The Tallest Mountains In The Alps

The Alps is a mountain range system that is located in Europe and stretches across Austria, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovenia France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland covering a total distance of approximately 750 miles. This mountain range is the highest and the most extensive mountain range in Europe. The Alps contain about 100 peaks that have summits higher than 13 thousand feet. These mountain ranges were created over ten million years ago as the African and the Eurasian tectonic plates collided.

Tallest Peaks in the Alps

Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc is the tallest peak in the Alps and stands at almost 16 thousand feet above the sea level. This mountain is located in both France and Italy, and it is ranked as the 11th highest peak in the world. The summit of this mountain is an ice and snow dome that is thick. This thickness varies and, as a result, the exact elevation of the summit can be determined. Mont Blanc is also famous for its hiking and winter sports as many tourists travel to the Mont Blanc massif to take part in these activities.

Monte Rosa

In addition to Mont Blanc, another tall peak in the Alps is Monte Rosa, which is located in Switzerland and Italy. This peak is the second tallest one in the Alps, standing at a height of approximately 14,750 feet. Monte Rosa is known for being completely covered in ice, and this is due to a large number of glaciers that are found on this mountain. A famous glacier on the massif is the Gorner Glacier which is a valley glacier that is approximately 7.7 feet long and between 0.62 to 0.93 feet wide. The Monte Rosa massif is also very popular among tourists because of the multiple ski resorts that it hosts.

Matterhorn

Another mountain that covers both Switzerland and Italy is the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn is known as an almost symmetrical peak that is shaped like a pyramid. The location of this mountain is in the same area as Monte Rosa. The height of the Matterhorn is 14,692 feet which make it the sixth highest peak in the Alps. A feature that is different from the peaks already mentioned is that the Matterhorn is an isolated mountain and due to this reason and the great height of the peak, the weather changes rapidly. Building on this, the mountain also has very steep faces which make the peak prone to banner clouds formation.

Climbing The Alps

The Alps have attracted many mountaineers, and some peaks are considered to be among the most challenging climbs in the world. Both the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc grouped among the most challenging peaks in the world. The Matterhorn has claimed more than 500 lives since its first summit in 1865 while Mont Blanc has taken around 6000 lives. It is important to note that though these mountains do not require as much technical skill as K2 and Mount Everest, they are still challenges even for the best climbers in the world.