Gasherbrum

At the head of the Baltoro Glacier, at the end of one of the world's most famed mountain walks, lies the heaviest and most remote concentration of high peaks on the planet.
Gasherbrum II is part of the greater Gasherbrum group of 5 peaks, 2 of which soar over 8000m, and is the world’s 13th highest mountain. She is roundly held as one of the most straight-forward and accessible of the fourteen, and climbers on her normal route, if sufficiently resourced and prepared, enjoy reasonable summit rates in clement weather. She is of course an 8000er, and as such repels many dozens of climbers every year. In 2004 some 38 climbers from multiple nationalities reached her summit after a small weather window opened near the end of the season.

The route of choice is the SW ridge. A mostly clearly defined spur that is relatively free of objective dangers. Nonetheless history shows more than a few climbers have perished on this route due to these causes. If you want to climb G2, you will need outstanding stamina, a fierce determination, and an ability to deal with 'expedition downtime' - boredom, apathy, lethargy, and cold lonely nights on the glacier.

8K peaks are to climbers what the Grand Slam series is to tennis players (with the exception that there are no spectators at 26,000ft). So if your not ready yet for your "Wimbledon" your not ready for G2. In real terms, you should have several serious seasons of climbing at or above 6500m before you can contemplate an ascent of Gasherbrum II or any other 8000m peak. Generally most expeditions that come here allot up to 55 days to climb this mountain from arrival in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

Davis Peak

Davis Peak is a mountain just north of Diablo Lake in North Cascades National Park, in the US state of Washington. It is situated just south of the Picket variety. While not of predominantly high altitude, even for the North Cascades, it is prominent for its large, steep local respite, and in particular for its huge Northeast Face, which drops 5,250 ft (1,600 m) in one parallel mile (1.6 km). This is one of the two largest perpendicular drops in one horizontal mile in the adjacent United States, the other being the North Face of Kinnerly Peak. Davis Peak is named for the early homesteading family of Lucinda Davis, who built and ran a roadhouse for trappers, miners and other travelers at the base of the peak, near present day Diablo, prior to the influx of roads or rail, circa 1900.

Whether you are coming from the east or the west on I-90, you need to depart at Cle Elum. Look for SR 903 as it heads from Cle Elum to Rosyln. It is about 19 miles to Salmon La Sac and just before the campground and a bridge you would cross if you went too far, there is a road that angles up to the right and 1.7 miles of bumpy washboarded road will bring you to the signed exit for Davis Peak. Go left (north) and in fewer than a half mile the road descends to the TH. An extra area for parking is found just above the lower parking area and if you can't find polite parking, back track up the road to this nicer area to park. From the TH, descend to a crossing of a nice bridge that gets you nicely over the Cle Elum River.

Chimborazo

Chimborazo is situated in the Cordillera Occidental of the Andes of central Ecuador, 150 km (93 mi) south-southwest of the center Quito. It's neighbored by 5,018 m high Carihuairazo. Chimborazo's royal summit rises 2,500 m above the surrounding highlands (~3,500 to 4,000 m) with a ~20 km broad base. Under clear conditions the peak of Chimborazo can be seen from the coastal city Guayaquil. The nearest cities are Riobamba (~30km to the southeast), Ambato (~30km to the northeast) and Guaranda (~25km to the southwest).Chimborazo is bordered by the "Reserva de Produccion Faunistica Chimborazo" which forms a confined ecosystem to conserve the habitat for the andes native camelids Vicuña, Llama and Alpaca.

Chimborazo is a dominantly andesitic-dacitic stratovolcano. About 35,000 years ago a collapse of Chimborazo shaped a debris avalanche, the deposits of which underlie Riobamba. Chimborazo then erupted numerous times during the Holocene, the last time around 640 CE ± 500 years.

Castle Mountain

The Castle Mountain fault is one of several major east-northeast-striking faults in southern Alaska, and it is the only fault with historic seismicity and Holocene surface faulting (Lahr and others, 1986; Detterman and others, 1974). The Castle Mountain fault is approximately 200 km long, and is one of the longest structures in the Cook Inlet basin. Martin and Katz (1912) first noted the fault, but it was delineated on a regional scale by Detterman and others (1974, 1976). They mapped and divided it into two physiographic segments: the western Susitna Lowland and eastern Talkeetna Mountains segments (Fig. 1). Haeussler (1994, 1998) mapped and examined the 30-km-long region between the two Detterman and others (1974, 1976) maps.

This report is a compilation of the three USGS maps that cover the location of the Castle Mountain fault in some detail (Detterman and others, 1974, 1976; Haeussler, 1998), with the purpose of providing land managers with an authoritative source for the location of the fault in the Talkeetna Mountains and Susitna Lowland. There are other maps that also cover parts of the Castle Mountain fault (Reger and others, 1995a,b,c; Clardy, 1974; Fuchs, 1980), but these do not alter the location of the fault. Thus far, there are no land use or building regulations associated with proximity to the Castle Mountain fault.

The surface trace of the Castle Mountain fault is not the only earthquake hazard associated with the fault. The two historic earthquakes on the Castle Mountain fault were located on the part of the fault where there is no surface expression (Lahr and others, 1984), and thus even the part of the fault with no scarp should probably be considered active. In addition, Haeussler and others (2000) showed there is a 3-4 km wide fault-cored anticline on the north side of the fault near Houston. The faults in the core of the anticline do not crop out at the surface, but certainly also represent a seismic hazard. Saltus and others (2001) use aeromagnetic data to show that this anticline continues for the length of the Castle Mountain fault in the Susitna Lowland.

Ben Nevis

Ben Nevis at 4409ft is highest mountain in the kingdom and has some of the best climbing to be had in Scotland both summer and winter, and it is very rated by mountaineers from all over the world. It is because of this 'Highest' title that it is all the more popular, chiefly with tourists and non mountaineers alike. On its NW flank an eroded path leads many people to the summit, and it is more than customary to encounter badly equipped walkers near the summit. Everyone has a right to go there, but it is the mountains sheer status that takes away some of its charm.

However Ben Nevis has many more good points - At 4409ft 'The Ben' stands head and shoulders above all the other mountains in these islands. This elevation at such a northerly autonomy ensures an ample amount of snow for all the pleasures of winter climbing. 'The Ben' boasts more routes than any other mountain in the country. The Northern Corries of the Cairngorms may challenge this, however Ben Nevis has the height gain and lots of the routes are long and challenging. Amongst the classics are Tower Ridge a 2000ft climb that is graded Diff in summer, and GRADE III in winter. It was first climbed in 1892, or should I say descended, as it was used as a descent route by the Hopkinson Bros. Orion Direct is a 1600ft Grade V climb, and is surely one of the finest climbs of its kind in Scotland. It has been likened to having all the impression of a big alpine scale.

Mount Barney

Mount Barney is a mountain in Queensland, Australia. It lies roughly 150 kilometres south-west of Brisbane. It is a popular target for bushwalkers and rockclimbers. Mount Barney is the 7th highest mountain in Queensland and one of the most inspiring part of the Scenic Rim.

The closest town is Rathdowney. Neighboring this peak are a number of other mountains including Mount Ballow, Mount May and Mount Lindesay. The Antarctic Beech can be found of the upper slopes of both Mount Barney and in the rainforest of nearby Mount Ballow.

The scramble to the top is precisely difficult and has some sections of very steep rockclimbing and is suitable only for experienced walkers. The trail along Logan's Ridge to the summit is considered to be the most impressive. It is not suggested to ascend south-east ridge and descend Barney gorge within one day.

Adamello-Presanella

The Adamello-Presanella Group is a mountain variety in the Italian Alps. It is part of the Southern Limestone Alps. It is located in the provinces of Trento and Brescia. The name stems from its highest crests: Adamello and Presanella.

The Adamello-Presanella Group is alienated from the Ortler Alps in the north by the Tonale Pass; from the Bergamo Alps in the west by the Oglio valley (Val Camonica); from the Brenta Group in the east by the Campo Carlo Magno Pass and the river Sarca; to the south it continues towards Lake Iseo.