center|X |align=center|X |[[Mount Elbrus|Elbrus]] |align=center|5,642 |[[Europe]] |[[Caucasus Mountains|Caucasus]] |[[Russia]] |- |align=center|X |align=center|X |[[Denali|Mount McKinley]] ''(Denali)'' |align=center|6,194 |[[North America]] |[[Alaska Range]] |[[United States]] |- |align=center|X |align=center|X |[[Aconcagua]] |align=center|6,962 |[[South America]] |[[Andes]] |[[Argentina]] |} ==Mountaineering challenge== The mountaineering challenge to climb the ''Seven Summits'' is traditionally based on either the ''Bass'' or the ''Messner'' list. (It is assumed that most of the mountaineers who have completed the ''Seven Summits'' would have climbed [[Mont Blanc]] as well.) <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.adventurestats.com/pages/7sum.htm |title=The Seven Summits |publisher=adventurestats.com}}</ref> ===History=== [[Richard Bass]], an American businessman and amateur mountaineer, set himself the goal of climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, including mainland Australia. He hired [[David Breashears]] to guide him up Everest, the most difficult of his Seven, and completed his Everest summit on [[April 30]] [[1985]]. He then co-authored the book ''Seven Summits'', which covered the undertaking (Bass ''et al'' 1986). [[Reinhold Messner]] revised Bass's list by substituting the Australia-New Guinea continent for mainland Australia. [[Pat Morrow]] first met Messner's challenge, finishing with climbing [[Puncak Jaya|Carstensz Pyramid]] on [[May 7]], [[1986]], shortly followed by Messner himself climbing [[Vinson Massif|Vinson]] on [[December 3rd]], 1986. Morrow has also been the first to complete all eight summits from both lists. As of March 2007, more than 198 climbers have climbed all seven of the peaks from either the ''Bass'' or the ''Messner'' list; about 30% of those have climbed all of the eight peaks required to complete both lists. The first woman to complete the Bass and Messner lists was [[Junko Tabei]] finishing on [[July 28]] [[1992]], by climbing Elbrus. The first person to complete Seven Summits without the use of artificial oxygen on Mount Everest is Reinhold Messner<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.carstenszpapua.com/7summits-history.html |title=History of Seven Summits|publisher=carstenszpapua.com}}</ref>. Miroslav Caban is probably the only other climber (besides Messner) as of October 2005 to finish the project without artificial oxygen on Everest (finished in 2005 with Carstensz)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.praguepost.com/articles/2005/10/19/czech-climber-tops-seven-summits.php|title=Czech climber tops seven summits|publisher=The Prague Post}}</ref>. Between 2002 and 2007, Austrian climber [[Christian Stangl]] completed the Seven Summits (Messner list), climbing alone and without oxygen, and reported a record total ascent time from respective base camp to summit of 58 hours and 45 minutes.<ref name=sz2>[http://www.sueddeutsche.de/gesundheit/artikel/137/146795/ 58 Stunden, 45 Minuten], ''[[Süddeutsche Zeitung]]'', 10 December 2007. {{de icon}}</ref><ref>[http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=15272 Fastest Everest climber eats 3, 6000m peaks in 16 hours], MountEverest.net, 9 November 2006</ref> In [[1990]], [[Rob Hall]] and Gary Ball became the first to complete the ''Seven Summits'' in seven months. Using the ''Bass'' list, they started with [[Mount Everest]] on [[May 10]], 1990, and finished with Vinson on [[December 12]], 1990, hours before the seven-month deadline. The shortest time span a person has made the Bass list is 172 days.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://7summits.com/7summits_statistics.php |title=Facts & figures of all 7 summiteers |publisher=7summits.com}}</ref> The world record for completion of the Messner list is 156 days, by Irish climber Ian McKeever(37) in 2007. McKeever completed the summits in the following order: Vinson on Jan 25th, Aconcagua on Feb 11, Kilimanjaro on Mar 3, Carstenz Pyramid on Mar 16, Everest on May 16,spending just 25 days on the mountain(nomally,expeditions take up to 3 months acclimatising,laying ropes etc...), Elbrus on May 31 and finally Denali on June 30, beating Canadian Daniel Griffiths' previous record by 31 days.<ref>[http://wicklow.com/news/?p=336 Wicklow » Ian McKeever completes the 7 summits challenge - new world speed record set<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cbc.ca/cp/Oddities/061128/K112821AU.html |title=Canadian man climbs highest mountains on seven continents in 187 days |publisher=CBC |date=2006-11-28}}</ref> The shortest time span set by a woman is 360 days, set by Britain's [[Annabelle Bond]] in [[2005]].<ref>[http://www.everestnews.com/stories2005/bondeverestu05112005.htm Everest Summiter Annabelle Bond has completed the Seven Summits!!!! WORLD RECORDS TUMBLE<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In October 2006 [[Kit Deslauriers]] became the first person to have skied down all seven peaks (Kosciuszko list).<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kitdski.com/skiMountaineering.php | title=Kit Deslauriers Ski Mountaineering Highlights}}</ref> Three months later, in January 2007, Swedes Olof Sundström and Martin Letzter completed their Seven Summits skiing project by skiing down Carstensz Pyramid, thus becoming the first and only people to have skied both lists.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.se7ensummits.com | title=www.se7ensummits.com}}</ref> On May 17, 2007, 18 year-old [[Samantha Larson]] from California became the youngest American to climb [[Mount Everest]] and also the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits (Bass list). In August 2007 she also climbed the Carstensz Pyramid. On May 24, 2008, Cheryl Bart and her 23-year-old daughter Nikki became the first mother-daughter team to climb the Seven Summits.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23750154-2,00.html Mom and Daughter climb Everest]</ref> The entire ascent is detailed on their [http://www.bigpondeverest.com/index.html website]. ===Criticism of the ''Seven Summits'' challenge=== Many mountain [[climbing|climbers]], beyond these one hundred and ninety eight, aspire to complete the seven ascents of one or both of these lists, but the expense, the demands placed on fitness, the physical hardship and the dangers involved are often greater than imagined. Popularization of the Seven Summits has not been without its detractors, who argue that it tempts the ambitious but inexperienced into paying large sums to professional guides who promise the "seven", and that the guides are therefore pressured to press on toward summits even to the detriment of their clients' safety.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Alpinism author [[Jon Krakauer]] (1997) wrote in ''[[Into Thin Air]]'' that it would be a bigger challenge to climb the second-highest peak of each continent, known as the [[Seven Second Summits]]. This is especially true for Asia, as [[K2]] (8,611 m) demands greater technical climbing skills than [[Mount Everest|Everest]] (8,848 m), while altitude-related factors such as the thinness of the atmosphere, high winds and low temperatures remain much the same. Some of those completing the seven ascents are aware of the magnitude of the challenge. In 2000, in a foreword to Steve Bell et al., ''Seven Summits'', Morrow opined with humility '[t]he only reason Reinhold [Messner] wasn’t the first person to complete the seven was that he was too busy gambolling up the 14 tallest mountains in the world.' == References == *{{cite book | last = Bell | first = Steve | coauthors = et al. | title = Seven Summits | publisher = [[Mitchell Beazley ]] | date = 2000 | id = ISBN 9024606063 }} *{{cite book | last = Bass | first = Dick | coauthors = Frank Wells, Rick Ridgeway | title = Seven Summits | publisher = [[Warner Books]] | date = 1986 | id = ISBN 0-446-51312-1 }} *{{cite book | last = Morrow | first = Patrick | title = Beyond Everest - Quest For the Seven Summits | publisher = [[Camden House]] | date = 1986 | id = ISBN 0-920656-46-3}} *{{cite book | last = Krakauer | first = Jon | title = Into thin Air | publisher = Villard | date = 1997 | id = ISBN 0-385-49208-1}} *{{cite web | publisher = adventurestats.com | url=http://www.adventurestats.com/pages/7sum.htm | title=The Seven Summits | accessdate=2006-08-08}} Note: statistics outdated, not updated since 2004 *{{cite web | publisher = 7summits.com | url=http://7summits.com/stats | title=Statistics, Facts & figures of all 7summiteers! | accessdate=2006-08-09}} Updated until March 2007, 198 summiteers. *{{cite web | publisher = 7summits.com | url=http://7summits.com/carstensz/carstensz.php | title=Carstensz Pyramid, the Summit of Oceania | accessdate=2006-08-08}} == Notes == <references/> == See Also: Other Noteworthy Adventure Prizes == *The [[Seven Second Summits]] *The [[Volcanic Seven Summits]] *3D Tour of Seven Summits [http://maps.live.com/?v=2&cid=FDBAB8D732007047!480&tour=1&encType=1] in [[Virtual Earth]] *The [[Three Poles Challenge]] *The [[Explorers Grand Slam]], also known as The Adventurers Grand Slam *The [[Eight-thousander]] *The [[Peak and pond]] == External links == *[http://7summits.com 7summits.com, voluminous information within commercial site] {{Seven Summits}} [[Category:Peak bagging]] [[Category:Seven Summits| ]] [[ar:قمم الجبال السبعة]] [[ca:Els Set Cims]] [[da:Seven Summits]] [[de:Seven Summits]] [[fa:قلل هفتگانه دنیا]] [[fr:Sept sommets]] [[ko:칠대륙 최고봉]] [[it:Seven Summits]] [[he:שבע הפסגות]] [[nl:Zeven toppen]] [[ja:七大陸最高峰]] [[no:The Seven Summits]] [[nn:Seven Summits]] [[pl:Korona Ziemi]] [[pt:Sete cumes]] [[ro:Cele şapte vârfuri]] [[ru:Семь вершин]] [[fi:Seitsemän huippua]] [[sv:Seven summits]] [[ta:ஏழு கொடுமுடிகள்]] [[tr:Yedi Zirveler]] [[zh:七大洲最高峰列表]]