Antarctica's
Jagged Mountain Peaks

 

Why the
Jagged Mountain Peaks
are special

The peaks are stunningly craggy. Like other Antarctica mountains, the Jagged Mountains attract adventure travelers, professional photographers, and skilled mountaineers.

Jagged Mountain peaks
tips & insights

Nunataks

Some peaks - like those of the Jagged Mountains in Queen Maud's Land - sharply jut upwards out of the surrounding polar ice cap for heights surpassing those of the world's tallest buildings. Polar scientists call them nunataks.

The Razor

The most spectacular jagged peak is Rakeniven ("razor" in Norwegian). Its 600 meter (2000 foot) vertical rock wall wasn't scaled until 1996.

Fenrisk's Jaw

The jagged Fenriskjefen ("Fenrisk's Jaw") peaks resemble the teeth of a ferocious wild animal (see photo). They were unknown until 1939 and are today a favorite among world class climbers. Note: In the photo you see only the jagged peaks of high mountains. The rest of them are hidden in the vast and thick continental icecap.

Other popular scalable mountains

They iinclude the Vinson Massif (Antarctica's tallest), Troll Castle, Mount Shinn, Mount Scott, and Mount Francais. The latter two mountains are relatively easy to reach by boat because they are located near, respectively, the Lamaire Channel and the Neumayer Channel on the Antarctica Peninsula.

Unscaled

The Antarctica continent also has many yet unscaled summits waiting for the right mountaineers.

Supplies

Climbers must bring every piece of needed gear with them to Antarctica. There are no equipment supply centers.

Dangers

Every climber faces exceptional hazards, including braving the world's coldest and windiest environment (sudden storms and white outs are not uncommon). And, expeditions climb in isolation, much more so than, say, if they were scaling Mount Everest. Emergency medical and rescue help is often completely unavailable. 

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