Gilbertson was born in Berea, Kentucky.[1] Often, his family took trips to the Smoky Mountains and the White Mountains for peakbagging challenges, which inspired the country highpoints project.[3]
Gilbertson began his climbing career with summiting the highest mountain in each U.S. state, starting in 1996 on Kuwohi in Tennessee, and finishing in February 2012 on Guadalupe Peak, Texas. Often, more challenging state highpoints such as Denali in Alaska were climbed through the MIT Outing Club (MITOC), MIT's outdoor club, from which Gilbertson learned the foundations of winter hiking and mountaineering.[1][3][6][7]
In 2017 on Mt. Nirvana, the highest peak of the Northwest Territories, Gilbertson, along with climbers Dave Custer and Susan Ruff, established a new route on the West Face, with a YDS 5.9 crux. Gilbertson had previously climbed the peak unsupported with Len Vanderstar in 2016,[11] and made an attempt on the West Face in 2015 with Custer & Ruff.[12][13]
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gilbertson pursued the Rocky Mountain Grand Slam; that is, the Colorado 14'ers, Wyoming 13'ers, and Montana 12'ers. He completed the list in 60 days, 9 hours, and 20 minutes.[14][15]
Country highpoints
Gilbertson considers the 193 UN Members, the two UN observers, and Antarctica to be the countries in this project for a total of 196 political entities to highpoint. However, there are only 191 individual mountains given five sets of countries share a highpoint.[16][17][18] Gilbertson's first country highpoint was Denali in May 2010.[1][19]
Early on in the country highpoints project, Gilbertson targeted highpoints in Europe and the Americas.[19] He accumulated many European highpoints through long-distance bicycle tours, particularly in Northern Europe and Eastern Europe.[20][21]
In North America, the Gilbertsons became the first two people to climb the highest point in each of the 23 North American members, finishing in June 2015 on Pico Turquino, Cuba.[1][22]
As the European highpoints and North American highpoints became fewer in number, Gilbertson began to venture to Africa, South America, Asia, and Oceania.[19] Oftentimes, Gilbertson did expeditions in tropical Africa during the wintertime when glaciated highpoints could not be climbed.[23]
During the summer, Gilbertson focused on more demanding country highpoints. In Central Asia, he climbed the highest point in each of the "-Stan" countries, finishing in 2023. He and his climbing partner Andreas Frydensberg became the first people to achieve this feat, also making the first ascent of Alpomish in Uzbekistan which they determined to be higher than the previously accepted highpoint, Khazret Sultan. Along the way, they also completed the Snow Leopards list, which made Gilbertson the third American to receive a Snow Leopard award.[18][24][25]
In summer of 2022, when climbing K2, Pakistan's highest point and the world's second highest mountain, Gilbertson reached the summit without supplemental oxygen or sherpa support. While acclimating, he also ascended Broad Peak.[26][27]
Gilbertson made an attempt on Mount Everest, the highest peak in China & Nepal, in 2023 without supplemental oxygen, making it to 8,500 metres (27,887 feet) before symptoms of high altitude cerebral edema set in. He safely descended, and then made an ascent of Kanchenjunga, the highest peak in India and third highest peak in the world, with supplemental oxygen.[28][29]
As of September 2024, when excluding the mainland highpoints of Denmark, Australia, and the United Kingdom, Gilbertson has climbed 143 country highpoints,[30] making him among the most successful country highpointers in history.[31] Note that this number considers dual country highpoints as two countries (i.e: Mont Blanc, although one mountain, counts as two country highpoints for France & Italy).[32]
Broken down by each continent, Gilbertson has thus far summited;[30]
For Gilbertson's trip reports, see peakbagger or his website. Note that the latter website is organized considering both Eric & Matthew's ascents rather than either climber individually.
Key
Country highpoint climbed Highest legal point reached Mainland highpoint reached Highpoint attempted Highpoint no longer considered highest or incorrect highpoint summited
Highest legal points on both peaks. Mitze Hashlagim is the highest point in Golan Heights region of Israel, while Har Meron is the highest point of non-Golan heights Israel.
Mitze Hashlagim (Coordinates at 33.317794, 35.803523).
^Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America
^Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus*, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, North Macedonia, Malta , Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Vatican City
^Denmark, United Kingdom, and Serbia are not counted. Gilbertson has thus far only summited the mainland highpoints of Denmark and the United Kingdom (Møllehøj and Ben Nevis respectively), and has not summited Velika Rudoka, the highest point in Serbia if Kosovo is included. He has summited Djeravica, formerly considered to be the highest point of Serbia, Kosovo included, and Midzor, the highest point of Serbia outside Kosovo. While Gilbertson counts Cyprus, he only made it to the highest legal point here. The Netherlands' overall highpoint, Mt. Scenery on Saba Island, was summited by Gilbertson.
^Comoros and Namibia highpoints were climbed by Matthew Gilbertson and not Eric Gilbertson.
^Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa
^Australia is not included as Gilbertson has only climbed Kosciusko, the mainland highpoint.
^Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, India, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, South Korea*, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mongolia, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Sri Lanka*, Syria*, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam
^While South Korea and Israel are included, only the highest legal point was reached. Gilbertson attempted but did not summit Sri Lanka or Syria's highest points.
Other climbs, first ascents
During the winter months, when not on country highpointing expeditions, Gilbertson climbs locally in the Washington state area, with the goal of climbing all of the Washington Bulgers (hundred highest peaks in Washington) in the winter months. He has made several first winter ascents of various Washington Bulgers.[35][36] Gilbertson is also pursuing the U.S. national park highpoints and the two hundred highest mountains in Washington.[8]
Gilbertson also determined the precise summit location of Pik Pobeda in Kyrgyzstan to be indeterminate, with the East, Central, and West summits being all of similar elevations with annual variations in snow pack thickness and cornices.[39]
He also has surveyed many local mountains in Washington, including Mount Rainier and the Washington Bulgers list. He determined that Columbia Crest, previously accepted as Mt. Rainier's highest summit, had melted down by approximately 21 feet (6.4 m) since 1999, which made a point on the mountain's southwest rim the highest elevation on the volcano.[36][40] He also surveyed Mount Davis in Pennsylvania, determining the traditional boulder summit to still be the highest elevation on this peak as opposed to the northern or southern summit.[41]
For future country highpoints, Gilbertson intends to measure their highest points and determine the exact highpoint, particularly in Colombia and Myanmar.[37]