While the climbers in the Himalaya wait for the opportunity to go up, the rest of us sit and watch with them, waiting for word on their successful summits and thinking about our own opportunities to explore high places. It turns out there are plenty of great mountains that even us mortals can tackle, and Forbes Traveler is here with a list of ten of them.
Make no mistake, these are all challenging climbs with amazing scenery and a real feel for adventure. But they are not 8000m giants either, and adventurous travelers in reasonable shape and a great approach plan, should have a good chance at success on these peaks.
Some of the mountains that make the list include Mount Blanc in the Alps, which is considered the “birthplace of modern mountaineering” and is lauded for great trekking throughout the region. Of course, the 19,390 foot Kilimanjaro also makes the list as a must-go place for adventure travelers. Curiously enough however, they say a summit climb takes five days both ways, which isn’t true. It’s a minimum five days up, but you’re down in one essentially.
And if you absolutely must go to the Himalaya, Forbes Traveler recommends that you hit up Kala Pattar in Nepal. The mountain is a non-technical climb above 23,000 feet that offers stunning views of Everest and all the traditional Himalayan climbing experiences on a smaller, yet still challenging, scale.
This is a nice list for armchair mountaineers who are looking to bag a peak or two of their own without having the technical experience needed for something bigger. The altitude is often challenging enough, and these ten mountains offer plenty of adventure in their own right. I’ve certainly added a couple more to my list from reading it. How about you?
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Glad they included Kala Pattar (Island Peak). That one is on my list, probably a few years off though. That damn airfare!
There are plenty of great peaks right here in the US though. I head no further than the American west every year to find some gems.
Agreed on all accounts. Island Peak is possibly in my future as well just so I have a shot at a Himalayan Peak, but yep, there are plenty of great peaks right here in the States. A number of them made the list as well.