This is a list of all the mountains in Europe with ultra-prominent peaks with topographic prominence greater than 1,500 metres or 4,900 feet.
The column "Col" in the chart below denotes the highest elevation to which one must descend from a peak in order to reach peaks with higher elevations; note that the elevation of any peak is the sum of its prominence and col.
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount Elbrus | Russia | 5,642 | 4,741 | 901 |
2 | Mont Blanc | France/ Italy | 4,810 | 4,697 | 113 |
3 | Mount Etna | Italy (Sicily) | 3,357 | 3,357 | 0 |
4 | Mulhacén | Spain | 3,479 | 3,285 | 194 |
5 | Aneto | Spain | 3,404 | 2,812 | 592 |
6 | Monte Cinto | France (Corsica) | 2,706 | 2,706 | 0 |
7 | Corno Grande | Italy | 2,912 | 2,476 | 436 |
8 | Musala | Bulgaria | 2,925 | 2,473 | 432 |
9 | Mount Ida | Greece (Crete) | 2,456 | 2,456 | 0 |
10 | Grossglockner | Austria | 3,798 | 2,423 | 1375 |
The above European Top 10 list excludes peaks on lands and islands that are part of European countries but are outside or on the limits of the European continent and its tectonic and geographic boundaries, like Teide (with prominence of 3,715 m, 12,188 ft), Tenerife Island, Spain; Belukha peak of the Altai Mountains in Russia (with prominence of 3,343 m, 10,968 ft); and Piton des Neiges (with prominence of 3,069 m, 10,069 ft), Réunion, France.
For ease of reference, the complete list below is divided into sections. Islands in the Atlantic, like Azores and Iceland, the Arctic archipelagos of Jan Mayen, Svalbard, and Novaya Zemlya, Mediterranean Sicily and the other Mediterranean islands, territories of European countries, have also been included as sections (with the exception of Greenland), and are taken into account for the Top 10 List, although being somehow on the European boundaries. Mount Etna active volcano is somehow on, or just outside the boundaries of the Eurasian Plate, resting on the subduction boundary where the African tectonic plate is being pushed under the Eurasian plate, but geographically is part of Europe, and is also included in the Top 10 list.
The sections include peaks on the African Plate, the Canary Islands and Madeira, and some peaks on or just outside the European boundaries located in the Caucasus Mountains (European Russia and the Caucasus states) and the Ural Mountains, both forming the geographic boundaries between the Europe and Asia, but those last mentioned aren't included in the Top 10 List. Mount Narodnaya, the highest peak in the Ural Mountains, is on the main watershed ridge, so on the limits of Europe, and cannot be considered a strictly European mountain and peak. Mount Elbrus is a dormant stratovolcano, forming part of the Caucasus Mountains, and geographically it is laying entirely in Europe and Russia, 20 km (12 mi) north of the main ridge and watershed of the Greater Caucasus, considered as the one that is forming the limits of Europe, that also forms great part of the length of the border between Russia and Georgia. [1] Mount Bazardüzü, also in the Caucasus, has a prominence of 2,454 metres (8,051 ft), but is located on the boundary between Europe and Asia, on the border between Russia and Azerbaijan, so it cannot be considered a strictly European mountain and peak.
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount Etna | Italy (Sicily) | 3,357 | 3,357 | 0 |
2 | Monte Cinto | France (Corsica) | 2,706 | 2,706 | 0 |
3 | Corno Grande | Italy | 2,912 | 2,476 | 436 |
4 | Punta La Marmora | Italy (Sardinia) | 1,834 | 1,834 | 0 |
5 | Monte Amaro | Italy | 2,795 | 1,812 | 983 |
6 | Monte Dolcedorme | Italy | 2,267 | 1,715 | 552 |
7 | Montalto | Italy | 1,955 | 1,709 | 246 |
8 | Monte Cimone | Italy | 2,165 | 1,577 | 588 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Beerenberg | Norway (Jan Mayen) | 2,277 | 2,277 | 0 |
2 | Newtontoppen | Norway (Svalbard) | 1,717 | 1,717 | 0 |
3 | Mount Kruzenshtern | Russia (Novaya Zemlya) | 1,549 | 1,549 | 0 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Teide | Spain (Canaries) | 3,715 | 3,715 | 0 |
2 | Roque de los Muchachos | Spain (Canaries) | 2,423 | 2,423 | 0 |
3 | Mount Pico | Portugal (Azores) | 2,351 | 2,351 | 0 |
4 | Hvannadalshnúkur | Iceland | 2,110 | 2,110 | 0 |
5 | Pico de las Nieves | Spain (Canaries) | 1,949 | 1,949 | 0 |
6 | Pico Ruivo | Portugal (Madeira) | 1,861 | 1,861 | 0 |
7 | Pico de Malpaso | Spain (Canaries) | 1,501 | 1,501 | 0 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Musala | Bulgaria | 2,925 | 2,473 | 452 |
2 | Mount Olympus (Mytikas) | Greece | 2,917 [2] [3] | 2,353 [4] | 564 |
3 | Korab | Albania / North Macedonia | 2,764 | 2,169 | 595 |
5 | Jezercë | Albania | 2,694 | 2,036 | 658 |
6 | Mount Athos | Greece | 2,030 | 2,012 | 18 |
7 | Mount Ossa | Greece | 1,978 | 1,854 | 124 |
8 | Maja e Papingut | Albania | 2,482 | 1,792 | 690 |
9 | Vihren | Bulgaria | 2,914 | 1,783 [5] | 1131 |
10 | Pangaion Hills | Greece | 1,956 | 1,773 | 183 |
11 | Kajmakchalan | North Macedonia / Greece | 2,528 | 1,758 | 770 |
12 | Smolikas | Greece | 2,637 | 1,736 | 901 |
13 | Mount Giona | Greece | 2,510 | 1,702 | 808 |
14 | Jakupica | North Macedonia | 2,540 | 1,666 | 874 |
15 | Maja e Këndrevicës | Albania | 2,121 | 1,666 | 455 |
16 | Radomir | Bulgaria / Greece | 2,031 | 1,595 | 436 |
17 | Mount Parnassus | Greece | 2,457 | 1,590 | 867 |
18 | Botev Peak | Bulgaria | 2,376 | 1,567 | 809 |
19 | Maja e Çikës | Albania | 2,044 | 1,563 | 481 |
20 | Valamara | Albania | 2,373 | 1,526 | 847 |
21 | Pelister | North Macedonia | 2,601 | 1,516 | 1085 |
22 | Psili Koryfi | Greece | 1,589 | 1,514 | 75 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gerlachovský štít | Slovakia | 2,655 | 2,356 | 300 |
2 | Parângu Mare | Romania | 2,519 | 2,103 | 416 |
3 | Moldoveanu Peak | Romania | 2,544 | 2,046 | 498 |
4 | Peleaga | Romania | 2,509 | 1,759 | 750 |
5 | Pietrosul Rodnei [6] | Romania | 2,303 | 1,565 | 738 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount Elbrus | Russia | 5,642 | 4,741 | 901 |
2 | Mount Bazarduzu | Russia / Azerbaijan | 4,466 | 2,454 | 2012 |
3 | Mount Kazbek | Russia / Georgia | 5,034 | 2,353 | 2681 |
4 | Tebulosmta | Russia / Georgia | 4,493 | 2,145 | 2348 |
5 | Dykh-Tau | Russia | 5,205 | 2,002 | 3203 |
6 | Dyultydag | Russia | 4,127 | 1,834 | 2293 |
7 | Gora Addala Shukgelmezr | Russia | 4,152 | 1,792 | 2360 |
8 | Gora Shan | Russia / Georgia | 4,451 | 1,775 | 2676 |
The boundary between Asia and Europe is following the main ridge of the Caucasus Mountains, also forming most of the border between Georgia and Russia. From the above listed 8 peaks, four (Mount Elbrus, Dykh-Tau, Dyultydag, Gora Addala Shukgelmezr) are entirely in Europe, and four are on the border itself and so are both in Asia and Europe.
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Roman-Kosh | 1,545 | 1,541 | 4 | |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount Ida | Greece (Crete) | 2,456 | 2,456 | 0 |
2 | Taygetus | Greece | 2,404 | 2,344 | 60 |
3 | Lefka Ori | Greece (Crete) | 2,453 | 2,038 | 415 |
4 | Mount Kyllini | Greece | 2,376 | 1,870 | 506 |
5 | Dikti | Greece (Crete) | 2,148 | 1,798 | 350 |
6 | Dirfi | Greece (Euboea) | 1,743 | 1,743 | 0 |
7 | Mount Ainos | Greece (Kefalonia) | 1,628 | 1,628 | 0 |
8 | Fengari | Greece (Samothrace) | 1,611 | 1,611 | 0 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mulhacén | Spain | 3,479 | 3,285 | 194 |
2 | Aneto | Spain | 3,404 | 2,812 | 592 |
3 | Torre de Cerredo | Spain | 2,648 | 1,931 | 717 |
4 | Pico Almanzor | Spain | 2,592 | 1,690 | 902 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Puy de Sancy | France | 1,885 | 1,578 | 307 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Galdhøpiggen | Norway | 2,469 | 2,372 | 97 |
2 | Kebnekaise | Sweden | 2,099 | 1,740 | 359 |
3 | Jiehkkevárri | Norway | 1,834 | 1,741 | 93 |
4 | Snøhetta | Norway | 2,286 | 1,675 | 611 |
5 | Store Lenangstind | Norway | 1,624 | 1,576 | 48 |
6 | Sarektjåhkkå | Sweden | 2,089 | 1,519 | 570 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount Narodnaya | Russia | 1,894 | 1,772 | 123 |
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Taillefer | France | 2,857 | 1,490 | 1367 |
2 | Monte Amiata | Italy | 1,738 | 1,490 | 248 |
3 | Midžor | Bulgaria/ Serbia | 2,169 [8] | 1,479 | 690 |
4 | Curcubăta Mare | Romania | 1,849 | 1,478 | 371 |
5 | Bobotov Kuk | Montenegro | 2,522 | 1,477 | 1045 |
6 | Monte Togano | Italy | 2,301 | 1,474 | 827 |
7 | Pourianos Stavros (Pelion) | Greece (Thessaly) | 1,610 | 1,473 | 137 |
8 | Torrecilla | Spain (Andalucia) | 1,919 | 1,472 | 447 |
9 | Dammastock | Switzerland (Urner) | 3,630 | 1,465 | 2,165 |
10 | Monte Vettore | Italy (Apennines) | 2,476 | 1,463 | 1013 |
11 | Raucheck | Austria | 2,430 | 1,463 | 967 |
12 | Haldensteiner Calanda | Switzerland | 2,806 | 1,461 | 1,345 |
13 | Gjegnen | Norway | 1,670 | 1,460 | 210 |
14 | Monte Cristallo [9] | Italy | 3,221 | 1,420 | 1,801 |
15 | Ruen [10] | Bulgaria / North Macedonia | 2,251 | 1,416 | 835 |
16 | Schneeberg | Austria | 2,076 | 1,348 | 728 |
17 | Mount Yamantau | Russia | 1,640 | 1,330 | 310 |
18 | Cherni Vrah [11] | Bulgaria | 2,290 | 1,259 | 1031 |
List of the highest European ultra-prominent peaks (elevation above 2,900 m and prominence above 1,500 m):
No | Peak | Country | Elevation (m) | Prominence (m) | Col (m) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount Elbrus | Russia | 5,642 | 4,741 | 901 |
2 | Dykh-Tau | Russia | 5,205 | 2,002 | 3203 |
3 | Mont Blanc | France/ Italy | 4,810 | 4,697 | 113 |
4 | Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) | Switzerland | 4,634 | 2,165 | 2469 |
5 | Grand Combin | Switzerland | 4,314 | 1,517 | 2797 |
6 | Finsteraarhorn | Switzerland | 4,274 | 2,280 | 1994 |
7 | Gora Addala Shukgelmezr | Russia | 4,152 | 1,792 | 2360 |
8 | Dyultydag | Russia | 4,127 | 1,834 | 2293 |
9 | Barre des Écrins | France | 4,102 | 2,045 | 2057 |
10 | Gran Paradiso | Italy | 4,061 | 1,891 | 2170 |
11 | Piz Bernina | Switzerland | 4,049 | 2,234 | 1815 |
12 | Ortler | Italy | 3,905 | 1,953 | 1952 |
13 | Monte Viso | Italy | 3,841 | 2,062 | 1779 |
14 | Grossglockner | Austria | 3,798 | 2,423 | 1375 |
15 | Wildspitze | Austria | 3,768 | 2,261 | 1507 |
16 | Tödi | Switzerland | 3,614 | 1,570 | 2044 |
17 | Presanella | Italy | 3,558 | 1,676 | 1882 |
18 | Mulhacén | Spain | 3,479 | 3,285 | 194 |
19 | Piz Kesch | Switzerland | 3,418 | 1,502 | 1916 |
20 | Aneto | Spain | 3,404 | 2,812 | 592 |
21 | Marmolada | Italy | 3,343 | 2,131 | 1212 |
22 | Mount Etna | Italy (Sicily) | 3,357 | 3,357 | 0 |
23 | Monte Antelao | Italy | 3,264 | 1,735 | 1529 |
24 | Dents du Midi | Switzerland | 3,257 | 1,796 | 1461 |
25 | Cima Tosa | Italy | 3,173 | 1,521 | 1652 |
26 | Pizzo di Coca | Italy | 3,050 | 1,878 | 1172 |
27 | Hoher Dachstein | Austria | 2,995 | 2,136 | 859 |
28 | Zugspitze | Austria/ Germany | 2,962 | 1,746 | 1216 |
29 | Hochkönig | Austria | 2,941 | 2,181 | 760 |
30 | Musala [12] | Bulgaria | 2,925 | 2,473 | 432 |
31 | Mount Olympus (Mytikas) | Greece | 2,917 [13] [14] | 2,353 [15] | 564 |
32 | Vihren | Bulgaria | 2,915 | 1,784 [16] | 1131 |
33 | Corno Grande | Italy | 2,912 | 2,476 | 436 |
The Seven Summits are the highest mountains of each of the seven traditional continents. Climbing to the summit of all of them was first done on 30 April 1985 by Richard Bass. Once considered a mountaineering challenge, in January 2023, Climbing said "Today, the Seven Summits are a relatively common—almost cliché—tour of each continent's highest peak", and that the real challenge was the Explorer's Grand Slam, the Seven Summits with the North and South poles.
Mount Elbrus is the highest and most prominent peak in Russia and Europe. It is situated in the western part of the Caucasus and is the highest peak of the Caucasus Mountains. The dormant volcano rises 5,642 m (18,510 ft) above sea level; it is the highest stratovolcano in Eurasia, as well as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. The mountain stands in Southern Russia, in the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria.
The Caucasus Mountains are a mountain range at the intersection of Asia and Europe. Stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, they are surrounded by the Caucasus region and are home to Mount Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe at 5,642 metres (18,510 ft) above sea level.
The Greater Caucasus is the major mountain range of the Caucasus Mountains.
Mount Narodnaya is the highest peak of the Urals in Russia. Its elevation is 1,894 metres (6,214 ft). It is located on the border between Khanty–Mansi Autonomous Okrug in Tyumen Oblast and Komi Republic, the highest point being 0.5 km to the east from the border. The name may refer to Naroda River, which originates from the mount, located in the Research Range.
Shkhara is the highest point in the country of Georgia. It is located near the Russian-Georgian border, in Russia's Kabardino-Balkaria region on the northern side, and the Svaneti region of Georgia in the south. Shkhara lies 88 kilometres (55 mi) north of the city of Kutaisi, Georgia's second-largest city, and closer to the townlet of Mestia in Svaneti. The summit lies in the central part of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, to the south-east of Mount Elbrus, Europe's highest mountain. Shkhara is the third-highest peak in the Caucasus, just behind Dykh-Tau.
The Seven Second Summits are the second-highest mountains of each of the seven continents. All of these mountain peaks are separate peaks rather than a sub-peak of the continents' high point. The Seven Second Summits are considered a harder challenge than the traditional Seven Summits.
The Volcanic Seven Summits are the highest volcanoes on each of the seven continents, just as the Seven Summits are the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. Summiting all seven is regarded as a mountaineering challenge, first postulated as such in 1999.
An ultra-prominent peak, or ultra for short, is a mountain summit with a topographic prominence of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) or more; it is also called a P1500. The prominence of a peak is the minimum height of climb to the summit on any route from a higher peak, or from sea level if there is no higher peak. There are approximately 1,524 such peaks on Earth. Some well-known peaks, such as the Matterhorn and Eiger, are not ultras because they are connected to higher mountains by high cols and therefore do not achieve enough topographic prominence.
The topographic isolation of a summit is the minimum distance to a point of equal elevation, representing a radius of dominance in which the peak is the highest point. It can be calculated for small hills and islands as well as for major mountain peaks and can even be calculated for submarine summits.
Buckner Mountain is a tall peak in the North Cascades of Washington state and in the Stephen Mather Wilderness of North Cascades National Park. At 9,114 feet (2,778 m) in elevation it is the highest in Skagit County and one of about ten of Washington's non-volcanic peaks above 9,000 feet high. It is ranked as the 14th highest peak in the state, and the third highest peak in North Cascades National Park.
The Seven Third Summits are the third-highest mountains of each of the seven continents. All of these mountain peaks are separate peaks rather than a sub-peak of the continents' high point. Christian Stangl from Austria claims to be the first person to reach the summit of all seven third summit mountains after climbing Puncak Mandala and Puncak Trikora. He did this as a part of his "Triple Seven Summits" project. Because of glacial melting and the disagreement over exactly which three peaks are the tallest in the Australian continent, Stangl also climbed several additional candidate peaks including Sumantri and Ngga Pulu.
Prielbrusye National Park is centered on Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe at 5,642 meters above sea level. The relative isolation of steep gorges has led to high levels of endemism and biodiversity. The park is in the central Caucasus Mountains, one of 22 national parks in the Caucasus of different nationalities, covering 1.8% of the region. The park is situated in Elbrussky District and Zolsky District, in the southwestern corner of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic of Russia.
The most isolated major summits of Europe by topographic isolation are located in the European continent and its tectonic and geographic boundaries. This includes major mountain peaks of fold and fault-block mountains, and also volcanoes, located not only in the European Mainland, but also those located on lands and islands on the limits of Europe, like the North Atlantic Ocean islands of the Azores and Iceland, the Arctic Ocean islands of Jan Mayen, Svalbard archipelago and Novaya Zemlya archipelago, the Mediterranean island of Sicily, the Ural Mountains, and Mount Elbrus. The last mentioned is HP of the transboundary Caucasus Mountains and Greater Caucasus region, but as a geologically separate stratovolcano, it is entirely laying in Europe, 20 km (12 mi) north of the main ridge of the Greater Caucasus, considered as the one that is forming the limits of Europe. The definition excludes island clearly lying on the African Plate and outside the geographic limits of Europe, like the Canaries and Madeira. The active volcano of Mount Etna is somehow on, or just outside the boundaries of the Eurasian Plate, resting on the subduction boundary where the African tectonic plate is being pushed under the Eurasian plate, but geographically is part of Europe, and is also included in the Top 10 lists.
Sourced from peaklist.org;