Biography

About
Jaime Viñals

Learn more about Jaime Viñals through his Biography

Professional
Mountain climber

JAIME VIÑALS

Jaime Viñals is a Guatemalan global explorer, biologist, professional mountaineer, international speaker, and author, renowned for transforming extreme challenges into powerful lessons in leadership, resilience, and goal achievement.

In 2001, he made history by becoming the first Central American to reach the summit of Mount Everest (8,848 m). Over more than 35 years, he has led over 300 expeditions in the world's major mountain ranges, establishing himself as a leading figure in exploration and high-performance sports in Latin America.

He is the only person to complete the 7+7+7 World Trilogy: Seven Summits, Seven Islands, and Seven Volcanic Peaks, culminating this feat in Antarctica in 2023. In 2025, he achieved a Guinness World Record by climbing all 14 volcanoes in Guatemala over 3,000 meters in the shortest time ever recorded.

His scientific background as a biologist, combined with his experience in extreme environments, allows him to address issues of sustainability, decision-making under pressure, innovation, and teamwork from a unique and applied perspective. He has delivered lectures, executive programs, and team-building experiences in more than 25 countries for companies, governments, and international organizations.

Author of nine books—including *Legacy of Summits* (2025)—his message inspires individuals and organizations to overcome limitations, transform challenges into opportunities, and reach their full potential.

His philosophy summarizes his life and legacy:
“The only limit that exists in our lives is ourselves.”

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Sponsors that make possible the new challenges and achievements of Jaime Viñals (they are presented in alphabetical order).

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Very important sponsors who have helped Jaime Viñals before (they are presented in alphabetical order).

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Achievement 7 Summits of the World

This challenge consists of climbing the highest peak of each of the planet’s continents, which are:
North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Antarctica, Oceania, Asia

THE 7 CONTINENTS OF THE WORLD

The emerged lands cover barely a third of the terrestrial surface (29%), while the remaining two thirds are occupied by the waters by the waters and oceans (71%). In general, a predominance of solid mass over liquid mass is observed in the Northern Hemisphere, while in the Southern Hemisphere the proportion is reversed.

The concentration of emerged lands becomes evident when almost all the continental marks are limited with a maximum circle, separating the so-called Continental Hemisphere from the Maritime Hemisphere.

For geographical and historical reasons, the emerged lands have traditionally been divided into seven large parts:

  1. Europe
  2. Asia
  3. Africa
  4. Arctic and North America
  5. South America, Caribbean and Central America
  6. Antarctica
  7. Oceania and Australia

Europe and Asia actually make up a solid continental mass, called Eurasia. However, Europe is studied as a separate continent, and this is due to its historical-cultural evolution, which has given it a leading position in the history of mankind. Its highest summit is Mount Elbrus. Africa (which until 1869 was linked to Asia by the Isthmus of Suez, before the canal of the same name was opened), is also very close to Europe, separated from it only by the Strait of Gibraltar (15 kilometres).

Its highest summit is Mount Kilimanjaro. Oceania, however, is characterized by the dispersion of its lands, since it is made up of countless islands, scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean, of diverse origin, size and geographical position.

Among its lands, Australia stands out; too large to be considered an island, some scholars classify it as a continent. Its highest peaks are Mount Kosciusko and the Carstensz Pyramid.

America is clearly separated from the rest of the emerged lands, which would explain the late making of contact by Europeans; however, Alaska is very close to northeast Asia and even the two continents come together when the sea around the Aleutian Islands arc freezes over.

This circumstance was taken advantage of by the prehistoric peoples who emigrated from Asia to populate America. Some scholars consider that America itself is divided into two continents, since there are two continental plates, one is North America joined to the Arctic Circle & North Pole, with its highest peak being Mount McKinley or Denali; and the other part is made up of Central America, the Caribbean and South America, whose highest peak is Mount Aconcagua. Antarctica is the continent that is almost entirely within the Antarctic Polar Circle, and whose climatic conditions keep it covered with a thick layer of ice, lacking fauna and flora except on the coasts and the sea that surround it. The highest summit is Mount Vinson.

The geological structures of the continents are formed by the union of very old massifs of very rigid rocks (Canadian and Baltic shields, African, etc.); intermediate age folds corresponding to the Hercynian mountain ranges or ridges (Appalachians, Rhenish massif, etc.); and the great tertiary mountain ranges characterized by their youth, their high altitude and their instability, manifested in the significant seismic and volcanic activity in these areas (Andes, Alps, Himalayas, etc.)

The configuration of the climates in the continents is the result of a complex interrelation between several factors, such as latitude, relief and proximity to the sea, which condition the distribution and intensity of climatic elements (temperature, winds and precipitation).

Thus we see that the areas that are on the Equator, near sea level, enjoy a very hot and humid climate; but at the same latitude, on the Ecuadorian Andes or on Kilimanjaro or on the Pyramid of Carstensz, there is permanent snow.

The sea is a moderator of temperatures; however, its proximity can be positive, like the action of the warm Gulf Stream for the Norwegian coast, or negative, like the cold Labrador Current for the North American coast. The high mountain ranges are true climatic barriers by preventing the passage of humid winds, as is the case of the Andes or the Himalayas.

The lack of rainfall causes desert climates, generally located at the latitude of the tropics (Sahara, Kalahari, etc.). Vegetation is closely linked to climatic regions, although human action has modified its natural development and has altered the distribution of plant species on the Earth’s surface.

These summits are:

HIGHEST SUMMIT IN SOUTH AMERICA:

Cerro Aconcagua is a mountain located entirely in the Province of Mendoza, in western Argentina. With an altitude of 6,962 msnm is the highest peak in the Southern and Western hemispheres, and the highest in the world of those located outside the Himalayan system, in Asia. In addition, it is the world’s second most prominent summit, behind Everest.

HIGHEST SUMMIT IN NORTH AMERICA:

Mount McKinley, also known as Denali by the “Athabascans” (natives of Eskimo origin), is the highest peak in North America, with 6,194 msnm. Despite not being one of the highest in the world, the difference in altitude that must be overcome (about 4,000 m from base camp), together with the low temperatures, given its proximity to the Arctic Circle, make McKinley one of the most difficult peaks to climb.

Mount McKinley is located in Denali National Park, part of the Alaska Range, with 6,194 msnm, where, in turn, are important peaks such as Mount Hunter, Mount Foraker, or Mount Huntingon. Just 3º from the Arctic Circle (63º5’52.34″N), it is the northernmost “six thousand” in the world. All other summits over 6,000 m they are located between 43ºN and 32ºS.

HIGHEST SUMMIT IN EUROPE:

Mount Elbrus It is a dormant stratovolcano located in the western part of the Caucasian mountain range, in Kabardia-Balcaria (Russia), near the Georgian border. It is the highest point in Europe. It is the highest mountain in Russia and in the Caucasus Mountains, which, together with the Ural Mountains, mark the traditionally accepted border between Europe and Asia. Being an artificial border, the northern part of the Caucasus is considered to be European and the southern part to be Asian. Therefore, Mount Elbrus, with 5,642 meters of altitude, is the highest mountain in Europe as it is located in the North Caucasus.

The Elbrus is located 20 km north of the main watershed of the  Greater Caucasus and 65 km southwest of the Russian city of Kislovodsk.

Its permanent ice cap feeds 22 glaciers, from which the Baksan, Kuban and Malka rivers, among others, are born. In Russia (European).

HIGHEST SUMMIT IN AFRICA:

Kilimanjaro is a mountain located in the northeast of Tanzania formed by three inactive volcanoes: the Shira, in the west, of 3962 meters of altitude, the Mawenzi to the east, of 5149 m and Kibo, the most recent from a geological point of view, located between the two and whose peak, Uhuru, rises to 5,892 m and is the highest point in Africa.

In addition to this fact, Kilimanjaro is known for the famous ice fields on its summit, which have been shrinking dramatically since the early 20th century and are expected to disappear completely between 2020 and 2050.

The decrease in snowfall responsible for this decline is often attributed to global warming, as well as significant deforestation.

Despite the creation of the Kilimanjaro National Park in 1973, and although this park plays an essential role in the bioclimatic regulation of the hydrological cycle, the forest belt continues to narrow, due to the fact that the mountain is home to the Masai herders in the north and in the west, who need high-altitude meadows to graze their herds, and Chagga farmers to the south and east, who cultivate increasingly larger plots in the foothills, despite a process of awareness that began at the beginning of the 21st century.

Later it became an emblematic mountain, evoked and represented in art and converted into a symbol in numerous commercial products. It is highly appreciated by the thousands of hikers who make their ascent taking advantage of the great diversity of its fauna and flora.

HIGHEST SUMMIT IN ANTARCTICA:

The Vinson Massif is the highest mountain in Antarctica, located about 1,200 km from the South Pole. The massif is about 21 km long and 13 wide, reaching an altitude of 4,897 meters above sea level.

It is located in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains, situated on the Ronne Ice Bank near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. The southern end of the massif is crowned by Mount Craddock (4,650 meters above sea level). The existence of the massif was not suspected until 1957, when it was reported on a United States Navy flight.

The massif was later named Carl Vinson, after the Georgia congressman who was a strong supporter of funding Antarctic research.

In 1963, the American Alpine Club began campaigning with the National Science Foundation to support an expedition to climb Vinson, in part to prevent the efforts of Woodrow Wilson Sayre, who had developed a reputation for troublesome travel (at this time). case the concern was that a private expedition in case of problems would require a difficult and dangerous rescue).

The Alpine Club finally got permission in 1966, and with the help of the navy, which airlifted climbers up the Sentinel Range in a C-130 Hercules aircraft equipped with snow landing skis, a group of four climbers led by Nicholas B. Clinch reached the top on December 18, 1966.

The ascent of Vinson carries little technical difficulty beyond the usual dangers of an Antarctic journey, and as one of the Seven Summits of the World, it has recently received much attention from climbers around the world.

HIGHEST SUMMIT IN ASIA and IN THE WORLD:

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world with a height of 8,848 meters above sea level. It is located in the Himalayas, on the Asian continent and marks the border between Nepal and Tibet (territory occupied by China). In Nepal it is called Sagarmatha  which means “The forehead of Heaven”) and in Tibet (territory belonging to China) Chomolungma o Qomolangma Feng which means “Mother Goddess of the Universe”. The mountain was named in honor of George Everest, a Welsh geographer in 1865.

Personally, I climbed it on the North Col route that starts north of Everest, in Tibet in the spring of 2001. Expeditions normally arrive at the Rongbuk Glacier, establishing the Base Camp at 5,180 meters above sea level on a gravel plain just below the glacier.

To reach Camp II, the central moraine of the eastern part of the Glacier is ascended to the base of Mount Changtse, at 6,100 meters above sea level. Camp III (advanced camp) is located under the “Collado Norte”, at 6,500 meters above sea level. To reach Camp IV, from the “Collado Norte”, you ascend the glacier to the foot of the Collado, where fixed ropes are placed that allow you to reach the Collado Norte, at an altitude of 7,010 meters.

From there, climb the rocky North Ridge until reaching Camp V, at 7,775 meters. The route continues along the north face through a series of ravines and precipices, in a terrain with rocky plates, until reaching Camp VI, at 8,230 meters.

From Camp VI, the final ascent to the top is made via the northeast ridge. You must pass three bands of rock known as the First Step (from 8,500 to 8,534 meters high), the Second Step (from 8,575 to 8,625 meters high) and the Third Step (from 8,690 to 8,800 meters high). Once over, there is a steep incline (50 to 60 degree incline) to the top. 

HIGHEST SUMMIT IN OCEANIA:

Mount Jaya (Puncak Jaya in Indonesian), also known as Mount Carstensz or Carstensz Pyramid, is the highest island mountain in the world and the highest peak in Oceania, on the island of New Guinea, with 4,884 meters above sea level. It is found in the Sudirnam Mountains, or Dugunduguoo, west of the mountainous area of Papua, the western half of the main island of Indonesia. It is an area frequently shaken by earthquakes and tidal waves. Other names include Nemangkawi in the amungkal language, Ngga Pulu, Carstensz Toppen y Gunung Sukarno.

It is the highest peak located on an island in the world. It is the highest mountain in Indonesia, the highest in the island of New Guinea (comprising the Indonesian provinces of Papua plus Papua New Guinea), the highest in Oceania (Australia), and the fifth highest mountain in political Southeast Asia. It is also the highest point between the Himalayas and the Andes, and the highest island peak in the world. Some sources claim Mount Wilhelm, at 4,509 meters, as the highest mountain peak in Oceania, considering Indonesia to be part of Asia (Southeast Asia).

However, there is a controversy here and there is another group of geographers who consider that the Carstensz pyramid is not the highest peak in Oceania, but rather that it is the monte Kosciuszko, in the Great Dividing Range and located in the Kosciuszko National Park, it is the highest mountain in mainland Australia. It was named by Polish explorer Paul Strzelecki in 1840 in honor of Polish national hero General Tadeusz Kosciuszko. It has an altitude of 2,228 meters.

Several measurements of the peak originally named Mount Kosciuszko showed that it was slightly lower than nearby Mount Townsend. For this reason, the authorities of the state of New South Wales exchanged the names, so that Kosciuszko remained the highest peak on the island-continent and Townsend, the second.

In case one day these geographers agree, I decided to climb both summits (just in case). 

Achievement 7 Andean Summits

This challenge refers to climbing the highest peaks of the entire Andes Mountain Range located in its 7 countries Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.

The 7 Andean Peaks refers to the challenge of climbing the seven highest peaks of the Andes Mountains, located in each of the countries where the Mountain Range passes, these are Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.

Challenge completed in 2008

These summits are:

– Mount Aconcagua (Argentina), It is the highest peak of all the Americas in the Argentine Andes with an altitude of 6,962 meters above sea level, located specifically within the province of Mendoza, just 15 kilometers from the border that divides Chile from Argentina.

– Ojos del Salado Volcano (Chile), it is considered the highest volcano in the world with an altitude of 6,891 meters above sea level, it is located in the Andes that divide Chile and Argentina near the Atacama desert, the summit itself is part of the division of the two countries, for this reason it is also considered the highest summit in Chile.

– Mount Huascarán (Peru), It is the highest tropical mountain in the world and it is also the highest peak in Peru, located in the province of Yungay within the Peruvian Western Andes and specifically in the heart of the famous Cordillera Blanca, with an altitude of 6,768 meters above sea level. sea.

– Nevado del Sajama (Bolivia), It is the highest peak in Bolivia with an altitude of 6,542 meters above sea level, it is located in the Western Cordillera of the Bolivian Andes, located within the Sajama National Park, in a region of protected areas, a few kilometers from Tambo Quemado , on the Bolivian-Chilean border, dominates with its superb height the other volcanoes of the Western Cordillera.

– Mount Chimborazo (Ecuador), It is the highest Andean summit in Ecuador and it is also the highest summit in this country, located in the Western Cordillera of the Ecuadorian Andes in the province of Riobamba with an altitude of 6,310 meters above sea level.

– Mount Ritacuba Blanco (Colombia), It is located in the Eastern Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, specifically in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy, department of Boyacá, it is considered the highest Andean peak in Colombia with an altitude of 5,410 meters above sea level. However, it is worth mentioning that it is not the highest peak in this beautiful country, since this category corresponds to the summit of Pico Cristóbal Colón located in the Sierra de Santa Marta, a mountainous area that is outside the range of the Andes.

– Bolivar Peak (Venezuela), It is the highest Andean summit in Venezuela and it is also the highest summit in this country, located in the Sierra Nevada de Mérida with an altitude of 5,007 meters above sea level, within the jurisdiction of the state of Mérida whose state capital bears the

Achievement 7 Islands of the World

The feelings of triumph and personal fulfillment that the challenge of The Seven Summits of the World produced in me, inspired me to look for the Seven Islands of the World

The feelings of triumph and personal fulfillment that came from having successfully completed the adventure of the 7 Summits of the World kept my mind and heart entertained for several months.

However, like the other events in life, everything is temporary. Life is an alternation of happy days and adverse moments. This is a self-evident truth.

Thus, given my nature of always seeking and reaching new goals, I decided to continue with new challenges in my mountaineering life, this led me in July 2002 to start the adventure of the Seven Islands of the World, it was an extremely difficult undertaking, due not not only to the marked differences in climate, geography and the remoteness of the islands, but also to the political situation that prevails in some of them.

This circumstance forced us to carry out careful planning that took into consideration the latent dangers and difficulties, to overcome them gracefully as they presented themselves.

The 7 Islands of the World (+1) is a challenge that consists of climbing the highest peak of the eight largest islands on the planet.

From largest to smallest these islands are:

1) GREENLAND, the summit is Mount Gunnbjörns Fjeld.

2) NEW GUINEA, the summit is Mount Wilhelm.

3) BORNEO, the summit is Mount Gunung Kinabalu.

4) MADAGASCAR, the summit is Mount Maromokotro.

5) BAFFIN, the summit is Mount Tete Blanché.

6) SUMATRA, the summit is the Gunung Kerinci. 

7) HONSHÚ, the summit is Mount Fuji. 

8) GREAT BRITAIN, the summit is Mount Ben Nevis.  

Achievement Mount Everest

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world, with a height of 8,850 meters above sea level. It is located in the Himalayas and marks the border between Nepal and Tibet.

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world with a height of 8,848 meters above sea level. It is located in the Himalayas, on the Asian continent and marks the border between Nepal and Tibet (territory occupied by China). In Nepal it is called Sagarmatha  which means “The forehead of Heaven”) and in Tibet (territory belonging to China) Chomolungma o Qomolangma Feng which means “Mother Goddess of the Universe”. The mountain was named in honor of George Everest, a Welsh geographer in 1865.

Personally, I climbed it on the North Col route that starts north of Everest, in Tibet in the spring of 2001. Expeditions normally arrive at the Rongbuk Glacier, establishing the Base Camp at 5,180 meters above sea level on a gravel plain just below the glacier.

To reach Camp II, the central moraine of the eastern part of the Glacier is ascended to the base of Mount Changtse, at 6,100 meters above sea level. Camp III (advanced camp) is located under the “Collado Norte”, at 6,500 meters above sea level. To reach Camp IV, from the “Collado Norte”, you ascend the glacier to the foot of the Collado, where fixed ropes are placed that allow you to reach the Collado Norte, at an altitude of 7,010 meters.

From there, climb the rocky North Ridge until reaching Camp V, at 7,775 meters. The route continues along the north face through a series of ravines and precipices, in a terrain with rocky plates, until reaching Camp VI, at 8,230 meters.

From Camp VI, the final ascent to the top is made via the northeast ridge. You must pass three bands of rock known as the First Step (from 8,500 to 8,534 meters high), the Second Step (from 8,575 to 8,625 meters high) and the Third Step (from 8,690 to 8,800 meters high). Once over, there is a steep incline (50 to 60 degree incline) to the top.

Achievement Taca Summits

Challenge that consisted of climbing the highest peak of the 22 countries where the TACA airline flew between the years 2004 to 2006

I transcribe an article written by EXPLORE magazine alluding to this challenge, created by the airline TACA now AVIANCA.

Jaime Viñals, at the summits of TACA

“The sky is infinite, the mountain too.

Jaime Viñals, at the summits of TACA

Nothing better identifies the search for spiritual fulfillment, like this thought of Jaime Viñals, guatemalan mountaineer and the only Central American to reach the top of Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world. Mountain and sky are for him God’s creation and at the same time, challenges to combine human effort in the realization of a dream.

Biologist by profession, Viñals started in mountaineering at the end of 1997. Simple, jovial and with a will of steel, his adventures account for the 37 summits of Guatemala, a country where the largest number of volcanoes in the Americas are concentrated; among them, the Tajumulco, 4,220 meters high. “I remember well -he says-, those first experiences from the peaks of our country, immersed in that great spectacle, all the landscape, villages far below, incited by the illusion of climbing them all one day”.

The world from above

The eyes of Jaime Viñals have seen the world from more than 700 peaks, including the famous “7 Summits of the World”: Mount McKinley, the highest in North America; Aconcagua, the highest in South America; Kilimanjaro, the highest in Africa; Elbrus, the highest in Europe; the Carstensz Pyramid and Mount Kosciusko, the highest peaks in Oceania; and the Vinson, the highest in Antarctica; and of course, Everest, the highest in Asia and on Earth.

The author of the books “The mountain is my destiny”;“Everest, That’s how I conquered its top” and “The conquest of seven challenges” he reveals part of his philosophy of life in pages of serene and beautiful simplicity: “The mountaineer seeks new horizons. He first goes to the closest places, then he ventures further. All this forms a character, a way of seeing things and a constant spirit of improvement, basic characteristics to become, one day, one of the chosen men of Everest”.

Deeply convinced that “the mountaineer acquires his wisdom cooked over a slow fire from the loneliness of the summits”, Viñals remembers May 23, 2001, as the most memorable day of his life, when in Tibet, in the heart of the Himalayas , reaches the famous summit of Everest, after his third expeditionary attempt; and he reaffirms his conviction that “the mountain chooses his men.”

On the heights of America

Jaime Viñals, who has had the physical and spiritual strength to have the privilege of contemplating the work of nature from the highest peaks in the world, has joined TACA -Air Transport of the American Continent-, to follow his path as a mountaineer and climb, throughout 2004, around 19 summits located in the different countries where the airline operates. It will make us participants of new heights and will share with the communities and with the readers of Explore their fresh experiences.

It would not be strange if, with his proverbial descriptive facility, we climb with Jaime Viñals Mount Logan in Canada, Mount Whitney in the United States; or, the Cerro El Pital in El Salvador or the Cerro de Las Minas, in Honduras. Perhaps it will take us to Pico de Orizaba, in Mexico, or to Victoria, in Belize; Cerro Mogotón in Nicaragua or Chirripó Grande in Costa Rica. Perhaps it seems better to lead us to Mount Huarascán in Peru, Sajama in Bolivia or Chimborazo in Ecuador or Aconcagua in Argentina. In any case, next to Viñals, all heights seem to descend before our eyes with the wisdom of the master.

It’s not the first time Jaime Viñals joins TACA in a crusade of mutual identification. The climber and the airline know what it’s like to be over 30,000 feet. And Jaime has described very well that line that identifies them spiritually: “The true mountaineer is, above all, creative, never repetitive. His world is a world of discoveries and that makes him feel the fascination of the explorer of all time”. And TACA, like Viñals, are discoverers of routes.

Achievement World Trilogy

It consists of going around the world three times, and on each lap climbing seven unique and exceptional peaks from each of the 7 continents, a challenge called The World Trilogy (7+7+7), these three tours of the World are about climbing:

1) The Seven Summits of the World, climb the highest peak of the 7 continents:

  • Denali, in Alaska… highest peak on the North American continent
  • Aconcagua, in Argentina… highest peak in the South American continent
  • Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania… highest peak on the African continent
  • Elbrus, in Russia… highest peak of the European continent
  • Vinson, in Antarctica… highest peak of the Antarctic continent
  • Carstensz, in New Guinea… highest peak in Oceania
  • Everest, on the Nepal/Tibet border… highest peak in Asia and the World

2) The Seven Islands of the World, climb the highest peak of the 7 largest islands in the world:

  • Maromokotro… highest peak of the island of Madagascar (Africa)
  • Kerinci… highest peak on the island of Sumatra (Indonesia – Southeast Asia)
  • Kinabalu… highest peak on the island of Borneo (Malaysia – Southeast Asia)
  • Fuji… highest peak of the island of Honshú (Japan)
  • Tete Blanche… highest peak of Baffin Island (Canada)
  • Gunnbjorn Fjeld… highest peak on the island of Greenland (Arctic Circle)
  • Mt. Wilhelm… highest peak on the island of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea)

3) The seven volcanic peaks of the world, climb the highest volcano of the 7 continents:

  • Orizaba… highest volcano in North America (Mexico)
  • Ojos del Salado… highest volcano in South America (Chile)
  • Elbrus… highest volcano in Europe (Russia)
  • Damavand… highest volcano in Asia (Iran)
  • Giluwe… highest volcano in Oceania (Papua New Guinea)
  • Kilimanjaro… highest volcano in Africa (Tanzania)
  • Sidley… tallest volcano in Antarctica

On January 18, 2023, he reached the summit of Sidley Volcano and thus successfully completed the 7 Summits +7 Islands +7 Volcanoes of the World Trilogy and became the first person to complete it. Going around the world three times, and completing the 21 summits of the three challenges.

Regarding the achievement of the 7 Summits of the World, Jaime is the 86th person in the World to achieve it, which can be verified in this link:

https://7summits.com/7summits_statistics.php

For the 7 Islands of the World, he is the first person in the world to complete it

https://www.mrfrostbite.com/2014/01/21/seven-peaks-seven-islands/

50 most prominent Summits of the World

Mountain tops have long been recognized for their elevation from mean sea level.

There is now a growing worldwide community of climbers, mountain enthusiasts, geographers, physicists and mathematicians who recognize that summits can also be measured by their elevation relative to their surrounding environment, i.e. the terrain that surrounds them.

Prominent, is the term used to determine the elevation of a summit, taken from its highest point relatively that can be descended before re-ascending to the highest summit of a given mountain. All summits have a specific and not arbitrary prominence. This term has generated considerable discussion and theory, and may be a central concept for a better understanding of the mathematical properties of the earth’s surface.

I reiterate that the term Prominent represents the elevation of a summit from the base of its surrounding terrain. Prominence is calculated as the difference in elevation between a summit and the highest nearby col that connects it to a higher summit. There are several ways to define this mathematically and conceptually.?

Another way of looking at it is that the Prominence is the difference in elevation between the summit and the lowest point that circles it with no other higher summits around it. It is the minimum height by which one should descend from a summit, through an edge, to another higher summit.

Prominence describes the relative elevation of a mountain top. If you want to know more about this interesting project, we invite you to visit the website http://www.peaklist.org, created by Aaron Maizlish. This site has an excellent map of the World’s 50 Most Prominent Summits, compiled by Ken Jones. Andy Martin was the person who showed me the map and proposed this excellent idea.

50 MOST PROMINENT SUMMITS OF THE WORLD, these are the ones that I have managed to climb until July 2022 (Ranked from highest to lowest Prominence and ranking worldwide).

  • – Mount Everest (Tibet-Nepal)
  • – Aconcagua (Argentina)
  • – Mount McKinley or Denali (Alaska, USA)
  • – Kilimanjaro (Tanzania)
  • – Orizaba Peak (Mexico)
  • – Vinson Massif (Antarctica)
  • – Puncak Jaya (Carstensz) (Irian Jaya, Indonesia)
  • – Gora Elbrus (Caucasus, Russia)
  • – Mont Blanc (France-Italy)
  • – Mount Damavand (Iran)
  • – Volcán Klyuchevskaya (Kamchatka, Russia)
  • – Mauna Kea volcano (Hawaii, USA)
  • – Chimborazo (Ecuador)
  • – Gunung Kinabalu (Malaysia)
  • – Mount Rainier (Seattle, USA)
  • – Mount Ras Dejen (Ethiopia)
  • – Tajumulco Volcano (Guatemala)
  • – Pico Bolivar (Venezuela)
  • – Mount Yushan (Taiwan)
  • – Mt. Stanley or Ngaliema (Uganda-RDC Congo)
  • – Mount Cameroun (Cameroon)
  • – Mount Kenya (Kenya)
  • – Gunung Kerinci (Sumatra, Indonesia)
  • – Fuji San (Japan)
  • – Jebel Toubkal (Morocco)
  • – Chirripo Grande Hill (Costa Rica)
  • – Gunung Rinjani (Lombok, Indonesia)
  • – Teide Peak (Tenerife, Spain)
  • – Gunnbjörns Fjeld (Greenland)
  • – Nevado Ojos del Salado (Chile)
  • – Gunung Semeru (Java, Indonesia)
  • – White Ritacuba (Colombia)
  • – Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi) (Turkey)

There are 33 summits achieved out of 50.

10 highest Volcanoes in the World

Volcano According to Roman mythology, Vulcan was the god of fire and metals; Married to Venus and father of Jupiter and Juno, Vulcan was the creator of weapons and armor for the heroes. The word volcano comes from Vulcano. It is a conduit that establishes direct communication between the earth’s surface and the deep levels of the earth’s crust. Volcanoes are openings found in mountains or on land. And here are the ten largest volcanoes in the World:

In the first place we have the Ojos Salado is a stratovolcano nestled on the border between Argentina and Chile, belonging to the Andes mountain range. With its 6,892 meters above sea level, it is the highest volcano in the world, and the second highest peak in the southern and western hemispheres, being only surpassed by the Argentine Aconcagua hill, with 6,964 meters above sea level. There is debate about whether this volcano has current or only historical volcanic activity, the most recent known eruption dates back to 1,300 years ago, although with a significant range of error.

However, there is evidence of minor ash emission in 1993, which would add to the continued presence of fumaroles and some lava flows of relatively recent origin.

In second place we have Mount Pissis, also called by its original Quechua name Pillanhuasi, is an inactive stratovolcano, located on a branch of the Andes Mountain Range within the region of the Puno highlands of Argentina, forming a boundary between the provinces of La Rioja and Catamarca, this volcano is the third highest summit in the Southern and Western hemispheres, with an altitude of 6,795 meters above sea level (22,293 feet).

The third place is occupied by Cerro Bonete Chico, a volcano in the northwest of the Province of La Rioja, near the border with the Province of Catamarca, in the Argentine Republic, located at 28°00’S 68°45’W. for the first time in 1913 from the east by the German geologist Walther Penck, who believed he had reached the summit in the middle of the clouds, but his testimony has not yet been recovered, so it is presumed that in the middle of the fog he only reached a pre -summit, marking its altimeter 6,410 masl. The first confirmed arrival at its summit was made in 1973; It has a height of 6,759 meters above sea level, which makes it the fourth highest among the isolated mountains in America.

In fourth position of these gigantic colossi we find the Nevado Tres Cruces, it was baptized by mistake with that name based on the three summits visible from the Chilean slope, the north of 6,300m, the central one (which was believed to be the main one) of 6,618m and the south of 6,449m. Later it was discovered that the southern summit concealed a fourth higher summit, 6,749m perfectly visible from the Argentine side.

In fifth position is the Llullaillaco located in the Andes Mountains, on the border of Argentina and Chile, between the province of Salta and the region of Antofagasta, it has an altitude of 6,739 meters above sea level, administratively the volcano is part, on the side Argentine, from the department of Los Andes in the Province of Salta, of which it is its culminating summit, the same condition is held in the Antofagasta region, where it is located on the Chilean side; it is an active volcano, whose last eruption occurred in 1877, according to an imprecise reference.

In sixth position we find the Walther Penck Volcano, (originally called Tipas Volcano or Cerro Tipas), badly called Nacimientos or Cazadero, is a volcanic massif with an altitude of 6,658 meters above sea level located in the north of the province of Catamarca, Argentina, south of the Ojos del Salado and north of the Nacimientos del Cazadero Volcano; the Tipas/Walther Penck volcanic complex has at least nine summits over 6,200 meters above sea level. It is a formation of about 40 km² surrounded by other independent volcanic buildings, such as the Ata Volcano, at 6,437 meters above sea level, or the Olmedo Volcano, at 6,215 meters above sea level. It was renamed with this name by Tucuman mountaineer Professor Orlando Bravo in homage to the distinguished German geologist Walther Penck.

The seventh position we find the Incahuasi located in the vicinity of the San Francisco pass, and forming a border between Argentina and Chile exceeding 6,610 meters in height and its lava slag heaps covered by sediments tell us about its antiquity. Nearby and to the west is “El Fraile” (6,068m) and to the south, with marks and “heat” from recent activity, Volcán Negro (5,373m).

At number eight we find the Tupungato Volcano “viewpoint of stars” located in the Andes Mountains, on the border of Argentina and Chile, it has a height of 6,570 meters above sea level.

In ninth place we ran into the Nevado Sajama which is considered an extinct volcano located in the Sajama Bolivia National Park, in the west of the country in the department of Oruro. It is part of the Western Cordillera and is the highest peak in the country (6,542 meters above sea level).

The slopes of the mountain are inhabited by the queñua (Polylepis tarapacana), forming an open and stunted forest, which is considered one of the highest forests in the world.

Finally, placing in the tenth place we find the El Muerto Volcano, a stratovolcano (6,486 meters of altitude) that is located on the border of Chile and Argentina, (Atacama region, in Chile and the province of Catamarca in Argentina).

Achievement Seven Volcanic Summits

The 7 Volcanic Peaks of the World, is about reaching the top of the highest volcano in each of the seven continents. These volcanos are:

– Pico de Orizaba, located in Mexico, with 5,636 meters of altitude, is also known as Citlaltépetl, it is an inactive stratovolcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America, it is also the highest volcanic summit in North America.

– Ojos del Salado volcano, located in Chile is located south of the Atacama desert, in the most arid and desert area of the Andes, on a wide plain called Altiplano Sudamericano with an altitude of 6,893 m, is considered the highest volcano in South America and all over the world.

– Mount Kilimanjaro, is a dormant volcano located in the United Republic of Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa, the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, and the highest volcanic summit in Africa with an altitude of 5,895 meters above sea level.

– Mount Elbrus, located on the border between Russia and Georgia, is the highest and most prominent peak in Russia and Europe. Located in the western part of the Caucasus Mountain Range, it is the highest peak in the Caucasus Mountains and the highest volcanic summit in Europe at 5,642 meters.

– Damavand Volcano, located in Iran is a potentially active stratovolcano, the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia, as well as the highest volcano in Asia and the third highest volcano in the Eastern Hemisphere, at a height of 5,609 meters. This volcano has a special place in Persian mythology and folklore.

– Giluwe volcano, located in Papua New Guinea is the second highest mountain in Papua New Guinea with 4,367 meters. It is located in the Southern Highlands province and is an ancient shield volcano with vast alpine meadows, it is considered the highest volcano in Oceania.

– Sidley Volcano, located on the white expanse of the polar ice cap. Antarctic This majestic peak features a 5km-wide caldera and vertical-walled amphitheatre, created by an explosive eruption 4.7 million years ago. Blue ice slopes protect the upper mountain and fantastic snow mushrooms sprout along the upper ridge, which leads to the summit, considered to be the highest volcano in Antarctica at 4,285 meters above sea level.

On January 18, 2023, I reached the top of this spectacular volcano and it allowed me to successfully complete this challenge and become the 19th person in the world to complete this volcanic challenge.

Site specialized in the 7 volcanoes of the world that officially confirms the achievement:

https://clachliath.com/the-volcanic-seven-summits/
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