It’s ski season, and many people are headed off to their favorite mountain resorts. However, mountains are famous for a variety of reasons. How many of these can you identify? The answers appear below.
1. At 29,032 feet, it is the highest mountain on earth and was first scaled by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953.
2. For a century, this Alaskan mountain was known as Mount McKinley but it was changed to its native name by President Barack Obama in 2015.
3. Subject of a 1936 Hemingway short story, this volcanic mountain in Tanzania is the highest peak in Africa.
4. Located on the French-Italian border, it is the highest peak in Europe although its name is commonly identified now with high-end pens and watches.
5. This 13,000-foot peak overlooks Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland, and the climb up its north face has claimed the lives of more than 60 climbers.
6. The eruption of this Washington stratovolcano on May 18, 1980 remains the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history.
7. This active volcano about 100 miles southwest of Tokyo is the country’s tallest peak and is considered one of Japan’s three sacred mountains.
8. Known for its access by Cog Railway, this scenic Colorado peak was named for an explorer and inspired Katherine Lee Bates’ iconic anthem, “America the Beautiful.”
9. This Alpine mountain overlooks the village of Zermatt, Switzerland, and is one of the highest summits in the Alps and Europe.
10. This beautiful mountain in the Cascade Range is often seen out of the window of airplanes flying to and from Seattle, Washington.
11. Iwo Jima’s most prominent feature, it was the site of the famed U.S. Marine Corps flag raising on February 23, 1945.
12. In Greek mythology, the deadly monster Typhon was trapped under this Sicilian mountain by Zeus, king of the sky.
13. This New Hampshire peak records some of the most erratic weather in the United States with high winds and temperatures dipping to a record in -47 degrees Fahrenheit in January 1934.
14. Although not a true mountain, this is the highest natural point in the state of Kansas at 4, 039 feet.
15. Snow-capped and dormant, the highest peak in eastern Turkey is traditionally known as the place where Noah’s ark came to rest.
