Mountaineering (alpinism) ascends mountains using climbing, glacier travel, and high-altitude endurance techniques. The discipline (19th-century Alps origins) encompasses technical rock/ice climbing, crevasse navigation, weather survival, and summit quests on peaks worldwide.

The Seven Summits

Highest peak on each continent:

1. Everest (8,849m, Asia) — $50K+ guided, 300+ deaths
2. Aconcagua (6,961m, S. America) — Non-technical, altitude challenge
3. Denali (6,190m, N. America) — Coldest, -40°F, crevasse danger
4. Kilimanjaro (5,895m, Africa) — Trekking peak, high success rate
5. Elbrus (5,642m, Europe) — Russia, ski touring option
6. Vinson (4,892m, Antarctica) — $40K+ logistics, remote
7. Kosciuszko (2,228m, Australia) — Hike, or Carstensz Pyramid (harder alternative)

The 8,000ers (Himalayan Giants)

14 peaks above 8,000m:

• K2 (8,611m) — “Savage Mountain,” 25% fatality rate
• Annapurna (8,091m) — Deadliest, 32% fatality rate
• Nanga Parbat (8,126m) — “Killer Mountain,” Rupal Face
• Reinhold Messner (1986) — First to climb all 14 without O2
• Nirmal Purja (2019) — All 14 in 6 months, Netflix 14 Peaks

Techniques & Skills

Glacier Travel:

• Rope teams (2-4 climbers), crevasse rescue
• Prusik knots, ice screws, anchor building

Ice Climbing:

• Front-pointing crampons, ice axes, mixed terrain
• Steep couloirs, frozen waterfalls, alpine faces

High Altitude:

• Acclimatization (climb high, sleep low)
• Altitude sickness (HACE, HAPE), Diamox, oxygen

Weather Windows:

• Jet stream tracking, summit bids, turning around discipline

Instagram Culture (2011+)

Summit Selfies:

• Prayer flags (Everest), 360° panoramas, oxygen masks
• “On top of the world” captions, emotional releases

Expedition Life:

• Base camp routines, tent living, food photos
• Sherpa culture, porter loads, team dynamics

Gear Porn:

• Arc’teryx/Patagonia shells, Black Diamond axes
• Mountaineering boots (La Sportiva, Scarpa), crampon tech

Iconic Peaks & Routes

Matterhorn (4,478m, Switzerland):

• Iconic pyramid, Hornli Ridge route, technical scrambling
• 500+ deaths historical, crowding, rockfall danger

Mont Blanc (4,808m, France):

• Highest Western Europe, Goûter Route most popular
• Crevasse falls, altitude, weather, 50-100 deaths/year

Rainier (4,392m, USA):

• Washington State, glacier-covered, training ground
• Disappointment Cleaver route, guided climbs ($1,000+)

Controversies

Everest Commercialization:

• $50-100K guided climbs, inexperienced clients, bottlenecks
• 2019 photo (200+ climbers queued), 11 deaths that season
• “Because it’s there” romanticism vs. Instagram trophy hunting

Sherpa Exploitation:

• Underpaid, overworked, death rate higher than climbers
• 2014 Khumbu Icefall avalanche (16 Sherpa deaths), strike

Waste Management:

• 26,000+ lbs trash removed from Everest (2019 cleanup)
• Human waste, oxygen bottles, abandoned tents

Sources: American Alpine Club, Himalayan Database, Into Thin Air (Krakauer), Alpinist Magazine