Posts Tagged ‘extreme mountains’

Edurne Pasaban has summitted 12 of the 14 Eight Thousanders – the 14 independent mountains on earth that are more than 8,000 m (26,247 ft) high above sea level. She is closely followed by Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Nives Meroi who have both climbed 11. Only Oh Eun-Sun is ahead of her with a successful 13.

The Eight Thousanders make up an impressive list, and not surprisingly they are all found in the Himalayas and the Karakoram mountain range:

• Everest – 8848m – Nepal/China
• K2 – 8611m – Karakoram
• Kangchenjunga – 8586m – Nepal/India
• Lhotse – 8516m – Nepal/China
• Makalu – 8485m – Nepal/China
• Cho Oyu – 8188m – Nepal/China
• Dhaulagiri 1 – 8167m – Nepal
• Manaslu – 8163m – Nepal
• Nanga Purbat – 8126m – Pakistan
• Annapurna 1 – 8091m – Nepal
• Gasherbrum 1 (or Hidden Peak) – 8080m – Karakoram
• Broad Peak – 8051m – Karakoram
• Shishapangma – 8027m – China

The Karakoram is a range of mountains are on the border between Pakistan and China, but claimed by India. The most common ascent routes to the summit are via Pakistan with some climbing from the China side.

Flight over Khumbu-region; six eight-thousanders and some seven-thousanders (two identified) are visible

18 men have climbed all 14 peaks without oxygen.

The first to climb all fourteen was Reinhold Messner an Italian mountaineer and explorer from South Tyrol, often cited as the greatest mountain climber of all time… He completed the task on October 16, 1986. A year later, in 1987, Jerzy Kukuczka from Poland became the second man to accomplish this feat. The fact that only 18 men have climbed all 14 peaks shows how hazardous the feat is. Too many people have died in pursuit of this goal.

Juanito Oiarzabal, a well-known Basque mountaineer, holds the record for climbing these mountains the most times – a total of 23 times between 1985 and 2009.

And now Edurne Pasaban is hot on the trail of conquest. With 12 peaks under her belt, only Annapurna 1 and Shisha Pangma elude her.

Born in 1973 in Tolosa, Spain, Pasaban is determined to conquer the 14 peaks, but not in an all out mad dash to be the first. As she said in an interview in September 2009,  “After 11 years of Himalayan climbing, I won’t push my luck at the end. It would be a major mistake. I’d rather end up second, third or whatever… as long as I live to complete the 14×8000ers.”

Magnanimously she recognises the fact that Miss Oh (as she has been nicknamed – as against Miss Go, also from South Korea,  who fell to her death on her descent of Nanga Parbat last year, 2009),  “I think Miss Oh will summit Annapurna and become the first female to summit the 14×8000ers – that’s how things are,” she said, “I am just sorry for Gerlinde, Nives and – yeah, myself too. We’ve known and respected each other for a long time; we all fought to get funds, time and power for every mountain we climbed. The three of us forged our summits and dreams through the years, each doing it our own way, but all following a logical evolution.”

“As for Miss Oh… well, she’s been offered to star in an impressively well-funded project aiming for a world’s record, and she has accepted the role. The prize is a female world’s first – and she is about to win.”

There is a fear that there is too much pressure on female climbers to be “the first one” to complete all 14 peaks. Back  in Korea, some local climbers said that media, sponsors and the “first-ism” of society had fueled a competition between Miss Go and Miss Oh – forcing the climbers to take undue risks.

Good luck to them all, but we agree with Edurne Pasaban’s sentiments – rather be alive to enjoy your achievements than be dead because of  a desire to be “the first….”

Our condolences, of course, go to Miss Go’s family.

Nanda Devi is in a National Park Sanctuary, a World Heritage UNESCO Site “of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humankind”. The name means Bliss-Giving Goddess. The peak is regarded as the patron-goddess of the Uttarakhand  Himalaya.

“Nanda Devi imposes on her votaries an admission test as yet beyond their skill and endurance” – Hugh Ruttledge, 1930’s

Nanda Devi in the highest peak in the Indian Garhwal Himalaya and is the highest mountain wholly in India. The mountain has two summits, the main summit at 7816m (25,643ft) and Nanda Devi East at 7434m (24,389ft). The mountain itself in surrounded by a number of peaks – the lowest being 5,180 m (16,990 ft), thus making it an extremely difficult mountain to access. This circle of peaks forms what is known as the Nanda Devi Sanctuary. The other point of entry to this summit is through the Rishi Ganga Gorge, of which, way back in the 1930’s, Hugh Ruttledge, who had attempted the peak 3 times but failed each time, said “that gaining entry to the Nanda Devi Sanctuary alone was more difficult than reaching the North Pole.” Fifty years of arduous exploration in search of a passage into the Sanctuary was finally achieved through the Rishi Gorge in 1934 by Eric Shipton and H.W.Tilman, with three Sherpa companions, Angtharkay, Pasang, and Kusang.

The mountain was finally summitted in 1936 by a British-American expedition, it became the highest peak climbed by man until the 1950 ascent of Annapurna, 8,091 metres (26,545 ft). Higher non-summit elevations had, however, already been reached by the British on Mount Everest in the 1920s, but the summitting of Nanda Devi also involved steeper and more sustained terrain than had previously been attempted at such a high altitude.

The bad news for us (but good for the state of the Park) is that the normal approach to the main peak through the Rishi Ganga gorge has been closed to climbers and trekkers since 1988 to protect the Nanda Devi Sanctuary and biosphere reserve. It was briefly re-0pened in 1993, when a forty member expedition team from the Indian Army was given special permission to re-enter the park. The aim of the expedition was multifold – to carry out an ecological survey, clean up the garbage left by previous expeditions and to attempt the peak. The expedition carried out a comprehensive ecological survey and removed, by porter and helicopter, over a thousand kilograms of garbage right out of the park.

It is still possible to attempt Nanda Devi East which remains open from the east side, leading to the standard south ridge route. This peak is 7,434m and was first summitted in 1939 by a four-member Polish expedition led by Adam Karpiński. They climbed the south ridge, from Longstaff Col. This is still the standard route on the peak. The summit party were Jakub Bujak and Janusz Klarner. Karpiński and Stefan Bernadzikiewicz died later in an attempt on Trishuli.

The South Ridge to Nanda Devi East

S.Ridge is a challenging climb rating Alpine Difficile, with exposed rock, snow and mixed terrain, and limited camp-sites. Above 6,100m there are few, if any, fixed ropes. Sherpa Tenzing, of Everest fame, described the ascent of Nanda Devi East as the toughest he ever did – including Everest. However, you will be relieved to hear that there is some excellent climbing on the upper ridge!

You will need about a month to tackle this challenging mountain…

The extreme golf course article opened  up all sorts of new vistas for me. For a start I had never heard of Furnace Creek in Death Valley – and very quickly discovered that a seriously extreme ultra-marathon, along with several other races, is held there every year. (The Death Valley Badwater Ultra-Marathon)

La Paz golf course in Bolivia (extreme golf courses in the world) has led me on to investigate Mount Illimani – the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real  (part of the Cordillera Oriental, a subrange of the Andes).  It is the second highest peak in Bolivia, after Nevado Sajama, and the eighteenth highest peak in South America. The name means golden eagle in the local Aimara language. The snow line lies at about 4,570 metres (15,000 ft) above sea level, and glaciers are found on the northern face at 4,983 m (16,350 ft). The mountain has four main peaks; the highest is the south summit, Nevado Illimani, which is a popular ascent for mountain climbers.

Illimani was first attempted in 1877 by C. Wiener, J. de Grumkow, and J. C. Ocampo. They failed to reach the main summit, but did reach a southeastern subsummit. In 1898, British climber Sir William Martin Conway and two Swiss guides, A. Maquignaz and L. Pellissier, made the first recorded ascent of the peak, again from the southeast. (They found a piece of Aimara rope at over 6,000 m (20,000 ft), so an earlier ascent cannot be completely discounted.) The ascent took 5 days, and on the 4th day the Indian porters bolted. The party suffered great weakness during their last hour on the summit, but no actual illness. Conway described the view from the top as “astounding”.

The current standard route on the mountain climbs the west ridge of the main summit. It was first climbed in 1940, by the Germans R. Boetcher, F. Fritz, and W. Kühn, and is graded French PD+/AD-. This route usually requires four days, whereas the summit is reached in the morning of the third day.

The majestic heights of the Bolivian mountains is an awe-inspiring sight for even the most world weary mountaineers. Whether you’ve scaled Everest, Kilimanjaro or Kailas, the spectacular peaks of the Andes beckon you to a climb that is unlike any other you’ll ever experience.

Most climbers would be wise to spend a few days acclimatising at La Paz before attempting any of the many climbs on offer.

Huayana Potosi is a tempting climb and a relatively easy one to begin with. A half day’s hike from La Paz, this easily accessible peak is a must for any climber that visits Bolivia. It’s other name,  Kaka-aka, means, ‘the one who came from the rocks’.

You could easily spend a week or more climbing the Mount Condoriri range, comprised of 50 peaks with a range of difficulty and elevations which welcome the climber who wants to experience some extended time and camping and trekking.

Visible from the capitol of La Paz, the forbidding peak of Illimani summons any hardy adventurer daring enough to scale its snow-covered face. 7 peaks make up this highest of all the mountains in the Cordillera Real, the southern peak being the tallest of all the Andes Mountains in Bolivia. A number of trails will take you to the top. You can try the straightforward ascent from the west, or challenge yourself by taking on one of the more difficult routes. Be sure to give yourself a few days to take in the climb and savor the lovely alpine setting. By the third day you will have reached the summit at a leisurely pace, where you can absorb some of the best views of the Cordillera Real from the top of Mount Illimani.

The great challenge which had preoccupied European mountaineers for decades was to conquer Europe’s great north faced mountains – namely the Eiger, Matterhorn, Grandes Jorasses, Petit Dru, Piz Badile, Cima Grande di Lavaredo. First accomplished by the Frenchman Gaston Rebuffat in the early 1950s it is the first three which are the most technically challenging but if you are setting your sights high here is a brief synopsis of all six.

Eiger
The north face of Eiger
Elevation	3,970 metres (13,025 ft)
Location	Switzerland
Range	Bernese Alps
Prominence	356 m
Coordinates	46°34′39″N 8°0′19″E / 46.5775, 8.00528Coordinates: 46°34′39″N 8°0′19″E / 46.5775, 8.00528
First ascent	August 11, 1858
Easiest route	basic rock/snow/ice climb

The Eiger: rising to an elevation of 3,970 m (13,025 ft.) it is the easternmost peak of a ridge-crest that extends to the Monach at 4,107 m (13,474 ft.), and across the Jungfraujoch to the Jungfrauat 4,158 m (13,641 ft.). The first ascent of the Eiger was made by 2 Swiss – Christian Almer and Peter Bohren and an Irishman Charles Barrington who climbed the west flank on August 11 1858. But it is the Nordwand, or North Wall which is the greatest challenge. It was first conquered in July 1938 by an Austrian/German team.

Subsequently the face has been climbed many times, and today is regarded as a formidable challenge more because of the increased rockfall and diminishing ice-fields than because of its technical difficulties, which are not at the highest level of difficulty in modern alpinism. In summer the face is often unclimbable because of rockfall, and climbers are increasingly electing to climb it in winter, when the crumbling face is strengthened by the hard ice present.

Since 1935, sixty climbers have died attempting the north face, earning it the German nickname, Mordwand, or “murder wall”.

North Face routes:

1938 route: ED2 (G14) V – , AO, 60 degrees, 1800m, 1 to 3 or more days

Northeast face, Lauper – ED (G12) with V, mostly IV+ and III, 50- 55 degrees, 1700m, 15 to 18 hours

Mittellegi Ridge – D(G5) with IV & fixed ropes, 4 to 8 hours

South Ridge – AD, rock to III, 7 to 9 hours ascent, 6 to 7 hours descent

Matterhorn – Cervino
The Matterhorn, seen from Stafelalp
Elevation	4,478 metres (14,692 ft)
Location	Italy / Switzerland
Range	Pennine Alps
Prominence	1,029 m (3,376 ft)[1]
Coordinates	45°58′35″N 7°39′30″E / 45.97639, 7.65833Coordinates: 45°58′35″N 7°39′30″E / 45.97639, 7.65833
First ascent	14 July 1865 by Edward Whymper and party
Easiest route	Hörnli ridge (AD, rock/mixed climb)

The Matterhorn: is 4,478 metres (14,692 ft) high, lying on the border between Switzerland and Italy, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps and its 1,200 metres (3,937 ft) north face is one of the greatest challenges in the Alps. First climbed by a seven man team in July 1865, some of whom met with tragedy on the descent.

There are over 25 routes and variations on the Matterhorn. Most ascents are via the Hörnligrat or Liongrat with the Zmuttgrat a distant third. Not because the Zmutt is not a great route, but because it is frequently out of condition due to its north facing aspect. In fact because it is more difficult and not equipped with any fixed ropes, the Zmuttgrat is a preferable route for many.

Listed below are the more popular and famous routes. Note that the difficulty assigned to the routes varies slightly from guidebook to guidebook. See guidebooks, the attached SP route pages and the external links for more details. Searches on the Internet bring up many pages.

Hörnligrat: Normal Route from the Swiss side. Difficulty: AD- with places of III- (up to IV+ near the fixed ropes if they are not used)

Liongrat: Normal Route from the Italian side. Difficulty: AD with places of III (up to IV if fixed ropes not used).
Zmuttgrat: Classic route with no fixed ropes.
Difficulty: D mixed climbing with place of IV- and ice to 50 degrees.
Furggengrat: The most difficult of the ridges.
Difficulty: D+ / TD with places up to V+ or VI depending on the finish
North Face Schmid: One of the Classic North Face routes of the Alps.
Difficulty: TD with steep ice and rock up to IV or V.

Jorasses
North face of the Grandes Jorasses and the Leschaux Glacier (September 2000)
Elevation	4,208 metres (13,806 feet)
Location	France / Italy
Range	Graian Alps
Prominence	841 m
Coordinates	45°52′N 6°59′E / 45.867, 6.983
Type	Granite
First ascent	Horace Walker, Melchior Anderegg, Johann Jaun and Julien Grange, 30 June 1868
Easiest route	Pointe Walker, south-west face, AD-, II, 1400m, to 45 degrees – a glacier climb

Grandes Jorasses: is 4,208 metres (13,802 feet) is in the Mont Blanc range and was first ascended in June 1868. Located on the French side of the mountain.

Aiguille du Dru
The west and south-west faces of the Aiguille du Dru (May, 2006)
Elevation	3,754 metres (12,316 ft)
Location	France
Range	Graian Alps
Coordinates	45°55′58″N 6°57′23″E / 45.93278, 6.95639Coordinates: 45°55′58″N 6°57′23″E / 45.93278, 6.95639
Type	Granite
First ascent	12 September 1878 by Clinton Thomas Dent, James Walker Hartley, Alex­ander Burgener and K. Maurer
Easiest route	AD

Petit Dru:

The mountain has two summits: the Grande Aiguille du Dru or the Grand Dru at 3,754 metres (12,316 feet) is the higher of the two summits but it is the Petite Aiguille du Dru or the Petit Dru at 3,733 metres (12,247 feet) whose north face is included in Europe’s top six challenges.

The Grand Dru was first climbed in September 1878 and it was the following year, in August 1879 that the Petit Dru was conquered.

Until 1952, the West Face of the Dru remained unclimbed; unviolated. Its massiveness and the smoothness of its features; its jutting overhangs appeared to offer no hope of a way upwards. It embodied the the dream of many brilliant climbers of the day. Finally the West face was summitted when Marcel Laine, Adrien Dagory, Luien Barardini and Guido Magnone finally climbed the face in two parts in July 1952.

Here are the routes:

-Grand Dru,Normal route, difficulty AD, 6 h
-Grand Dru, South face, Contamine route, difficulty TD, 7 h
-Grand Dru, South face, Trident pillar, difficulty TD, 12 h
-Grand Dru, South face, Stembert pillar, difficulty TD
-Petit Dru, Normal route, dificulty D-, 6 h 30 m
-Petit Dru, South west Pillar, Bonatti Pillar, difficulty ED+(free),
10 to 18 h
-Petit Dru, West face, French directissime, difficulty ED+
-Petit Dru, West face, American directissime, difficulty EX
-Petit Dru, West face, American direct, difficulty ED-/ED, 13 to
19 h
-Petit Dru, North face, Allain-Leininger route, difficulty TD-/TD+,
8 to 10 h
-North east great couloir, difficulty TD+, ice up to 80°, 10 to 18 h
-Traverse of Petit and Grand Dru, difficulty D, 10 h

Piz Badile
The north-east face and north ridge of Piz Badile
Elevation	3,308 metres (10,853 ft)
Location	Italy / Switzerland
Range	Bregaglia
Coordinates	46°17′41″N 9°35′10″E / 46.29472, 9.58611Coordinates: 46°17′41″N 9°35′10″E / 46.29472, 9.58611
Type	Granite
First ascent	W. A. B. Coolidge with guides F. and H. Dévouassoud on 27 July 1867
Easiest route	South Ridge (Couloir Route) PD

Piz Badile: at 3,308 metres (10,852 feet) is located on the Swiss/Italian border. It was first climbed in July 1867 via the south ridge. The mountain takes its name from its appearance as a spade or shovel when viewed from Val Bregaglia.

The two classic routes on Piz Badile are the north ridge and the Cassin Route on the north-east face. The north ridge – the Badilekante – was first prospected by the Swiss guide Christian Klucker in 1892. After several unsuccessful attempts by Italian parties in 1911, the ridge (IV, one pitch of V-) finally fell to Alfred Zürcher with the guide Walter Risch in August 1923.

The most popular route on the north-east face is the Cassin Route (V+/A0 or VI+), so-called after the first summiteer Riccardo Cassin, who climbed it with V. Ratti and G. Esposito, together with the Como team of Mario Molteni and Giuseppe Valsecchi in July 1937. Molteni and Valsecchi were already on the face when Cassin and his party started out, but the climbers subsequently joined forces. It was an ascent which had a fatal ending as Molteni died of exhaustion and exposure on the summit and Valsecchi died on the descent by the south ridge just before reaching the hut.

The North Ridge of the Piz Badile has been called the finest rock route of its grade (about 5.6) in the Alps. This very long climb follows a pure, clean line 3000 feet to the summit, on beautiful rock the whole way, an amazing climb.The departure point for this climb is the Sasc Furä hut, a 3 or 4 hour walk up from the little town of Bondo. The hut is situated on a large prow of rock, which, as it rises to form the amazing North Ridge of the Piz Badile. The descent can either be back down the ridge in a rather large number of rappels, or down the south side of the peak, into Italy.

here are the routes:

- South Face: WS, places of III

- North Ridge (Nordkante): S- with places of IV+

- SE Face via Molteni: S+ with places of V and V+

- NE Face via Cassin: SS with places of VI

- NW Face (Pfeiler des Wassertrophens): SS+ with places of VI & A1

- ENE Face Bruder Route: SS+ with places of V+ & A1 / A2

- E Face English Route: AS- with places of VI & A1 / A2

Tre Cime di Lavaredo
View of the northern walls.
Elevation	2,999 metres (9,839 ft)
Location	Italy
Range	Sesto Dolomites, Alps
Coordinates	46°37′7″N 12°18′20″E / 46.61861, 12.30556
First ascent	August 21, 1869 by Paul Grohmann with guides Franz Innerkofler and Peter Salcher from south
Translation	Three peaks of Lavaredo (Italian

Cima Grande di Lavaredo: the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, or three peaks of Lavaredo, are found in the Dolomites in north east Italy and have a distinctive three pronged shape, each of which presents a mountaineer with a significant challenge.

The largest of the peaks has an elevation of 2,999 metres (9,839 ft). It stands between the small peakto the east which is 2,857 metres (9,373 ft), and the western peak with an elevation of 2,973 metres (9,754 ft).

The first ascent of the largest peak, Cima Grande di Lavaredo, was made in August 1869 by the Austrian Paul Grohmann with two guides. The western peak was first ascended exactly ten years later in August 1879 by Michel Innerkofler and G. Ploner. The small peak, the last to be climbed, was climbed in July 1881 by Michel and Hans Innerkofler. The routes of these three first ascents are still the normal ascent routes.

Here are the routes of Cima Grande di Lavaredo:

South face ordinary route – 200 m of UIAA II (YDS 5.2 ish), 2.5 hrs.

Mosca Chimney – From Lavaredo hut 40 min to start. 200m of climbing UIAA III (5.4) 2.5 hours.
NE Ridge, Spigola Dibona – 550m UIAA IV (YDS 5.5 ish) 4 hrs.

West Face – 350 m UIAA V (YDS 5.8+) 3.5 hrs.

North Face, Comici route – This is a popular and classic climb. 500m UIAA VII or VI/A1. 8 hrs.
North Face Direct, Brandler-Hasse route – 500 VI/A3 12 hrs.

Another extreme snowboarding video, amazing what you find when you start looking! Thanks to times797 for this one.

I found another mountain that I should have included in my ‘Mountains of the World’ article. Have you heard of the CARSTENSZ PYRAMID? It certainly sounds as though it fits in the extreme mountain bracket…

“Anyone who has once seen Carstensz Pyramid longs for it like it was a beautiful woman. It seduces you while remaining mysterious. Once in a while it shows you all of its beauty, only to be covered in the veil of mist a minute later. It is provocative but unattainable. It makes you tormented and restless, as it does us…“

Petr Jahoda – climber, Papua & Carstensz guide

This is she. The Carstensz Pyramid, 4884m. Otherwise known as Puncak Jaya, it is in the western central highlands of Papua, Indonesia. It is the highest mountain in Indonesia and the highest mountain in New Guinea. It is the highest on the Australia-New Guinea continent and the highest in Oceania. It is also the highest point between the Himalayas and the Andes and the highest island peak in the world.

That is quite a few ‘highest’s’.

Carstensz was first spotted in 1623 by the Dutch navigator Jan Carstensz. Way back then, Jan Carstensz was ridiculed for claiming to have seen a snow-capped mountain only four degrees south of the equator. His sighting wasn’t confirmed for several centuries, and it was only climbed in 1962, when a four man team led by Heinrich Harrer (best known for the first ascent of the Eiger’s North Face and for spending seven years in Tibet) bagged most of the peaks in the area.

Today, Carstensz has still only been summitted by a couple of hundred people.

“Some climbers lucky on Carstensz and some unlucky,” says ‘Two Fone’ Franky, formerly the leading guide on the peak, with 38 summits to his name.

One of the challenges to Carstensz is actually getting there.

Access to the peak requires a government permit. The mountain was closed to tourists and climbers between 1995 and 2005. As of 2006, access is possible through various adventure tourism agencies.

There are three main routes. The traditional way is hiking in through a jungle populated with leeches that stick like velcro and ex-cannibals wearing only penis gourds. It is a serious hike – about 100kms from the nearest town with airport, Timika, to the base camp and it takes about 4-5 days. The simplest way is to drive within spitting distance of Carstensz via the adjacent Grasberg gold and copper mine. However, the American owners of this mine are extremely sensitive to the political climate surrounding them that permission is not often granted. Remember this region is still full of strife – terrorist bombings, local uprisings and tribal wars to name just a few! The third route, and probably the most appealing to all but the most extreme of you adventurers out there, is to fly in to base camp in a helicopter. Although this certainly sounds the easiest this is not necessarily the case – it has been known for the pilot to ‘neglect’ to appear.

Puncak Jaya is one of the more demanding climbs in one version of the Seven Summits Peak bagging list. It is held to have the highest technical rating, though not the greatest physical demands of that list’s ascents. Base camp is located at 4,000m next to a large mirror lake. It is a few kilometres from Carstenz itself. It takes about an hour to reach the base of the peak where the dark silhouette of the vast rock wall leans over you. There are twelve pitches of easy scrambling leading to the ridge along which you then traverse for a kilometre to the summit itself.

There are a few surprises on the ridge – one is a gaping abyss. Twenty metres wide. 30 metres down a wafer-thin gangway spans the divide, but on either side of this the mountain falls away for hundreds of metres, all the way back to its base! Several ropes hang across the gap by which you are supposed to haul yourself over in what is called a Tyrolean traverse. Beyond this yawning adrenaline-pumping gap are two more notches that are both awkward and highly exposed. The ridge takes about an hour to traverse.

Although this mountain is really nothing more than a short rock scramble (!) it will test your patience, your climbing skills and your courage.

The summit is marked with a small rock dais complete with a plaque and a log book. The view is a spectacular panorama of peaks, glaciers, forests and lakes.

The price of climbing this peak will set you back about $15,000. However, for obsessive collectors that’s not an option – it is one of the seven prized continental summits, although, to some, this is debatable – there are 2 versions of the Seven Summits… I will clarify this at a later stage…