Three-thousander

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Three-thousanders

above sea level. Similar terms are commonly used for mountains of other height brackets e. g. four-thousanders or eight-thousanders. In Britain, the term may refer to mountains above 3,000 feet (910 m).[2]

Climatological significance

In temperate latitudes three-thousanders play an important role, because even in summer they lie below the zero degree line for weeks. Thus the chains of three-thousanders always form important climatic divides and support glaciation - in the Alps the 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) contour is roughly the general limit of the "nival step"; only a few glaciated mountains are under 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) (the

Dachstein, the easternmost glaciated mountain in the Alps, is, at 2,995 metres (9,826 ft), not a three-thousander). In the Mediterranean, however, the three-thousanders remain free of ice and, in the tropics, they are almost insignificant from a climatic perspective; here the snow line
lies at around 4,500 metres (14,800 ft) to 5,000 metres (16,000 ft), and in the dry continental areas (Trans-Himalayas, Andes) it may be up to 6,500 metres (21,300 ft) high.

Alpinism

The designation "three-thousander" is often used for

summits exceed this height – e. g. in the Southern Alps, in the eastern part of Austria, in the Limestone Alps, in the Pyrenees or the rest of Europe. For example, the Parseierspitze in the Lechtal Alps at 3,036 metres (9,961 ft) is the only three-thousander in the Northern Limestone Alps
.

In the Alps or Pyrenees, expeditions to areas of over 3,000 metres (9,800 ft), with their often steep mountainsides and sudden changes in weather conditions, require

mountaineers
to have considerable experience and weatherproof equipment, which distinguishes them from ascents of many two-thousanders.

The term "easy three-thousander" (Leichte Dreitausender)

acclimatisation at these heights. The highest technically accessible three-thousanders in the Alps (and also the highest cable cars in Europe) are the Klein Matterhorn (3,883 metres (12,740 ft)) near Zermatt and the Aiguille du Midi
(3,842 metres (12,605 ft)) on Mont Blanc.

Alps

Silvretta panorama with peaks between 3,000 and 3,400 metres (9,800 and 11,200 ft)

The easternmost three-thousanders in the Alps are in the Hafner Group in the east of the

Rhone
valley. A large part of this sensitive, high Alpine region is protected by conservation areas, but it also forms the touristic heart of the Alps.

Easternmost three-thousander in the Alps: Mittlerer Sonnblick 3,000 m Austria 47°03′12.8″N 13°25′54.9″E / 47.053556°N 13.431917°E / 47.053556; 13.431917 (Mittlerer Sonnblick)
Westernmost three-thousander in the Alps: Le Rochail 3,023 m France 44°58′51.0″N 6°01′41.0″E / 44.980833°N 6.028056°E / 44.980833; 6.028056 (Le Rochail)
Northernmost three-thousander in the Alps: Kempsenkopf 3,090 m Austria 47°11′43.2″N 12°44′52.5″E / 47.195333°N 12.747917°E / 47.195333; 12.747917 (Kempsenkopf)
Southernmost three-thousander in the Alps:
Mont Clapier
 3,045 m Italy/France 44°06′52.7″N 7°25′11.1″E / 44.114639°N 7.419750°E / 44.114639; 7.419750 (Mont Clapier)

Switzerland, France, Austria, and Italy have many hundreds of Alpine peaks over 3,000 metres. Germany's Zugspitze, at 2,964 metres (9,724 ft), just falls below the line, whilst Slovenia's Triglav is well under it. Liechtenstein, despite being the only country lying entirely within the Alps, has no 3,000ers on its territory.

Rest of Europe

Apart from the Alps, the dominant range in Europe – if one excludes the Caucasus, which otherwise, in Mount Elbrus (5,642 m), would have the highest mountain in the continent – only the following ranges have three-thousanders:

Musala at 2,925 m, the highest mountain in southern Europe (i.e. excluding the Iberian Peninsula), does not come close to the mark. The Apennine Mountains reach 2,912 m in the Gran Sasso. The Dinaric Alps, Carpathian Mountains, Sistema Central and Cantabrian Mountains are less than 2,700 m high, and the other ranges in Europe are below 2,500 m.

See also

References

  1. ^ English sources for this term are numerous and include: Mountain Walking in Austria by Cecil Davies (2001); Rough Guide to the Pyrenees by Marc Dubin (2004); The Alpine Journal, Vol 61 by The Alpine Club (1956) and The Ultimate Challenge by Chris Bonington (1973).
  2. ISBN 978-1-85284-589-6
  3. ISBN 3-7654-3677-1
  4. ^ Matthias Kehle (19 September 2009), "Dreitausendersammeln" (Webrepro, einfach-wandern.blogspot.com), Badisches Tagblatt (in German), retrieved 2011-04-14
  5. ^ Zusammenstellung in Vanoise Groups and Haute Provence Groups, both at summitpost.org
  6. ^ Alpi Orobie: Vette, Italian Wikipedia
  7. ^ Gruppo dell'Adamello: Cime principali, Italian Wikipedia
  8. ^ Dolomiti: Le vette più alte, Italian Wikipedia
  9. ^ Pyrenäen, Vuelta Rad- und Wandertouren (www.vuelta.de)
  10. ^ Ski-Durchquerung Sierra Nevada-Nationalpark, Abanico Individuell Reisen (www.abanico-reisen.de)
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