Showing results for "mountaineering"

• present participle of mountaineer.

mountaineering

American  

[moun-tn-eer-ing] / ˌmaʊn tnˈɪər ɪŋ /

noun

1. the sport of climbing mountains.

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Etymology

Origin of mountaineering

First recorded in 1795–1805; mountaineer + -ing ¹

Explanation

Mountaineering is another word for the sport of mountain climbing. If high altitudes and low temperatures are your thing, you should take up mountaineering. Climbing in snowy and ice-covered places requires special equipment and extreme care, watching out for dangers like falling ice and rocks, storms, and avalanches. In some parts of the world, mountaineering is called "alpinism." Originally, the noun mountaineer was a seventeenth century word for "mountain dweller." Two hundred years later, it came to mean "mountain climber."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mountaineering

Peaking at over 4,000 metres, the Weissmies mountain - which the two men went missing in the vicinity of - is a popular mountaineering spot in the Saas Valley.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Kili Pemba, 46, had just earned the coveted mountaineering Grand Slam after completing his last of the 14 highest peaks, also known as eight-thousanders, in early July.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

It is certainly true that tennis requires discipline and sacrifice, but is this country-club sport really more intense than, say, distance running, mountaineering or solo sailing?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

"This is an unthinkable loss for our mountaineering community and for the nation," Fur Gelje Sherpa, the President of Nepal's mountaineering association posted on social media.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

One of the more incredible feats in the annals of mountaineering, it was known forever after simply as The Belay.*

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Related Words

• hiking