Mountains to climb

Since the release of ChatGPT, I have experimented with its use as a rough, conversational search engine front-end. I have found that for some topics where information does not change rapidly and where you might want to iterate on the results, ChatGPT has some advantages for me.

As an example, I asked ChatGPT to come up with a list of challenging mountains, sorted by continent, where an athletic young adult with no previous technical climbing experience could trek to the summit (or to base camp for higher peaks, in order to keep the maximum altitude under 20,000 feet).

The initial list of 10 mountains it produced was quite good. I added a few mountains in the U.S. and Japan and ruled out a few geographies (Uganda, Pakistan), given geopolitical risk according to the U.S. Department of State. I asked it to include a numerical rating on a scale of 1 to 5 (easy to hard) and eliminated the 5s. I also asked it for the best months for such a trek.

The final list it produced was a great starting point that I could use for further research (we would only pursue these options after appropriate training and preparation, and with the help of a local professional guide). The final list of 12 mountains is included below. I would love your suggestions and possible additions.

In 5 minutes, a dialogue with ChatGPT produced what I suspect would have taken me an hour or more with a traditional search engine.

I would love to hear others’ experiences (and to try LaMDA too).

ChatGPT's response:

“Certainly! Here is the revised list of 12 mountains, sorted by continent, along with their heights, the best months to climb, and a rough estimate of their difficulty on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the most difficult, excluding Uganda and Pakistan:

North America:

• Mount Rainier, United States: 14,410 feet (4,392 meters), best months to climb: mid-July to mid-September, difficulty: 4
• Mount Washington, United States: 6,288 feet (1,917 meters), best months to climb: May to [September], difficulty: 3

South America:

• Aconcagua [Base Camp], Argentina: [13,780 feet (4,200 meters),] best months to climb: December to February, difficulty: 4

Africa:

• Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: 19,341 feet (5,895 meters), best months to climb: June to October, difficulty: 3

Europe:

• Mont Blanc, France/Italy: 15,771 feet (4,808 meters), best months to climb: June to September, difficulty: 4
• Piz Bernina, Switzerland: 13,284 feet (4,051 meters), best months to climb: June to September, difficulty: 3

Asia:

• Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal: 13,550 feet (4,130 meters), best months to climb: September to November, difficulty: 3
• Everest Base Camp, Nepal: 17,598 feet (5,364 meters), best months to climb: April to May and September to November, difficulty: 4
• Mount Fuji, Japan: 12,389 feet (3,776 meters), best months to climb: July to August, difficulty: 2

Oceania:

• Mount Kosciuszko, Australia: 7,310 feet (2,228 meters), best months to climb: November to May, difficulty: 2
• Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea: 14,793 feet (4,509 meters), best months to climb: May to October, difficulty: 3
• Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea: 13,535 feet (4,126 meters), best months to climb: May to October, difficulty: 3

It's worth noting that these are general guidelines and that the specific weather conditions and temperature fluctuations can vary widely from year to year. It is always important to do thorough research and preparation before attempting to climb any mountain, and to heed any warning signs or advice from local authorities or experienced climbers.

It can be difficult to accurately assign a numerical degree of difficulty to a hike or climb, as this can vary widely depending on a number of factors, such as an individual's fitness level, previous experience, and the specific conditions on the mountain at the time of the climb. That being said, [the ratings above are] a rough guide to the relative difficulty of the hikes and climbs listed in my previous responses, on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the most difficult."

Note: These views are wholly my own and do not represent the views of?McKinsey & Company. I would only pursue any of these treks with expert local guides and significant prior research and preparation. I am keenly aware of my limits, and a few of these mountains may be a better fit for my kids, who are in far better physical condition than I am.

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