Facts About Mount Vinson: Tallest Mountain in Antarctica

The mountain itself is a collection of many peaks and is also referred to as the Vinson Massif. It’s located in the Ellsworth mountain range of Antarctica. Although it’s not as tall as the mountains of Himalayas and the Karakoram and is only about half the size of Mount Everest, it’s still the tallest peak on the continent of Antarctica and still a massive mountain.

Vinson Massif was discovered by a United States Navy aircraft in January 1958.

In 1961, the mountain was named Vinson in honor of American Congressman Carl Vinson.

The Mountain has a height of 4892m.

The Vinson Massif is 21km long and 13km wide.

It’s located about 1200km away from the South Pole.

Snowfall on the mountain is very low but due to high pressure winds, temperatures can drop to about -30°C to -40°C.

Vinson Massif is abundant in glaciers and icecaps.

The mountain was first climbed successfully on 18 December 1966 by a group of 10 Americans. The expedition was led by climber Nicholas Clinch.

More than 1000 people have climbed this mountain.

The world record for reaching the summit of Mount Vinson is held by climber Dave Hahn, who has done it 37 times.

Although the climb itself is not very technical or challenging, the low temperatures and high pressure winds make it difficult for an inexperienced person to climb the peak.

It costs about $43000 to climb the mountain. This cost includes air travel from Chile, the closest country to Antarctica.