Europe's Highest Mountains

I first started the European Project in the summer of '92 with the aim to climb the highest mountain in every country in Europe. I didn't know what the mountains were, how hard they were to climb or even how many countries in Europe there were. Above all, I had no mountain climbing experience at all.

The real start of my climbing came about in 1990 when I broke my neck playing rugby. Not a good way to start I hear you say and I tend to agree, but after 6 months of sick leave, 2 of which I had a metal halo bolted to my skull, I needed something to regain my fitness and replace the sport of rugby which I had been advised not to play again.

The Everest Marathon in 1991 was such an event. After seeing Everest and with the old childhood dream of climbing it standing before me, I made up my mind to come back within 5 years to attempt to climb it.

Mt Elbrus the highest peak in Russia and Europe was to be the first mountain I climbed in August of '92 followed by ascents of Kiliminjaro and Mt McKinley within the year. In the summer of '93 I spent a month travelling around Eastern Europe summiting Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania's highest peaks. When I got back from that trip I thought why not carry on and climb all the highest peaks in Europe?

I contacted the Guinness Book of Records in 1994 to see if it would be a record. They said it was a great idea and a difficult challenge, especially with the splitting up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia making so many more mountains to climb.

Much research was done into what exactly were the highest peaks in each country, especially after once turning up in one country to climb its supposedly highest mountain and being told "Er, no that mountain is over the border in Kosovo". A lot of help was given by the Guinness Book of Records and Grant Hutchison who publishes 'Tops and Bottoms', a list of the highest and lowest points in every country in Europe.