Vinson Massif Mount Vinson

View of Vinson Massif with Mount Vinson (4,897 m), the tallest peak in Antarctica, located in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger

Mount Vinson is the highest peak in Antarctica, at 4,892 metres (16,050 ft). It lies in the north part of Vinson Massif’s summit plateau in the south portion of the main ridge of the Sentinel Range about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of Hollister Peak. It was first climbed in 1966 by an American team led by Nicholas Clinch. An expedition in 2001 was the first to climb via the Eastern route, and also took GPS measurements of the height of the peak. As of February 2010, 1,400 climbers have attempted to reach the top of Mount Vinson.