List of Alpine Four-thousanders.html



This list contains all of the 128 summits and subsidiary tops of 4,000 metres (13,123 ft) or more above sea level in the Alps in France, Italy and Switzerland as defined by the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA).¹ Their list, published in 1994, contains 82 'official summits' of 4,000 m or over, with the inclusion of a further 46 'lesser summits' in an enlarged list.

List

Number of Alpine four-thousanders

Since no exact and formal definition of mountain exists, the number of 4000-metre summits is quite arbitrary. One can considers a stone, for instance, as a summit if it situated above this altitude. The topographic prominence is an important factor to decide the official nomination of a summit. The 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 Roccia Nera or Mont Blanc de Courmayeur have much less than the 30 metres minimum prominence criterion but are included on the list because of the other criteria. In comparison the official 8000 metres summit having the smallest prominence is Lhotse with 610 metres. A minimum prominence criterion of 500 metres would reduce the number of Alpine four-thousanders to only 22.

The table below gives the number of four-thousanders as a function of their minimum prominence.

See also

• Alpine Three-thousanders

External links

• Lists of Alpine four-thousanders (UIAA, Blodig, Goedecke)

References

Bibliography

• Dumler, Helmut and Willi P. Burkhardt, The High Mountains of the Alps, Diadem, 1994 (ISBN 0906371430)
• Goedeke, Richard, Alpine 4000m Peaks by the Classic Routes, Menasha Ridge Press, 1997 (ISBN 0897321111)
• McLewin, Will, In Monte Viso’s Horizon: Climbing All the Alpine 4000m Peaks, Ernest Press, 1991 (ISBN 0948153091)
• Moran, Martin, The 4000m Peaks of the Alps: Selected Climbs, Alpine Club, 2007 (ISBN 0900523662)