Location: France – Europe
Height: 15,766 feet (4,805 meters)

It has been included as an alternative on certain Seven Summits of the World lists when geopolitics have prevented or made travel to Russia difficult.

Location: Australia
Height: 7,310 feet (2,228 meters)

Sited in southeastern New South Wales, Kosciuszko is acknowledged to be the least challenging of the Seven Summits. It was first summitted in 1840 by Polish explorer and geologist Paul Strzelecki, who in turn named the mountain after Polish patriot and hero of the American Revolution Tadeusz Kościuszko.

“Our friend and leader Robert Alt is on the mend after his attempt to summit Mount Elbrus in Southern Russia took a turn for the worse.”

“While attempting an ascent of Mount Elbrus in southern Russia, …[Alt was] stricken with high-altitude pulmonary edema, a potentially fatal illness. It took an international effort to secure his health and journey home,” writes The Columbus Dispatch.

Robert Alt returned home after a serious health issue he encountered while climbing in remote and rugged rural Russia, a dramatic event that was covered extensively in a report by Columbus, Ohio’s NBC4.