INTERNATIONAL P-INDEX LEAGUE TABLES

INTRODUCTION

What is ‘P-Index’?

The P-Index is one of a number of numeric values invented to give an indication of a peak-baggers’ focus on hills and mountains classified by a particular method.  Other examples are the E-Index (elevation-based) and I-Index (isolation-based).

In simplified terms, the P-Index is the number of peaks a person has climbed equivalent to their minimum prominence.  This is best understood by an example.  If a person has climbed 350 peaks of P350m or more, her/his P-Index will be 350.   

This is a very simplified explanation.  In reality the calculation of an accurate P-Index is much more complicated, as it will also depend on the prominence distribution of the particular individual’s personal peak-list (see Note 1 below, if you are interested).  

For a more detailed explanation of P-Index etc., see here.

The P-Index can be seen as a sort of ‘orographical derivative’ from prominence.  It sums up a peak-bagger’s level of activity and focus on higher prominence peaks in one single number.

Uses of a P-Index

As one of the two aims of BwB is to promote hiking and climbing lists of peaks compiled on prominence-only criteria, the P-Index League Table is yet another tool created as an incentive for people to focus on prominence, rather than height.

Unlike the BwB International Tables, you do not need to leave your own country to join the P-Index League.  That said, to achieve a P-Index high enough to enter the top three divisions of the League, you are likely to have to climb prominent peaks abroad, unless you live in a large mountainous country such as the USA, Canada or China.

The main aim of all lists compiled of hills and mountains is to encourage people to get out and experience the upland regions of this planet, and go beyond the ‘honey-pot peaks’ that attract large numbers of visitors, putting stress on the mountain, and the flora and fauna that make it their home. 

The benefits of hiking and climbing in upland areas are well-proven – for physical and mental health, as well as spiritual - if you have religious beliefs.  Such activities are also likely to make you appreciate, and wish to protect, the uplands of this beautiful planet that is our common home. 

Everyone should also, of course, be aware of the risks and responsibilities involved in peak-bagging, which are outlined here.

The League Tables

Each year a P-Index League Table will be published in this separate dedicated section on the BwB website.  There are only fifty places in the Table, divided into five Divisions, each with ten places.  As each year passes, the minimum threshold to be a member of each Division will rise, as a person’s P-Index can only increase, or stay the same. 

The P-Index Tables have been deliberately designed with a greater degree of competition inherent in them than in the International Peak-baggers' Tables, which are more about achieving personal goals than competing with others.  They should be seen with a sense of fun, rather than taken too seriously, always bearing in mind the beneficial reasons for going peak-bagging that have been mentioned above.  The P-Index League Tables are a tool, rather than an end in themselves.

In the first year only those who were members of the BwB Forum, or Associates who were registered for the 2022 International Peak-baggers’ Tables, were eligible to join the P-Index League Table, if their P-Index was high enough to secure a place.

From Year 2 (2023) the Tables opened up to all who wished to register for them, whether they confined their peak-bagging to their home country or liked to venture beyond. 

Please see the Guidance Note here for more detail on how the League works.

The BwB P-Indexer would be pleased to hear from you, if you are not already registered and would like to be, so you can compete for a place in the 2025 P-Index League Table.  Please email: 

bwbhofclerk'at’gmail.com 

replacing ‘at’ with ‘@’ in the gmail address, and I will forward your message to him.

Mark Trengove

BwB HoFClerk

January 2025

The P-Index Tables for each year, and Roll of Honour, can be accessed via the sub-pages in the side-bar on this website, or by clicking on the following links:

• P-Index League Table 2024

• P-Index League Table 2023

• P-Index League Table 2022

• P-Index Roll of Honour

Note 1:  A person’s increase in her/his P-Index is likely not to be as simple as adding +1 each time, as it will depend on the particular list of peaks the person has done so far.  Two illustrations will help to make this more understandable, using the example given above of a person with a P-Index of 350:

·       The person has done five peaks of exactly P350m, and the 350th was the middle one in these five.  If a person adds a peak of, say, P610m to her/his peak-list, the P-Index will still remain at 350.  This is because the 351st peak is still P350m and, as the numbers do not now match, only the 350th peak will still render a P-Index of 350.  The person will need to climb three more peaks of at least P351m to increase the P-Index to 351, assuming there is a peak of P351m in her/his personal peak-list (see second example below).

·       The person climbs three more peaks – the P610m one, P1008m and P765m summits.  However, above the five peaks of P350m in her/his personal peak-list, the next one up is P355m.  The P-Index will still remain at P350m, as that is still the only position where the numbers match.  Another four peaks at or above P355m will still need to be climbed, thus reaching a P-Index of P355m directly from P350m.  To achieve this the person has climbed seven peaks, not five.