The Peak-Repeaters' Register

Monte Bianco 4808m, P4696m, Graian Alps, Italy (seen from Punta della Croce 2481m, P100m) - photo Mark Trengove

The normal motive in the popular past-time of ‘peak-bagging’ is to work through a list of hills and mountains with the aim to complete it, or to gain a certain number of peaks and enter a Hall of Fame.  For further details, see here.

A 'peak-repeater' is someone who makes multiple ascents to the summit of the same hill or mountain.  People may be motivated to do this for different reasons.  Some may see it as a personal challenge, including for charitable or religious reasons.  Others may do so as part of their job – for example, a mountain guide.  

The Peak-Repeaters’ Register of Achievements seeks to mark the exploits of those who make multiple ascents of the same hill or mountain, whatever their reason for doing so.  Obviously, there are many people across the world who may ascend a peak many times who do not have any interest in making it known that they are doing so.  Clearly these people cannot feature in this Register.  However, there are many who are proud of their achievements and publicise them – on media, social media or other online platforms, or have done so in the past in older styles of communication.  These are the people for whom this Register has been designed. 

Unlike the annual Poly-baggers' Table, estimated totals are recorded in this Register where the exact number of ascents is not known.  The Register therefore casts a much wider net.

As the Register develops it will expand, as further research finds new peaks and past and present people to include.  It will also be updated, at least annually, where more data on the number of ascents of people currently in the Register becomes available.

Format of the Register: peaks

While the Poly-baggers’ annual Table is focused on people who make multiple ascents, the Peak-Repeaters’ Register looks first at the hills and mountains they climb.  Peak data occupies the first five columns of the Register. 

In the first column is the name (or names) of the peak, followed by its height and prominence in metres in columns two and three.  If the peak name is underlined, a link will take you to its peak profile page on this website where further information is given.  

The peaks in the Register are arranged in descending order of height.  This gives some indication of the challenge involved in scaling the peak many times, as the higher the peak normally (but not always) the greater the effort involved in reaching the top.

Aside from the peak data mentioned above, the location of the mountain is given, in terms of country, state/province and continent in columns four and five.  The worldwide two-letter country code system (see here) is used to identify the country or countries in which the peak is located.

Format of the Register: people

The remaining eight columns provide data on the people who make multiple ascents of the peak.  People only feature under each peak if they are known, or are estimated, to have made at least 500 ascents - see, for example, Mount Monadnock.  Their names (in column six) are recorded ranked in decreasing number of ascents.  However, in cases of notable hills or mountains where nobody has reached 500 ascents, just the leading peak-repeater at the current time is recorded – see, for example, Mount Everest.  If the person’ name is underlined, a hyperlink will take you to further information about this person.

The seventh column provides information on the primary reason why this person is making multiple ascents of this peak.  The codes are explained in the key at the top of the Register.  If the code is underlined, a hyperlink will take you to the business page of this person if a mountain guide, or to their online giving page if they are undertaking a charity challenge.

The eighth column gives the country of residence of the person (again using the worldwide two-letter country code system), and state/province, if applicable.

The ninth column shows the number of ascents, based on the latest available information.  If the number is in italics it indicates an estimate.

The tenth column gives an indication of the reliability of the data – ‘high’; ‘medium’; ‘low’.  Someone featuring in the poly-bagging Table will almost always be ‘high’, as that is one of the main criteria for inclusion.  A rounded estimated total can normally only be ‘low’. 

The eleventh column gives the year of first ascent, if known.  The twelfth gives the year of death (if known) for deceased people recorded in the Register.  The thirteenth and final column gives the latest year for which multiple ascent totals are known for this person.

The key providing information on the abbreviations, letter codes and symbols used can be found at the top of the page where the Register is located (see link below).   

The Peak-repeaters' Register can be accessed here.