Author : Kraig Becker

The Outpost, the official blog of Outdoorzy.com, has an interesting post up January 22, 2010 that examines the costs of climbing the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on all seven continents.

Seven Summits map (click to enlarge).

The article looks at several broad categories and gives a good estimate of what each of them costs. For instance, they say that it’ll set you back roughly $1170 for training to ensure you know what you’re doing on those mountains, and another $9200 in airfare just to fly to the various countries that is home to one of these mountains. Throw in another $1500 for “incidentals”, which covers such things as visas and passports, and things start to add up quickly.

Of course, the largest category is for the guide services necessary to climb the 7 (+1) mountains. The Outpost says that you can expect to pay between $105,850 – $169,900 on guides depending on who you choose to go with. They do note that this is an area that can be highly customized, and that’s why there is such a large variance in the cost. Guide services are not all created equal, and sometimes you get what you pay for. Besides, do you really want to go cut-rate on this kind of trip?

The one category that I might disagree with their estimate on is gear, which they say will cost you $2000. In my opinion that is on the very low side, as I’ve seen down suits and thermal boots for Everest that will cost you that much alone. But I suppose, that this is, once again, an area that can really vary greatly, and you do indeed get what you pay for here as well.

So what’s the bottom line? Outdoorzy says that the grand total of making a Seven Summits bid is about $119,720 – $183,870. That doesn’t include the time you’ll need to get off work, as most of us aren’t sponsored climbers either.

* Source : – http://theadventureblog.blogspot.com/

* Richard “Dick” Bass is the owner of Snowbird Ski Resort in Utah and the first man to climb the “Seven Summits.”

* Related Links : - Seven Summits.

* Previous story :

- The Deadly Side of Mt. Everest.

- Mt.Everest 2010: An Interview with Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies.

- Everest 2010 season – Expeditions with any British Teams or Britons.

* zapraszam do subskrypcji mojego bloga :

** zapraszam na relacje z wypraw polskich himalaistów.