Ed Viesturs, a professional mountain guide from Seattle, has stood atop each one. "It took 18 years and 29 individual expeditions," he said.
Modern-day mountain climbers like Viesturs know earth's steep topography better than anyone in history. Indeed, climbers today — both professional and recreational — stand at a unique juncture in time where jet planes, guide companies and government cooperation in the remotest corners allow the few and willing to see the heights from almost any exotic mountain peak on the planet.
While you’ve probably had your fill of hotel ads and Web sites that describe their views as “breathtaking,” we’ve assembled a collection of hostelries that might literally take your breath away — because they are all located at high altitudes or in the shadows of some of the world’s greatest mountain ranges, where the air is thin.
Many mountain hotels began as outposts for climbers, skiers and other adventure travelers, and still feature rigorous nearby activities, great views, fresh air and a sense of remoteness that makes them attractive. Others were built with luxurious escape in mind — especially for the wealthy, who sought to get out of crowded cities or away from oppressive summer heat. And some high hotels that started as rugged outposts a century or more ago may now offer spa treatments, terrific dining, and linen thread counts nearly as high as their elevations.
After summiting a peak or schussing down a famous couloir, outdoorsmen in New Hampshire have long returned to the comforts of the uber-posh Mt. Washington Hotel. Hal Phillips, a travel and media consultant from New Gloucester, Maine, says, “It’s the prototypical New England summer hotel, an enormous, sprawling white monolith with a red roof in the shadow of the tallest peak on the east coast — an incredible setting.
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