This list tabulates all of the 82 official mountain summits of 4,000 metres (13,123ft) or more in height in the Alps, as defined by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA).[1] They are the highest mountains of the Alps, all located in Switzerland (48),[Note 1]Italy (38), and France (25), and are often referred to by mountaineers as the Alpine four-thousanders.[2][3] A further table of 46 subsidiary mountain points which did not meet the UIAA's selection criteria is also included.[4]
The official UIAA list of 82 mountain summits, titled in English as 'The 4000ers of the Alps' was first published in 1994. They were selected primarily on a prominence of at least 30 metres (98ft)) above the highest adjacent col or pass. Additional criteria were used to include or exclude some points, based on the mountain's overall morphology and mountaineering significance. (For example, the Grand Gendarme on the Weisshorn was excluded, despite meeting the prominence criterion as it was simply deemed part of that mountain's ridge.) A further 46 additional points of mountaineering significance, such as Pic Eccles, which did not meet the UIAA's primary selection criteria, were then included within an 'enlarged list'.[4] Another, less formal, list of 4000 metre alpine mountains, containing only independent peaks with a prominence of over 100m, and based on an earlier 1990s publications by Richard Goedeke, contains just 51 mountains.[5]
1 August 1820 Joseph Zumstein, Joseph Vincent and Johann Niklaus Vincent and others
From Gnifetti Hut (Italian side) via Lys glacier or Monte Rosa Hut (Swiss side) via Grenz glacier to Lys Col and then along the Western flank and SE ridge to the summit (I, PD)
The following expandable table forms an extended list of 46 ‘lesser summits’ identified by the UIAA. These are either:
secondary summits or gendarmes which satisfy the topographic criteria, but are part of other well-defined mountain summits already listed above,
or have failed to meet the topographic criteria, but have been included through more subjective criteria (i.e. morphological or mountaineering significance).[4]
Number of Alpine four-thousanders and distribution
Summarize
Perspective
Since no exact and formal definition of a 'mountain' exists, the number of 4000-metre summits is arbitrary. The topographic prominence is an important factor to decide the official nomination of a summit. The 'Official list' proposed by the UIAA is based not only on prominence but also on other criteria such as the morphology (general appearance) and mountaineering interest. Summits such as Punta Giordani or Mont Blanc de Courmayeur have much less than the 30 metres minimum prominence criterion but are included in the list because of the other criteria. In comparison, the official 14 eight-thousanders recognised by the UIAA have all a prominence of over 600 metres (despite a proposed expansion). A minimum prominence criterion of 300 metres[Note 5] would reduce the number of Alpine four-thousanders to only 29, whilst a prominence criterion of 100 metres would raise it to 49.[21]
The table below gives the number of four-thousanders as a function of their minimum prominence.
More information Minimum prominence, UIAA list ...
Mont Blanc's summit is an ice cap which varies in height from year to year. It is now accurately remeasured every two years. In 2017 it was measured at 4808.72 metres.[8]
This relates to Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus, the nearest higher mountain, which can be reached by descending to this height (108 metres above the sea).
The 4 meter higher Pointe Graham was reached a month later, 20 August 1882, by William Woodman Graham guided by Auguste Cupelin and Alphonse Payot, using the fixed ropes of the first party
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