Perhaps the first of what would become many notable mountain lists around the world was Sir Hugh Munro’s catalogue of the Munros, the peaks above 3,000’ elevation in Scotland.[1] Once defined the list became a popular target for what became known as peak bagging, where the adventurous attempted to summit all of the peaks on the list.[2]
Over time the peaks on such lists grew more challenging, with perhaps the eight-thousanders as the most notable (the mentioned list being first fully completed by Reinhold Messner in 1986). Other extreme examples are the Seven Summits, defined as the highest peaks on each of the seven continents.[3]
An ever-growing collection of peak lists is maintained and published on mountaineering-related websites.[4]
The Ultras are mountains worldwide that have a topographic prominence of at least 1,500 metres (4,921 ft), regardless of location, absolute height, or other merit.
The Snow Leopards are the five peaks of the former Soviet Union over 7,000 metres (22,966 ft) in height.
The hills of Britain and Ireland are classified into various lists for 'peak-bagging' purposes. Among the better-known lists are the following:
The Munros: important mountains in Scotland over 3,000 feet (914.4 m); there are 282 Munros and 226 Munro Tops.
The Furths: mountains in the British Isles, but not in Scotland, which would otherwise qualify as Munros; there are 34 Furths in the British Isles.
The P600 (the "Majors"): mountains in the British Isles with a prominence above 600 metres (1,969 ft); there are 120 P600s.
The Corbetts: mountains in Scotland between 2,500 feet (762 m) and 3,000 feet (914 m), with a prominence above 500 feet (152.4 m); there are 222 Corbetts.
The Marilyns: hills and mountains in the British Isles with a prominence above 150 metres (492 ft), regardless of height or other merit; there are 2,011 Marilyns
The Simms: mountains in the British Isles above 600 metres (1,968.5 ft), with a prominence above 30 metres (98.4 ft); there are 2,754 Simms.
The Vandeleur-Lynams: those mountains in Ireland over 600 metres (1,969 ft) in height, with a prominence over 15 metres (49 ft). There are 273 Vandeleur-Lynams in Ireland.
The Nuttalls : A list of all mountains in over 2,000 ft (609.6m) with more than a 49.2 ft (15m) prominence. See lists for England and for Wales.
The Northeast 111: The White Mountain 48, the Adirondack 46 and 14 Maine peaks, five in Vermont and two Catskill summits over 4,000 feet (1,219.2 m).
The Southern Sixers, or South Beyond 6000: all 40 peaks above 6,000 feet (1,828.8 m). in the southern Appalachians, which are in either North Carolina or Tennessee. Technically, there are more than forty 6,000 feet (1,828.8 m) mountains in the Southern Appalachians, but the list does not include mountains with peaks that have restricted access.
The East Beyond 6000 are similar to the Southern Sixers: all 41 peaks above 6,000 feet (1,828.8 m) east of the Mississippi. These include the 40 Southern Sixers, plus Mount Washington (New Hampshire).
The Saranac Lake 6er, 6 peaks in the Adirondacks of New York State that surround the town of Saranac Lake. Ultra club membership is awarded to those who can complete all 6 mountains in a 24-hour period. There is also a winter 6er.
The standard list for the major peaks of the Andes is the list of 6000 m peaks as first compiled by John Biggar in 1996 and listed in his Andes guidebook.[10] This list currently stands at 102 peaks, with no known completers.
Popular peak-bagging challenges in Australia include the State 8: the highest peak in each of the six states and two territories (excluding Australia's external territories).[11]
The Abels are a group of peaks in Tasmania over 1100 metres above sea level and separated from other mountains by a drop of at least 150 metres on all sides. Named after Abel Tasman, the first European to sight Tasmania.