The "Seven Summits" are the highest point on each continent. They
are
seven simply because the American continent is divided in two with a different
summit for each half, and Antarctica -which we tend to forget because it has
no indigenous people- has a summit of its own.
The quest to scale the highest point on each continent has been the dream of
every mountaineer ever since a wealthy and determined American businessman by
the name of Dick Bass completed this formidable task in 1985.
Apart from being a tremendous challenge demanding great deal from climbers,
attempting to complete this task offers them a wide variety of experiences literally
in every corner of the globe.
To this day, there are no more than 89 climbers from 26 different countries
who have completed the Carstensz version of the Seven Summits, but the number
is rapidly increasing given the unique nature of this challenge and its tremendous
rewards on the personal level and beyond.