Seven Summits Overview

The Seven Summits is considered one of the greatest accomplishments for mountaineers and humankind. It combines physical strength with mental endurance and an overwhelming amount of logistical challenges. The first to complete the challenge was the American Richard Bass in 1985, and fewer than a thousand people have accomplished it since. Some people argue that there are eight or nine summits, given geographical disputes in Australia and Eurasia. For my challenge, I am considering the country of Australia as its own continent (on par with Bass' opinion), which means climbing Mount Kosciuszko (Australia) instead of Carstensz Pyramid, located in Papua New Guinea (Oceania). Australia is considered one of the seven continents due to its sizeable land mass. Therefore, Mount Kosciuszko prevails as a seven-summit due to its being the highest on the land mass. The other point of contention is the European highest mountain. Technically, Europe and Asia, as we know them, are one big land mass known as Eurasia. However, as we are taught in school, there are seven continents, not six, which means there has to be a demarcation that distinguishes Europe from Asia. The land east of the Ural Mountains and the Caspian Sea is largely considered Europe, and the land to the west, Asia. That means that Mount Elbrus, located in Russia, is the true European summit despite Mount Blanc (France) being the highest in western Europe. However, due to Russia's war with Ukraine, some are climbing Mount Blanc as their European summit. I have listed Elbrus below, but I will weigh the risks and consider climbing Mount Blanc when the time comes.