SummitPost.org

For me, one of the joys of climbing has been pushing my limits, not merely reaching them, although perhaps this is just semantics. In any case, I have reaped some of the greatest rewards when I've climbed something that a only few years prior had seemed impossible, or at least quite improbable, for someone of my limited talents. This has been an experience I've had on numerous occasions, and it has been just as sweet each time. It has taught me again and again to keep my eyes open to possibilities. There must be more that seems out of my reach that really isn't.

For me, none of this has had to do with altitude per se. I've hiked up a couple of the easy 20,000'+ trekking peak bumps in Nepal, but that seems attainable by anyone with a healthy pair of lungs, a few thousand dollars, and the time and inclination to go. The altitude itself was not a big deal.

In terms of altitude, I'm more interested in how high I can bed down an attractive member of the opposite sex. So far, I haven't managed any higher than about 11,300'.

What's your record?

About the same for me: 11,100'

12K' for me

16,500 for me

I cheated, she's my wife

<i>I cheated, she's my wife</i>

It's only cheating if (a) she's inflatible or (b) she's not mammalian.

Does being in a airplane count?

Danke Mathias, the Alps and the Pyrenees are really nice. Jack ) nchenkin, being in an airplane doesn't count. By the way, who know the name of a 5-thousand meter mountain in Africa wich is cheapest to climb than Kilimanjaro? I've been told that it's snowy and interesting to climb. It's not Ruwenzori.

My highest point was the Nordend (4606 m) at the Monte Rosa massive. But only the hight of mountain is nothing making a route attractive for me. I prefer technical interesting routes (easy or difficult ... ) to mountains of any hight.

At the higher mountains I'm thinking about the Dent Blanche via the N-ridge (may be next year ... ).

The only 5000 meter peaks in Africa are Kilimajaro (and it's sub-peak Mawenzi), Kenya, and the peaks in the Ruwenzori. Kenya is cheaper than Kilimanjaro, but much more difficult to climb. After these peaks the highest are Meru, Ran Dashan (Ethiopia), and Karisimbi (Virungas on the border of Congo-Rwanda), but these are all under 5,000 meters. Maybe your refering to Stanley which is in the Ruwenzori?

Scott,

Is Virungas the same as the Mountain of the Moon which is part of the Stanley Mountain? I've got friends here at work from Africa that keep showing me pictures of a mountain on the Congo/Rwanda border and telling me that I should go climb it. It looks fun but has a week long trek for an approach.

No, the Virungas are not part of the Mountains of the Moon (aka Rewenzori). They are much further south. The highest peak in the Virunga is Karisimbi at 4507 meters. There are seven other volcanoes that make up the Virungas, and three of them are over 4,000 meters. Karisimbi takes three days to climb.

No it's not Stanley. Perhaps the peak that I mean is some meters below 5000 m

Anyone have climbed the highest peak recently?

Well?

Aconcagua one year ago.... 22,8xx feet, or what, 6970 meters? "Easy" walk up, but a damn HIGH walk up! Fantastic time with a great group of folks.

This year it's a Denali attempt; 20,300 feet, but it supposedly climbs as high as Aconcagua due to it's latitude, and it's a damn sight more difficult and hazardous. Not sure if I'm ready, but I'll give it a go.

Eventually, an 8000 meter peak is on the to-enjoy list.

Ama Dablam would be my personal pinnacle of summits, though of course, not as high.

It's easy to get addicted to altitude! It's all about "The Air Up There".

But, as has been implied on this thread, simply tooling around on the 9000-14000 foot peaks all over Colorado goes plenty far in satisfying the altitude urge.