Summit of Mount Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, Europe

A line of climbers on the Lhotse Face, Mount Everest, Solu Khumbu Everest Region, Sagarmatha National Park, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nepal, Himalayas, Asia

Hiker on Maja Jezerce, standing at 2,694 metres (8,839 ft) above the Adriatic, the highest peak in the high Dinaric Alps, Albania, Europe

Hiker on trail above lake at Schwarzee Paradise, Zermatt Alpine Resort, The Valais, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Europe

Cable cars approaching Aiguille du Midi summit, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, French Alps, France, Europe

Climber nearing the summit of Aconcagua 6962m, highest peak in South America, Aconcagua Provincial Park, Andes mountains, Argentina, South America

Ice climber at Mer de Glace glacier, Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, French Alps, France, Europe

Cable cars approaching Aiguille du Midi summit, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, French Alps, France, Europe

Climber on summit ridge of Island Peak, 6189m, Ama Dablam, 6812m, Solu Khumbu Everest Region, Sagarmatha National Park, Himalayas, Nepal, Asia

Backpacker climbing pass to get to Glacier Grey, in the Torres Circuit, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile, South America

Climber on summit ridge of Island Peak, 6189m, Ama Dablam, 6812m, Solu Khumbu Everest Region, Sagarmatha National Park, Himalayas, Nepal, Asia

Climbers near the summit of Cotopaxi Volcano 5897m glacier covered summit, Cotopaxi National Park, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador, South America

Climber on final 20m to the 5897m summit of Cotopaxi Volcano, Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador, South America

Peaks of the Cuernos del Paine (Horns of Paine), Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile, South America

Hiker running on trail and the Matterhorn, 4477m, Zermatt Alpine Resort, The Valais, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Europe

A trekker pauses for a break on the edge of a glacial stream on the way to Mera Peak, a popular trekking peak in the Khumbu Region, near Mount Everest, Nepal, Himalayas, Asia

Cerro Torre, one of the hardest peaks in the world to climb, El Chalten Massif, Argentine Patagonia, Argentina, South America

Rock climber in action, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Climber in action, Kilnsey Crag, North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Rock climber in action, Stanage Edge, Peak District, Derbyshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

A group of winter walkers approaching the summit of Beinn Dorain in the Scottish Highlands, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Climber nearing the summit of Aconcagua 6962m, highest peak in South America, Aconcagua Provincial Park, Andes mountains, Argentina, South America

Four People on The Picos de Europa, Spain, Europe

A climber on Stac Pollaidh in Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Walkers approaching Suilven mountain in Sutherland, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Winter climber ascends An Garbhanach in the Mamore Hills, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Climbers on Napes Needle on Great Gable in the Lake District, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

A woman scrambling in the Lake District, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Woman hiking on mountain in winter

Man hiking on mountain in winter

Snowy mountain road, Aletsch Glacier, Languedoc-Roussillon, Switzerland

Caucasian hiker waving on snow covered mountain

Mountaineer arriving Hocheck, Watzmann, Berchtesgaden Alps, Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany

Group of climbers on mountain Weissmies, Canton Valais, Switzerland

Skier jumping in the sunset, See, Tyrol, Austria

Two female back-country skiers ascending to Schafsiedel, Kitzbuehel Alps, Tyrol, Austria

Side view sporty man climbing rock

Rock climber steep wall

Shaun Norman, Antarctic Mountaineer, searches for a route across the Polar Plateau.

Mountaineers navigating through the Hillary Step on Mount Everest. The Hillary Step is a nearly vertical part (height around 40 ft) of upper Mount Everest. It lies almost at the top of the mountain, halfway from the "south summit" to the summit top, and is the last real challenge before the summit. It is reached by climbing the South East route. It was named after Sir Edmund Hillary, who was the first person, along with Tenzing Norgay, who passed it to reach the summit, Nepal

Night scene of a dining tent at the Everest Base Camp. The summit of Everest is blocked by part of the ridge that extends out on the left, while Nupste can be seen on the right of the picture. The infamous Khumbu ice fall can be seen as the rubble that pours out in the middle of the picture, Nepal

A climber rappels down Cerro Fitz Roy's south face, with distant peaks and lakes of Argentine Patagonia in the distance. Cerro Fitz Roy is one of the most massive peaks in the Southern Andes, and is a sought after summit by the world's top alpinists. It was named in honor of the captain of Darwin's ship, the Beagle, Captain Robert FitzRoy, who explored the region. The indigenous name for the peak is Chalten, which means "smoking mountain". , Argentina

A mountaineer climbs Cerro Torre's northwest face, with the southern Continental Icecap in the background, in Argentine Patagonia. Cerro Torre is one of the most difficult and iconic peaks in the Southern Andes, and is a highly sought after summit by the worlds top alpinists, Argentina

A mountaineer rappels down Cerro Torre's south east ridge in the early morning, after an ascent of the peak in Argentine Patagonia. Cerro Torre is one of the most difficult and iconic peaks in the Southern Andes, and is a highly sought after summit by the worlds top alpinists, Argentina

A man skiing powder snow on a rock on Donner Summit in California.

Rob Raker ascends a vertical pitch of glacial ice high on the Cassin Ridge route of Denali (Mt. McKinley), Alaska in May 1990. This pitch is the technical crux of the route which ascends the South Face to the summit at 20,320 feet, the highest point in North America. (Photo by Kevin Steele, Aurora)

Young girl climbing manmade rockface using safety harness, America

Man sitting in base camp tent, Everest, Khumbu glacier, Nepal, Everest, Khumbu glacier, Nepal

A group of people climbing on the Svolvaer Goat, 150-metre (490 ft), a jagged pinnacle high above the landscape of the Lofoten, Austvagoy, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Man climbing up a steep peak in the jagged landscape of Senja Island, Troms, Senja Island, Lofoten Islands, Norway

Man standing at the top of a pinnacle with a view over the landscape, Senja Island, Troms, Senja Island, Lofoten Islands, Norway