Will Anyone Ever Climb the Highest Peak in Every Country? || Country High Points Series Part 1
No one has ever reached the highest point of every country in the world. Will anyone ever? I'm not so sure. But by the end of this video you might want to try and be the first to do it.
This is part 1 of a multi-part series that looks at the high points challenge and asks whether completing it might ever be possible. This video looks at the climbing side of things. Part 2 will look at the logistics of visas, travel in dangerous countries, and accessing remote peaks. Part 3 will focus on the unique adventurers who are already progressing towards the 192+ highpoints.
A couple of noteworthy links from the video:
Eric and Matthew Gilbertson's website:
www.countryhigh...
Martin Walsh's article:
explorersweb.c...
Nat Geo's article on Hkakabo Razi: www.nationalge...
My Instagram: @mikeyfriedland
Пікірлер: 277
The hardest problem is political. The second hardest is K2.
@leodomingox
3 жыл бұрын
Best comment 😂
@matthewjamesshovlin3136
3 жыл бұрын
Bhutan's heighest if off-limits
@gurraking
3 жыл бұрын
It can be count as nepals second highest mountain to aswell as pakistans highest point
@anthonymendoza1327
3 жыл бұрын
@@gurraking You mean China. K2 is split between China and Pakistan.
@gurraking
3 жыл бұрын
@@anthonymendoza1327 of corse
Vatican City: good luck climbing to the top of the Basilica without getting arrested.
@lucabralia5125
3 жыл бұрын
The hardest peak to climb
@bbruh2018
3 жыл бұрын
Or bhutans is also illegal
@ArconicTower
3 жыл бұрын
I would be invisible and immortal when climbing this ez bhutan mountain :)
@Soundbrigade
2 жыл бұрын
The basilica isn’t a peak really, but if I remember it correctly, the highest peak ( well 🙄) is something like 50-60 meters above sea level, so oxygen mask is not mandatory.
@SuperSMT
2 жыл бұрын
You can in fact climb to the top of the dome, as I have, though it's not quite the tip of the spire
I managed to climb to the highest point in a country. Unfortunately, that country was Denmark
@frode4457
3 жыл бұрын
Same
@rokeshmaharjan3791
3 жыл бұрын
Why this made me laugh?
@cerealdude890
3 жыл бұрын
@@rokeshmaharjan3791 it was a joke
@closmasmas9080
3 жыл бұрын
I drove to the highest point in my state, Mauna Kea
@christiandollerup8088
3 жыл бұрын
I live in Denmark but haven't climbed its highest point. :-/
Everyone gangsta till you go climb the highest mountain in North Korea.
@tianyongchew2708
3 жыл бұрын
Some guy: actually did it by attempting from the Chinese side of the border (cuz its Mt. Paektu)
Not to brag, but I've been to the highest point in Florida. It was a grueling 30-minute drive.
@jamie36
Жыл бұрын
That's nothing. I've climbed to the top of the highest mountain in the netherlands 😎
@wyqtor
4 ай бұрын
Let me guess: it's the top floor of one of Miami's skyscrapers.
Imagine climbing Kanchenchunga, it being an unbelievably difficult climb that took all your effort and months of your life, and then still having to climb K2 and Everest
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Accomplishing this would truly be a life's feat - if it ever does get done I can't imagine anyone doing it in less than 20 years.
@bandyo
3 жыл бұрын
Nope you messed up the order. It should be Imagine climbing Everest, it being an unbelievably difficult climb that took all your effort and months of your life, and then still having to climb K2 and Kanchenjhunga. Given you are not broke or and not dead :D
@eltestoviron
3 жыл бұрын
Nirmal Purja climbed 14 8000m+ peaks in just 7 months
@aanshatsu2389
3 жыл бұрын
Kanchenjunga and Everest are both in Nepal though...So, Everest is the only one he needs to climb
@Leo-gj8me
3 жыл бұрын
@@aanshatsu2389 kangchenjunga is also partly in India, so he has to do both
I'm proud to say that I have climbed the highest point in all the European countries (often called the Euro 48, but there are more countries within europe such as the crown dependencies of Isle of Man, Channel islands, and others such as the Faroes, Vatican city etc) , which took 4 years 4 months for me to complete with my good friend Mark, we have went on to do other countries. Will I climb every highpoint in each country in the world , no as places like Everest are now just a tourist trap and. I have done 3 of the 7 summits, Kili, Aconcagua, and Elbrus. Climing mountains isnt about bagging as many as you can its about the journey and enjoying what you are doing and doing it in a way that is positive.
@alessandroverganti9992
3 жыл бұрын
That is incredible!
@lucabralia5125
3 жыл бұрын
good job, the onlt mountains that I climbed (kinda) are Monte Bianco and Monte rosa, but I only got to around the middle, to skii and stuff like that.
@kinnai8334
3 жыл бұрын
Did you do El Teide? Highest peak of Spain, in the Canary Islands.
@orrerybandcleveland1255
3 жыл бұрын
You: Climbs a mind boggling number of mountains. Also you: It’s not about climbing a lot of mountains.
@fodortamas802
2 жыл бұрын
big up!!! every chance i got im off to one new mountain
No fucking clue why this is in my recommended, but it's very interesting
If you’re in the UK you might as well do the three peaks challenge where you climb the tallest peaks of Wales, England and Scotland within 24 hours.
Super interesting video, thanks for sharing!
This is AWESOME and I think this series is really going to blow up! Keep it up Mikey!
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Murray!
You know when you get reccomended a video about something you know absolutely nothing about, but it INSTANTLY grabs your attention? This was it for me.
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Gabriel!
@rizzo_grt
3 жыл бұрын
@@MikeyFriedland you're welcome! Keep up the great work!!!
Good luck getting permission to climb Mount Paektu. Mind you, Kim Il Sung did it walking on his hands!!
The Maldives: land at the airport
Cool series, following with interest :) I put together a basic version of a plan for a fully human powered trip of climbing the highest point in all European countries a few years ago (excluding colonies/islands), which seems possible in a year or two (and a lot easier than the full world tour!)
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Still pretty tough to do Europe - but yeah certainly a lot more attainable than the whole world!! Bike touring that would be such a great adventure!
@Mindprobe
3 жыл бұрын
@@MikeyFriedland Europe was already done by a Czech climber Jaromír Zaoral. Check out www.korunaevropy.cz/ (google translating the page to English will be necessary).
@olachens
3 жыл бұрын
Strange seeing you here. i thought you were the speedrun man.
@onsightmartin
2 жыл бұрын
I'm interested to hear about it :))
Peakbagging and mountaineering nerds are so hard to find, love that you are both! Subscribed
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks so much!!
Pacer Test is a multistage aerobic capacity test that progressively gets more difficult as it continues. The 20 meter pacer test will begin in 30 seconds. Line up at the start. The running speed starts slowly, but gets faster each minute after you hear this signal. Ding A single lap should be completed each time you hear this sound. Ding Remember to run in a straight line, and run as long as possible. The second time you fail to complete a lap before the sound, your test is over. The test will begin on the word start. On your mark, get ready, ding
YT recommended this.. i haven't watched any climbing videos in a long time. i have a feeling you might get an influx of views soon. good luck
Not very often a random suggestion from youtube leads to a 10 minute video I actually watch right through. Well done.
i can see this series seriously blowing up! good luck dude
Glad you mentioned Hkakabo Razi. By far the hardest of all country HPs. 2nd would probably be Jengish Chokusu, K2, or Gangkhar Puensum
I'm gonna be the first one to see them all. Edit: Then the US breaks apart, creating 50 new countries, thus 50 new highest peaks.
Extremely well made video madly entertaining highly underrated
Happy our parking lot even got mentioned!🤣 sucks to live in a flat country as a climber...
Australia is surprisingly difficult too! Even discounting our Antarctic claims, you still have Mawson Peak, on Heard Island.
Wow...what an ambitious goal one can have! That'll be amazing series to watch on!👍👍
Awesome coffee talk and I like how u say Bhutan. Lovely share of history
Thanks. Interesting info. You are also very well spoken.
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Sid!
this sounds cool. will stay tuned
Man, I want to do all 50 US states, and I’m realizing the logistical nightmare I’m in. Good luck, man! This would be so badass.
That would be a marvelous feat man. What a great challenge.
Kanchanjanga (highest peaks) lies between Nepal and India though..
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Still counts as India's highest point (not Nepal's obviously)
Waiting for part two 😍
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Part 2 is already live!
The mountain most widely claimed to be the highest unclimbed mountain in the world in terms of elevation is Gangkhar Puensum (7,570 m, 24,840 ft). It is in Bhutan, on or near the border with China. In Bhutan, the climbing of mountains higher than 6,000 m (20,000 ft) has been prohibited since 1994.
I managed to climb the highest points in 3 countries: Spain, Romania and the Netherlands. Technically I've only climbed the highest point in the european Netherlands, the Vaalserberg, which is as you said a parking lot at the border between Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and I haven't climbed the highest point in Spain, El Teide, because I took a cable car and then climbed some 200m to get to the top. So the only highest point I've actually climbed is Romania's.
@onsightmartin
2 жыл бұрын
Did Netherlands too, amazing experience xD
A more reasonable challenge is to beat the record of 81 peaks in the Alps in 64 days. And the guy who did it, is still on Everest, unless they recovered him.
no idea why i was suggested this, but very interesting my guy!
Say you'd want to complete it within 20 years. That'd be 1 every 37 days for 20 years straight if I'm not mistaken. That's a logistical nightmare indeed. Not to mention money and motivation.
@mancubwwa
2 жыл бұрын
on the other hand you can do do some pretty quickly. One trip to Slovakia can get you both Slovakia and Poland in two days as peaks are only few km apart and for the Polish one approach from Slovak side is actually easier..
Very interesting video! Had no idea the 'stan' countries peaks were so high!
@tekrunner987
3 жыл бұрын
They're all really cool looking too!
I’m in!!! 🏃🏼
This simply doesn't look doable when thinking of how many of these expeditions you would have to do per year over a lifetime. And all the logistics, political issues, costs, luck with weather, etc., etc., etc. However if someone manages it one day it would be a crazy achievement.
this was really interesting and helpful. thanks for creating it, Mikey.
I don't ever plan on doing this, but it was interesting. And since I do know the struggle of people making youtube videos getting started, I of course left a like and a sub (well, technically the video was good enough that I made it anyways, but thats not the point here :D)
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you Torben!
I’ve actually been to the high point of every country, but I didn’t tell anyone about it. Idk who knows, I know that I did it and that’s all I need.
@cereal5779
3 жыл бұрын
Cereal gang
This was an awesome video mate, I always try to find a mountain to climb whenever i'm traveling and this was very inspirational 🙌
2:02 Thanks for including the possibility of Catalonia to be independent in the future, and therefore to be another country included in the list. The highest peak in Catalonia, located in the Pyrenees, is Pica d'Estats ("States Peak", since is located between the Catalan and French border), and it's 3,143 m high (10,312 ft). Compared to major peaks in the world, it is a moderate-low ascent and every season is climbed by many since is only a 15 km trek ascending and descending from the last parking lot.
Let's do it! Have a nice day!
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Let's start with the Provinces and Territories!
@tomfriedland4639
3 жыл бұрын
@@MikeyFriedland I'm in!
lovin this
That would be interest if some one does that. In order for you to do that, you have to be financially independent plus have loads of disposable income. Thanks for doing the research.
Just want to point out that mount Hermon in Israel is only 2200 meters. The 2800 peak is on the Syrian side, but unfortunately you cannot cross between the countries, so you would have to climb mount Hermon twice
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the clarification!
I don’t know if I have been on other highest points in other countries, but I know for sure that I have been on the highest point of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: the 887 meters tall Mount Scenery on Saba. Also I was on the highest point of Belgium: the Signal of Botrange with 694 meter. I would have also been on the 2864 meter tall mountain the Triglav, the highest point of Slovenië, but bad weather in forsight the guides decided to not walk the 2nd day from the midway stop to the top, but straight back down to the valley. I think those are the highest points of countries i’ve reached.
2:47: Would a good rule of thumb be that you can drive as far up as you can get on public roads?
Well done! Happy to see you enthusiasm :-)
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Anders!
Man, KZread knows what I like!
My friend climbed the highest point in every European country back in 2019 and broke the world record for doing it in the fastest time. We did it as part of a road trip back in 2019 and it took him 6 months to climb them all. Some of them are super simple like the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg which you can do in a couple of hours. This was geographical Europe and didn't include Teide in the Canary Islands or Georgia etc. Think the total came to 48 in the end, I climbed about half. Climbing every high point, barring the ones that are inaccessible for various reasons, would be some challenge. If someone ever manages to accomplish it, then they are one huge badass!
fantastic video
I climbed the highest mountain in my country! So proud! Me in the Netherlands.
We will watch your career with great interest
bikkubitti highest point in Libya is hardest by far located far in the destert its so remote there are only 2 or 3 pictures if you google the mountain
kanchanjunga is in nepal and india FYI
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Certainly, but it still isn't Nepal's high point since Everest is higher.
good stuff dude!
I think it would be fun and probably a lot more manageable to do the high point in all 50 states. I don’t know much about hiking but I would imagine there would only be a few difficult climbs and the biggest problem would be money/time
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Watch part 2! The guy I interviewed (Eric Gilbertson) has climbed all 50 states and all 13 Canadian provincial and territorial highpoints.
This is so cool!
Challenge on, i am doing this slowly but surely
Kanchajunga share board between Nepal and Sikkim
Rules should allow for cable car usage to reach summits, if available.
I'm on it! #12 soon! :)
You forgot about picó Simon Bolívar in Colombia. The peak and the whole mountsin range is protected by indígenas groups that dont like foreigners and for that reason is that since the 90s i think its prohibited climb it, but few People did it in the Last years with permission.
Damn, just wait until he has to climb the highest mountain in the Netherlands...
this was very cool!, good job
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
Very happy 😊 😉💗💗💗
Netherlands: Highest peak? You where I put my feet up when I'm enjoying a cup of coffee and stroopwafel?
nice vid men ty!
I thought Rudger (or Rüdiger) Müller climbed them all. But he must be missing at least one, then. Maybe North Korea.
@mylessvec6440
3 жыл бұрын
Or the highest peak of Bhutan called Kangkar Punsum which is off limits to climbing and no one has ever successfully summited it.
Great video !!!!!
Oh yeah! Super cool :)
Kanchanjanga lies in between Nepal and india. And this mountain like other mountains in maha langoor range is sacred.
kanchenjunga is in nepal Taplejung District and sikkim which was also part of Nepal before please correct that
@tejashbista4661
3 жыл бұрын
Sikkim was not a part of Nepal it was an independent country until 1975 before the Indian annexation. Today it is an Indian state.
@dinil5566
3 жыл бұрын
As far as I know, Sikkim was their own Kingdom. Not in Nepal.
@vickysingson3802
10 ай бұрын
Nepalese people's education is questionable, they often tend to remain ignorant to the fact that mountains are demarcated as borders and it can lie in one or more countries. And hey Nepali dude if going by your logic, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Nepal should all be part of India since these were the territory of ancient Indian empires
Watched the intro, subbed immediately
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
@matg1
3 жыл бұрын
@@MikeyFriedland I want to see someone do it now
When you say the highest point of the Netherlands is on a parking lot, you probably mean Vaalserberg. This is however incorrect at least since 2010. The highest point of the Netherlands nowadays is Mount Scenery on the Caribbean island of Saba (870 m)
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this correction!
@onsightmartin
2 жыл бұрын
Sh*t, then I have to re-do it :P
I probably won’t do all of these but I do want to climb the top 60 prominent peaks on Earth
@oraclegaming1431
3 жыл бұрын
Pog I got hearted
You missed Somaliland and Western Sahara, although their indepence is still not aknowledged internationally. Western Sahara declared independence in 1976 but was immediately (illegaly) occupied by Morocco; and Somaliland declared independence in 1991, but UN still recognizes it as part of Somalia.
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
It's hard to draw the line there! Should we include the highest point in Catalonia too? I guess the safe answer is yeah, climb as much as you can!
@20sil
3 жыл бұрын
Nah Catalonia is different. They never declared themselves independent. There're still many cataloniams who would not want to dissociate from Spain.
banger video
You can get to the highest point in Estonia with an elevator. No joke
@PiousMoltar
3 жыл бұрын
You can get to the highest point in Wales by train. But then, that's far from the highest mountain with a train up it.
@jacobarmour6325
3 жыл бұрын
@@PiousMoltar yes I spend like 3 and a half hours climbing Snowdon and my cousin just takes the train cos he's lazy although I appreciate 3 and a half hours isn't long for climbing a mountain lol
@bentownsend4017
10 ай бұрын
As far as 1km high mountains go Snowdon is an absolute beauty though
It seems like you probably shouldn't climb the Bhutanese one then
I think no choppers or planes to the top is a more realistic standard than what you defined after most of the USA high points involve less than 1 mile RT hike. Bag the Canada provinces before you talk about all country HPs. I liked your video. Good job. PS Antartica is not a country. It has no citizens or government.
Everyone just chilling Me trembling in fear just by seeing K2.
Good luck trying to do the Netherlands. :P
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
That'll be the crux for sure
@Jasonwolf1495
3 жыл бұрын
@@MikeyFriedland the real question is start or end with it? Where do you want to place that level of challenge?
Hardest problem of this would be time.. It'd take upwards of 40 years to complete this challenge and that's with very little downtime/rest and very little political adversary... Not to mention the money you'd need to get this done, you'd have to have ASTOUNDING financial backing, well into the 10s of millions to cover travel, preparation, sherpas, gear, food, oxygen, accomodation..
kanchaganga is in nepal brooo
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
It's on the border.
You based in BC mate? That a Fieldhouse beer bottle?
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
good eye
I subscribed... Something I rarely do.
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you!
Why am I here? But what you said is freaking interesting.
Maybe you should climb Everest twice for both countries
Thanks. From a avid traveler.
I'll do it
I love you with all my heart
@MikeyFriedland
3 жыл бұрын
That's kind
Kanchanjunga is in Nepal not India
Bhutan has a mountain That You can’t climb because it’s illegal
sounds fun