A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Summitting_Island_Peak.jpg/230px-Summitting_Island_Peak.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Monte_Rosa_summit.jpg/220px-Monte_Rosa_summit.jpg)
The term top (mountain top) is generally used only for a mountain peak that is located at some distance from the nearest point of higher elevation. For example, a big, massive rock next to the main summit of a mountain is not considered a summit. Summits near a higher peak, with some prominence or isolation, but not reaching a certain cutoff value for the quantities, are often considered subsummits (or subpeaks) of the higher peak, and are considered part of the same mountain. A pyramidal peak is an exaggerated form produced by ice erosion of a mountain top. Summit may also refer to the highest point along a line, trail, or route.
The highest summit in the world is Mount Everest with a height of 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) above sea level. The first official ascent was made by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary. They reached the mountain's peak in 1953.[2][3]
Whether a highest point is classified as a summit, a sub peak or a separate mountain is subjective. The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation's definition of a 4,000 m peak is that it has a prominence of 30 metres (98 ft) or more; it is a mountain summit if it has a prominence of at least 300 metres (980 ft).[4] Otherwise, it is a subpeak.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ac/SiskiyouSummit.jpg/220px-SiskiyouSummit.jpg)
In many parts of the Western United States, the term summit can also be used for the highest point along a road, highway, or railroad, more commonly referred to as a pass. For example, the highest point along Interstate 80 in California is referred to as Donner Summit and the highest point on Interstate 5 is Siskiyou Mountain Summit. This can lead to confusion as to whether a labeled "summit" is a pass or a peak.
Gallery
editSee also
edit- Geoid – Ocean shape without winds and tides
- Hill – Landform that extends above the surrounding terrain
- Nadir (topography) – local minimum of a depression (in geology)
- Summit accordance
- World Mountain Peak Map - Map of mountain peaks higher than 1000m.
References
edit- ^ "Nepal Mountaineering Association". 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ^ Lyons, Kate (2017-05-21). "Mount Everest's Hillary Step has collapsed, mountaineer confirms". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on Dec 31, 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
- ^ "Everest". National Geographic. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
- ^ UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (22 February 2023). "Mountain Classification: 4000m Summits in Alps". Retrieved 2024-01-29.
External links
edit- Peak finder
- Summit Climbing Gear List
- peakbagger.com Information and statistics about the mountain peaks and mountain ranges of the world
- peakbucket.com The activity tracking website for peakbaggers worldwide
- peakery.com Worldwide peakbagging community with over 300,000 peak summit logs and peak lists
- peakbook.org International peakbagging community with worldwide peak lists
- peakhunter.org Global summit log project with crowd sourced peak data
- hill-bagging.co.uk Database and logging of British and Irish hills