The highest unclimbed mountain in a particular region or in the world is often a matter of controversy. In some parts of the world surveying and mapping are still not reliable and there are not comprehensive records of the routes of explorers, mountaineers and local inhabitants. Mount McKinley in Alaska has one of the largest visible base-to-summit elevation differences anywhere A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ...

However, a major problem relates to the definition of a mountain. Any particular mountain, in addition to its highest point, will also have subsidiary “tops”. Generally, a subjective view is taken of what is a mountain and what is a top. The horizontal distance between main peak and top, the difference in height, the topographic prominence of the top, as well as the general topography, all come into consideration. Although objective criteria have been proposed for distinguishing “peaks” from “tops” (a prominence of 610m, 2,000 feet is one definition), there is no widely agreed standard. In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains. ...

The Peakware World Mountain Encyclopedia has a list of unclimbed 7000m Himalayan peaks which includes “tops” [1]. The list is somewhat out of date: for example Lhotse Middle, 8430m, was first climbed in spring 2001. The information came from the UIAA which also provides a list of first ascents on its web site [2]. Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain on Earth and is connected to Mount Everest via the South Col. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations dAlpinisme) is the organisation that represents several million mountaineers and climbers, world-wide, on international issues. ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ...

The mountain most widely claimed to be the highest unclimbed mountain in the world seems to be Gangkhar Puensum, 7541m (24,741 feet). It is in Bhutan where climbing of high mountains has been prohibited since 1994. [1]Gangkhar Puensum, in Bhutan, is the tallest unclimbed mountain peak in the world, at 22,623 ft. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

External links

• UIAA (use Activities, Expedition, Greater Ranges for First Ascents)
• Peakware World Mountain Encyclopedia
• Peakware World Mountain Encyclopedia List of unclimbed 7000m Himalayan peaks