Denali, aka Mount McKinley, 25m shorter

The fact that Denali has shrunk by 25 meters obviously does nothing to dent its reputation - at over 6,000m this peak remains a formidable challenge for alpinists, not only because of its altitude and technical difficulties but also because of its geographical latitude. In fact, since it is so close to the North Pole the air is thinner and the effects of altitude are about 15% higher compared to similar altitudes in the Himalayas. Put simply, being on the summit of Denali is like being on top of a 6700m Himalayan giant. To this one has to add the fact that Denali is widely considered one of the coldest mountains in the world and, as everyone knows, cold temperatures (and high winds) render breathing even more difficult at high altitudes.

Talking about measurements: a team of 22 climbers is about to set off to measure the highest peak in Europe, Mont Blanc. For the last 12 years these readings are taken on a biennially, comparing data from Italy, France and Switzerland. The new altitude will be revealed this October. It currently stands at 4810.44m... will it go up or down?

21/09/2011 - Andreas Fransson and the Denali South Face ski descent