A Mountain of Snapshots Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Death Zone

The term 'Death Zone' isn't exclusive to Mt. Everest; this Himalayan peak is one of fourteen to surpass the eight thousand metre mark. Once climbers pass this point the body is unable to sustain itself without regular oxygen. Few experienced climbers make it to the top of this colossal peak, and in modern times it's risky to go without O2 canisters. Regardless, those facing off in the Death Zone are always at greater risk of death because of their inability to acclimatize.

Everest rests on the border between Nepal and Tibet and was first ascended (to the top) by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953.

Answer: Mount Ontake

Although Mount Ontake is Japan's second-highest peak (only to Mount Fuji) it's not one of those regarded as the 'Holy Mountains'; that title is reserved for Mount Fuji, Mount Haku, and Mount Tate. Found near the city of Nagoya on the island of Honshu, Mount Ontake tops off at just over three thousand metres.

Mount Fuji, a short drive out of Tokyo, is a solitary extinct volcano. Hundreds of thousands of people ascend this peak every year touching the top at 3776m. Mount Tate can be found in Chubu-Sangaku National Park near the city of Toyama and it hits the sky at just over 3,000m while Mount Haku, at 2,702m, is near the city of Niigata. All of these mountains are on Japan's biggest island, Honshu.

Answer: Seattle

Pictured on the Washington State Quarter in 2007, Mount Rainier is the tallest peak (by prominence) in the continental United States (Alaska has bigger). Although quite difficult to climb due to its glacial walls, Mount Rainier is a spectacle to behold. Rising to a peak of 4,392m in height, it can be seen from its closest city, Seattle, Washington as well as from Portland, Oregon to the south.

Mount Rainier is an active volcano which erupted several times in the nineteenth century. Because of its proximity to a number of Washington towns and cities, it's often regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes on the globe...if it were ever to erupt in a modern time, it would be quite the mess.

Answer: Global warming

In the twentieth century, it is claimed that four fifths of the glacial ices atop Mount Kilimanjaro have disappeared to an apparent rise in the Earth's mean temperature, and because Africa is one of the hotter continents on the globe the glacial ice stood a snowball's chance in...Africa.

In Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", Kilimanjaro was a case-in-point in regards to the climate change issues at hand. Climbers are also discouraged from taking specific routes to the mountain's peak (at 5,895m) because of ice floes and poor climbing conditions, especially in direct African sunlight. Kilimanjaro is the world's tallest freestanding mountain, the highest point in Africa, and the tallest non-shield volcano in the world.

Answer: Greece

Found in the mountains of Greece, Mount Olympus is the country's highest peak at a height of 2,917m. This mountain is one of the most famous settings in Ancient Greek mythology as it's also the location of the seats of the Twelve Gods. Thousands ascend this heavenly mountain every year, but it's not quite a walk in the park. Litochoro, a small town in Central Macedonia, is the closest town to the bottom of this mountain.

Coincidentally, Olympus Mons on Mars happens to be the tallest volcano seen on the planets of the solar system. Sharing the same name as our Hellenic Peak (Greek Peak, heh), it's actually three times taller than Earth's highest point. No climbing to the top of that one.

Answer: Alps

Part of the Pennine Alps, the Matterhorn is one of the continent's deadliest mountains. Rising to a point 4,478m above ground, the shape of this peak is almost daunting. Two days after the ascent to the Swiss summit of the mountain, a group of climbers ascended the Italian summit in 1865. Although the Matterhorn has a tendency to take on spontaneous weather shifts, most people who meet their fate on this one do so by falling; the Matterhorn is quite difficult to ascend compared to other Alps. The Matterhorn is the fifth-highest Alpine peak.

The Carpathian Mountains stretch from Poland to Romania, the Caucasus are found between the Black and Caspian Seas, and the Sudetes are in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic.

Answer: Pompeii

Along with the city of Herculaneum, Pompeii was left destroyed after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius (under which it was established) in the year 79 AD. The city, built seven centuries earlier, stands now as an archaeological site protected by UNESCO and frequented by history buffs and tourists year-round. Mount Vesuvius, a mountain reaching a total height of only 1,281m, may be one of the shorter peaks on our world tour, but it's one of the most famous still-active volcanoes in the world. Climbs to the top are not technical and are available to the public.

To be fair, all of the possible answer choices are 'lost cities' of Italy- none exist in their entirety anymore though Pompeii is the only option to be devastated by a volcano.

Answer: Denali National Park

The North American contribution to the Seven Summits, the list of tallest peaks of the world (which includes Everest and Kilimanjaro amongst others), Mount McKinley hits the skies at a total of 6,196m. It's no surprise that the mountain's Athabascan name is Denali (which translates to 'The High One'); the second-highest mountain in North America, Mount Logan in the Yukon, only reaches 5,959m. Mount McKinley was first climbed in 1913.

More than half of those who try to reach the top don't end up doing so.

It's not an easy one.

Answer: Granite

Blasted and carved into a South Dakotan cliffside, Mount Rushmore looks upon its own National Park in Pennington County. Created by Gutzon Borglum (who also created the Stone Mountain etching in Georgia) and his son, coincidentally named Lincoln, upon his death, Mount Rushmore is the end result of almost fifteen years of stonework. The mountain is made of granite, a strong, igneous rock common in the area.

From left to right, Mount Rushmore exhibits George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. This tourist site takes in millions every year and is South Dakota's most famous tourist destination.

Answer: No

The highest Alpine peak, Mont Blanc is the eleventh tallest mountain in the world by prominence. At a height of 4,810m, Mont Blanc is a playground for winter sports lovers nowadays but it has been climbed professionally since the late eighteenth century. Mont Blanc is on the border between France and Italy.

Although the mountain is very high, many big-time mountaineers would consider Mont Blanc to be an easy ascent and as many as tens of thousands can be seen climbing to the top in a single year.

The famous Mont Blanc was also in close proximity to the world's first Winter Olympics in the nearby city of Chamonix.