"presence of snow most of the year. Totally devoid of woody vegetation, it is colonized by more than 100 plant species, including lichens, mosses, succulents and microscopic algae. Among the flora present are the ""Androsace Vandelli"", which is found at 2,800 meters, and the ""Silene acaulis"". 20% of these species are endemic to the Pyrenees. An aviation intersection called ANETO exists very close to the mountain itself, exactly on the border of France and Spain. For pilots crossing the Pyrenees this intersection marks the boundary between the Bordeaux and Barcelona airspaces. Aneto Aneto is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees"
"Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between Spain and France. Reaching a height of altitude at the peak of Aneto, the range separates the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe, and extends for about from the Bay of Biscay (Cap Higuer) to the Mediterranean Sea (Cap de Creus). For the most part, the main crest forms a divide between Spain and France, with the microstate of Andorra sandwiched in between. The Principality of Catalonia alongside with the Kingdom of Aragon in"
"Vignemale The Vignemale (Occitan: ""Vinhamala"", Aragonese: ""Comachibosa""), at 3,298 metres, is the highest of the French Pyrenean summits, on the border with Spain (the highest in the whole of the range is Pic Aneto), also part of the peak belongs to Aragon. The Vignemale is the name given to the mountain massif, which also straddles into Spain. It consists of several distinct summits, the predominant ones being Grand Vignemale or Pique-Longue (3298 m), Pointe Chausenque (3,204 m) and Petit Vignemale (3,032 m). The Vignemale is also the site of the second largest of the Pyrenean glaciers (after Aneto's one), the"
"across the northern slopes, the GR 11 across the southern slopes, and the HRP which traverses peaks and ridges along a high altitude route. In addition, there are numerous marked and unmarked trails throughout the region. ""Pirena"" is a dog-mushing competition held in the Pyrenees. Ski resorts in the Pyrenees include: Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between Spain and France. Reaching a height of altitude at the peak of Aneto, the range separates the Iberian Peninsula from the rest of continental Europe,"
"a good deal of exposure, and a few short technical sections, such as a chimney, protected by cables. Antelao Monte Antelao (Cadorino dialect: Nantelòu) is the highest mountain in the eastern Dolomites (a section of the Alps) in northeastern Italy, southeast of the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the region of Cadore. It is known as the ""King of the Dolomites"". (Marmolada, the highest of all the Dolomites, is the ""Queen"".) Like many Dolomite peaks, Antelao is steep, rocky, and pointed; it also sits close to the edge of the Dolomite uplift and so has dramatic drops to the nearby"
"Antelao Monte Antelao (Cadorino dialect: Nantelòu) is the highest mountain in the eastern Dolomites (a section of the Alps) in northeastern Italy, southeast of the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the region of Cadore. It is known as the ""King of the Dolomites"". (Marmolada, the highest of all the Dolomites, is the ""Queen"".) Like many Dolomite peaks, Antelao is steep, rocky, and pointed; it also sits close to the edge of the Dolomite uplift and so has dramatic drops to the nearby valleys. The easiest route is from the north, known as the ""Laste"", a steep, narrow ridge. It involves"
"Renclusa, located in the foothills at , is the usual starting point for ascents of Maladeta and Aneto. Maladeta Maladeta (3,312 m) is a mountain in the Pyrenees, close to the highest peak in the range, Aneto. It is located in the Natural Park of Posets-Maladeta in the town of Benasque in Province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. Its northern slope contains the Maladeta Glacier, which is divided into the Western Maladeta and the Eastern Maladeta. Maladeta was previously considered to be highest peak in the area, and attempts to reach its summit took priority over the other peaks in the"
"Alps The Alps (; ; ; ; ; ) are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia. The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and at is the highest mountain in"
"Maladeta Maladeta (3,312 m) is a mountain in the Pyrenees, close to the highest peak in the range, Aneto. It is located in the Natural Park of Posets-Maladeta in the town of Benasque in Province of Huesca, Aragon, Spain. Its northern slope contains the Maladeta Glacier, which is divided into the Western Maladeta and the Eastern Maladeta. Maladeta was previously considered to be highest peak in the area, and attempts to reach its summit took priority over the other peaks in the range. The first successful ascent of the peak was made by Johann Jacob Friedrich Wilhelm Parrot with guide"
"who developed a lifelong passion for the mountain. Vignemale The Vignemale (Occitan: ""Vinhamala"", Aragonese: ""Comachibosa""), at 3,298 metres, is the highest of the French Pyrenean summits, on the border with Spain (the highest in the whole of the range is Pic Aneto), also part of the peak belongs to Aragon. The Vignemale is the name given to the mountain massif, which also straddles into Spain. It consists of several distinct summits, the predominant ones being Grand Vignemale or Pique-Longue (3298 m), Pointe Chausenque (3,204 m) and Petit Vignemale (3,032 m). The Vignemale is also the site of the second largest"
"High Aragon Alto Aragon (literally, Upper Aragon or Highlands of Aragon in English; compare Upper Navarre, Upper Rioja) is the northern-most territories or highlands of Aragon, flanking the Pyrenees and includes the Aneto Mountain, the highest peak in the entire Pyrenean chain. The term Alto Aragon, or highlands, is used to contrast with the Bajo Aragon, referring to the lowlands or flat plains of Aragon which roughly begins around the Somontano county of Huesca stretching south to the Ebro river basin. The term Alto Aragon is also used interchangeably to refer to the Province of Huesca when speaking of northern"
"some worldwide-known mountains like the Matterhorn (Cervino), Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso in the eastern Alps, and Bernina, Stelvio and Dolomites along the eastern side of the Alps. The highest peak in Europe is Mont Blanc, at 4,810 meters above sea level, located at the border with France. With the exception of Liguria all of Northern Italy lies in the drainage basin of the Adriatic Sea (with rivers Po, Piave, Adige, Brenta, Tagliamento, Reno) though the waters from some border municipalities (Livigno in Lombardy, Innichen and Sexten in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol) drain into the Black Sea through the basin of the Danube,"
"Mont Blanc massif The Mont Blanc massif (; ) is a mountain range in the Alps, located mostly in France and Italy, but also straddling Switzerland at its northeastern end. It contains eleven major independent summits, each over in height. It is named after Mont Blanc (), the highest point in western Europe and the European Union. Because of its considerable overall altitude, a large proportion of the massif is covered by glaciers, which include the Mer de Glace and the Miage Glacierthe longest glaciers in France and Italy, respectively. Not only does the massif form a watershed between the"
"large numbers of travellers easy access. Alps The Alps (; ; ; ; ; ) are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia. The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and"
"and flow underground to the east where they resurface to empty into the Aran Valley and the Garonne river, flowing north into France and the Atlantic Ocean. The waters of the western and southern sides, flow into the Coronas and Llosas lakes respectively before draining separately into the river Ballibierna, which flows into the Esera, then the Cinca before joining the Ebro and flowing to the Mediterranean. Thus although Aneto does not lie on the main ridge of the Pyrenees, it does lie on the watershed between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. This agglomeration of summits, all markedly Alpine, is"
"from Albania to Kosovo and eastern Montenegro. Maja Jezercë is the highest peak and is located in Albania, standing at above the Adriatic. The Dinaric Alps are one of the most rugged and extensively mountainous areas of Europe, alongside the Caucasus Mountains, Alps, Pyrenees and Scandinavian Mountains. They are formed largely of Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks of dolomite, limestone, sand and conglomerates formed by seas and lakes that had once covered the area. During the Alpine earth movements that occurred 50–100 million years ago, immense lateral pressures folded and overthrust the rocks in a great arc around the old"
"its hydrology, glaciology and etymology) to establish the name of Aneto as the official toponym; he consistently used that name in 1898 already. Some two miles away on its north-west fringe lies the Maladeta peak that, though not being among the five highest peaks in the environment, gave its name to the entire massif. It subsequently earned the greatest interest of climbers, especially in the early 18th century. Mainly, it was a matter of perspective, since from the natural entrance to the valley or arriving from France, its top is in the foreground, while the crest hides the true extent"
"that the coastline of the European Union is 66,000 km long, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and Baltic Sea. European mountain ranges include the Alps, Carpathian Mountains, Balkan Mountains and Scandinavian Mountains with the tallest mountain in the Union being Mont Blanc. Several overseas territories and dependencies of various member states are also formally part of the EU (for Spain: the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla; for Portugal: the Azores, Madeira; for UK: Gibraltar and British sovereign bases in Cyprus; for France: La Réunion, French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Mayotte, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy) while in other cases territories"
"Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (; ), meaning ""White Mountain"", is the highest mountain in the Alps and the highest in Europe west of Russia's Caucasus peaks. It rises above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world in topographic prominence. The mountain stands in a range called the Graian Alps, between the regions of Aosta Valley, Italy, and Savoie and Haute-Savoie, France. The location of the summit is on the watershed line between the valleys of Ferret and Veny in Italy and the valleys of Montjoie, and Arve in France. The Mont Blanc massif is popular for hiking, skiing,"
"Mont Pelat Mont Pelat (3,050m), is a mountain of the Maritime Alps located in the chain of mountains between the high valley of Verdon to the west, the high valley of Var to the east and the Bachelard valley in the North. Located in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, it gives it name to the Pelat Massif. The summit is located in the central area of the Mercantour National Park. It is known as being one of the easiest of the 3,000m Alpine peaks to climb. It overlooks the magnificent glacial Allos Lake, the largest mountain lake in Europe which is"
"Europe. Those who consider Mont Blanc to be the highest mountain in Europe would consider Monte Rosa (4,634 m), located in Switzerland, to be the second-highest summit. Alpinism author Jon Krakauer wrote in ""Into Thin Air"" that it would be a bigger challenge to climb the second-highest peak of each continent instead of the highest. In Asia, K2 (8,611 m) demands greater technical climbing skills than Everest (8,848 m), while altitude-related factors such as the thinness of the atmosphere, high winds and low temperatures remain much the same. In Africa, the summit of Mount Kenya (5,199 m) is a rock"
"French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as the Mont Blanc massif, are shared with Switzerland and Italy. At , Mont Blanc (Italian: ""Monte Bianco""), on the French-Italian border, is the highest mountain in the Alps, and the highest Western European mountain. Notable towns in the French Alps include Grenoble, Chamonix, Annecy, Chambéry, Évian-les-Bains and Albertville. The largest connected ski areas are: The other large ski areas"
"stretches from the Mediterranean Sea north above the Po basin, extending through France from Grenoble, and stretching eastward through mid and southern Switzerland. The range continues onward toward Vienna, Austria, and east to the Adriatic Sea and Slovenia. To the south it dips into northern Italy and to the north extends to the southern border of Bavaria in Germany. In areas like Chiasso, Switzerland, and Allgäu, Bavaria, the demarcation between the mountain range and the flatlands are clear; in other places such as Geneva, the demarcation is less clear. The countries with the greatest alpine territory are Switzerland, France (21.4%),"
"climbed to the summit of the mountain on 28 September 1817 that Aneto was discovered to be higher. Pierre Barrau, considered to be the leading expert in the area, was killed in a crevice of the Maladeta glacier in 1824. As a result, locals became fearful of venturing out on the ice, considering it cursed. The movement of the glacier in 1931 exposed the body. In the early twentieth century, the Refugio de la Renclusa mountain hut was opened. It has a capacity of 93 and is the most common starting point for climbing the Aneto. It is located above"
"France, Austria, and Italy have many hundreds of Alpine peaks over 3,000 metres. Germany's Zugspitze, at , 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. 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"
"Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a mountain range system forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe (after the Scandinavian Mountains, ). They provide the habitat for the largest European populations of brown bears, wolves, chamois, and lynxes, with the highest concentration in Romania, as well as over one third of all European plant species. The Carpathians and their foothills also have many thermal and mineral waters, with Romania having one-third of the European total. Romania is likewise home to the second-largest surface of virgin forests"
"chairlift. Sapienza Refuge was the finish of Stage 9 of the 2011 Giro d'Italia and Stage 4 of the 2017 Giro. Mount Etna Mount Etna, or Etna ( or ; or ; ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina and Catania. It lies above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It is the highest active volcano in Europe outside the Caucasus. It is currently high, though this varies with summit eruptions. It is the highest peak in Italy"
"Maladeta massif north-west and the Alto Aragon region to the south. The usual ascent is a very easy although long (12-hour) alpine route. It is taken by many people each year, including many with little or no experience of alpine climbing or high level walking. The high number of people who come to climb Aneto each year makes a significant contribution to the local economy. The vast majority of the people staying at the Renclusa Refuge are there solely to climb Aneto. By comparison many of the adjacent peaks, which are arguably finer climbs, see relatively few ascents and are"
"Mount Etna Mount Etna, or Etna ( or ; or ; ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina and Catania. It lies above the convergent plate margin between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. It is the highest active volcano in Europe outside the Caucasus. It is currently high, though this varies with summit eruptions. It is the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps. Etna covers an area of with a basal circumference of . This makes it by far the"
"Klein Matterhorn The Klein Matterhorn (sometimes translated as ""Little Matterhorn"") is a peak of the Pennine Alps, overlooking Zermatt in the Swiss canton of Valais. At above sea level, it is the highest place in Europe that can be reached by aerial tramway, as well as by any other means of transport. The Klein Matterhorn is part of the Breithorn massif and overlooks on its south side the almost equally high flat glacier named ""Breithorn Plateau"", just north of the international border with Italy. The name ""Klein Matterhorn"" is a reference to its much larger neighbour, the Matterhorn, which lies"
"in Western Europe), summiting Elbrus (highest mountain in Europe) summiting Mount Vinson (highest mountain in Antarctica), summiting Denali (highest mountain in North America), summiting Mount Kosciuszk (highest mountain in Australasia) reaching the North Col of Everest and cycling Land's End to John O'Groats. Via his generous expedition sponsors he has been able to raise donations for several charities, most notably The Matt Hampson Foundation, Myeloma and PSP Association. Julian Evans (adventurer) Julian Evans is a British adventurer and fund-raiser. Born in 1972, Leicestershire, and educated at Oakham School, he is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Fellow"
"occupies the eastern end of the Malditos Massif which primarily consists of a 6km long ridge, running from north-west to south east at over 3000m. The ridge connects Aneto towards the east with the more visible Maladeta peak, further to the west, and includes the Coronas peaks and Pico Maldito, which, together with the crest of the portillons, gives the massif its characteristic image. Although the valley to the north is the source of the Ésera river, which flows west and then south, the northern slopes of Aneto and its glacier drain into a sinkhole in the Plan de Aigualluts"
"Caucasus The Caucasus or Caucasia is a mountain range and also a regional term used to describe an area situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and occupied by Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. It is home to the Caucasus Mountains including the Greater Caucasus mountain range, which has historically been considered a natural barrier between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, but is today accepted by the majority of scholars as being part of Asia. The Lesser Caucasus extends south by the Dzhavakhet range and the Armenian highlands (part of which are located in Turkey). Europe's highest mountain,"