The 13 Most Ridiculous (and Interesting) Mountain Records
This article originally appeared on Climbing
As climbers, we're all familiar with the "hardest climb" or "fastest ascent." These records will inevitably continue to occur in some fashion, but in 2023, when (almost) all the mountains have been climbed in every season in a dozen different ways, many alpine records are no longer about accomplishing anything meaningful. Sadly, many records are about... Well, setting records.
From the world's highest-altitude art gallery to the highest peak climbed while pushing a Brussels sprout along the trail with one's nose to Colin O'Brady's "first Snapchat from the summit of Mt. Everest," there are hundreds of "records" set in the mountains. They range from the bizarre to the insultingly contrived. Most--even those ostensibly attempted to raise funds or awareness for charitable causes--are pretty damn goofy. Some are pretty impressive. Others are downright depressing.
To save you, dear reader, the trouble, I spent several hours poring through the 1,200+ listings tagged "mountain" in the Guinness World Records. I whittled them down to these 13, the cream of the crop. Enjoy.
Most Photos of People Mountaineering Uploaded to Facebook in One Hour: 995
Supported by the Indian Ministry of Tourism, two outfitters, Transcend Adventures and Snow Leopard Adventures, organized a group of mountaineers to upload 995 photos of themselves in the Indian Himalaya to Facebook. The (impressive?) feat was performed in honor of India's 74th National Independence Day (August 15, 2020). Congratulations, fellas. You must have an excellent WiFi connection.
Highest Altitude Pizza Delivery: Pizza Hut, 19,347ft
This record was performed to honor Tanzania's first Pizza Hut (and the 100th nation the global fast food chain now operates in) which opened its doors in 2016. To celebrate, Pizza Hut delivered a pie to the summit of Kilimanjaro (19,347ft), between May 5 and 8. I doubt it arrived hot.
This feat was matched by the world's highest-altitude burger delivery--also to the summit of Kilimanjaro--on October 13, 2022, with a vacuum-sealed vegan burger from Honest Burgers.
Highest Altitude ATM: National Bank of Pakistan, 15,396ft
For those of you who can't get enough of spending that cold hard cash, even when on a weekend up in the alpine, you can find the world's highest automated teller machine (ATM) in the Khunjerab Pass of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan, nestled at a perch of 15,396 feet. It was installed by the National Bank of Pakistan on November 8, 2016.
Longest Tyrolean Traverse over a Lava Lake: Karina Oliani, 329ft
Brazilian woman Karina Oliani pulled herself 329 feet over a lava-filled crater in Ethiopia, wearing what looks like an astronaut suit, in December 2017. "The most challenging part of this record," she said, "was finding two good rigging spots." Tyroleans don't really require any particular skill or fitness level, so was this something any of us could do? Probably. But this scene looks plucked straight out of a Metal Gear game, so I figured it was worth a mention.
Highest Altitude Grand Piano Performance: Thurzo Zoltan, 17,473ft
Musician Thurzo Zoltan, of Romania, performed on a grand piano at Everest Base Camp (17,473ft) on June 13, 2022. "[The] challenge combined the two things that I love the most: music and nature," he told Guinness World Records. "I found it exciting that my musical profile as a classical pianist is just as important [of a] component [to] this commitment as my love of nature."
Nice work Thurzo. But I really just want to know who carried that sucker up there.
Longest Line of Tents: 721
Surprisingly, the world's longest line of tents isn't found outside your local Best Buy on Black Friday. In fact, the world's longest line of tents consisted of 721 tents, erected on a wooden walkway in the Wugong Mountains in Pingxiang, China on October 21, 2018. The total line of tents, put up by 200 volunteers as part of a local tourism initiative, measured 4,863 feet.
Most Real-Life Mountains Found in a Video Game: 70
If you're getting bored of exploring the actual high country, plug up EA Canada's SSX (2012), a snowboarding simulator that contains the most real-life mountain ranges ever depicted in a video game.
EA Canada used NASA data to produce digital look-alikes of 70 mountains in 13 different ranges on all seven continents, including the Andes, Alaska Range, Himalaya, Alps, and Rockies. Notable peaks include Vinson Massif, Lhotse, Makalu, Fitz Roy, Mount Fuji, and Foraker.
Highest Altitude DJ Set: Nosher Ali Khan, DJ Ghasuray, and Saad Ata Barcha, 19,386ft
A trio of Pakistani DJs--Nosher Ali Khan, DJ Ghasuray, and Saad Ata Barcha--performed the world's highest DJ set on July 25, 2021, to raise funds for the Shimshal Mountaineering School and promote tourism in Pakistan. Khan--a Hunza native then studying economics at Harvard--and his friends let their EDM and traditional folk tunes rip from a point near the summit of Minglik Sar (19,849ft) in the Karakoram.
Fastest Growing Mountain: Nanga Parbat
While not as zany as some of the others on this list, Nanga Parbat's status as the world's fastest-growing mountain seems worth a mention. As of 2005, the 8,126-meter (26,660ft) peak is reportedly growing at a rate of 0.27 inches per year, which puts it on track to outstrip Everest as the world's tallest peak in around 241,000 years. This isn't particularly exciting, although it does mean that in a quarter of a million years all the Everest record-holding goons may have their titles nixed. Hah.
Highest Altitude of Microplastics Found on Land: 27,690ft
If they're in our blood, they're on the highest summits, right? Yes, sadly. In a rather depressing vein, microplastic debris has been found at an altitude of 27,690 feet. Five different types of polymer fiber, including transparent acrylic, red polyester, and blue polyester, were found at a density of 12 fibers per liter of snow on Everest's South Col in May 2019. Scientists estimated the fibers are originating primarily from mountaineers' gear and apparel.
Of the 11 different samples collected at various elevations, samples with an average density of 30 microplastic pieces per liter were counted, with the most polluted sample being pulled from Everest Base Camp (79 pieces per liter).
Most People Connected by a Rope: 2,846
Surprisingly, this didn't occur as a result of some tourist nonsense on the Half Dome cables or Angels Landing. Along a trail in the Presolana massif of the Italian Bergamasque Alps in July of 2017, 2,846 people roped themselves together. Ostensibly organized to "[promote] safety and sustainability in the mountains and [celebrate] the love and respect for the local area" the event also raised funds to support a project improving accessibility to the mountains for the disabled.
Fastest Time to Walk up Kilimanjaro Backward: 24 Hours
Ahhhh, Kilimanjaro. The ultimate walk-up, and as such, the ultimate stomping ground for all would-be mountain record holders. Nepali mountaineer Sanjay Pandit walked backward to the 19,347-foot high point of Africa on December 18, 2015, clocking in at 24 hours and 40 minutes.
Sadly, Pandit died on Denali's West Buttress in 2017, collapsing around 17,500 feet amid bad weather while descending from the summit.
Highest Altitude Firewalk: 11,339ft
The highest altitude firewalk (walking across a bed of hot coals barefoot) was held at 11,339 feet in Jungfraujoch, Switzerland on May 26, 2016. The firewalk, led by Martin Leuenberger, was completed by Leuenberger and 21 other Swiss.
(These are apparently not the same two dozen Swiss who were all treated [many hospitalized] for severe burns after firewalking during a "team-building" exercise at a company retreat near Zurich last year.)
Largest Clean-Up on Everest: 22,879 lbs of Trash
After all these records, most rather depressing, I've decided to end on a positive note. The Guinness World Records lists the "largest clean-up on Everest" as a 45-day effort by 12 Sherpas between April and May of 2019, collecting a whopping 22,879 pounds of garbage, as well as four dead bodies left on the mountain.
The project was spearheaded by Nepal's Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, and assisted by the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC), Nepali Army, Nepal Mountaineering Association, and Nepal Tourism Board.
Around 12,000 pounds of the trash came from Base Camp and nearby areas, and the remaining 10,000 was recovered from high camps and along the Khumbu Icefall. The workers managed to recycle over 11,000 pounds of the waste.
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