Andean Mountains – All above 5000m

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Welcome to one of the most ambitious mountaineering and topographic research initiatives ever undertaken in South America. After more than twelve years of continuous effort, mountaineer and expedition leader Maximo Kausch has completed a groundbreaking inventory of over 1,175 peaks above 5,000 meters across the Andes. This list was compiled through a meticulous process involving satellite data analysis, field exploration, and historical investigation. Thanks to Max’s dedication, this wealth of information is now available to the public, contributing to global knowledge of the Andean mountain range.

The project was born from Maximo’s personal quest to climb all the six-thousanders of the Andes—104 in total—90 of which he had already summited before the pandemic paused his expeditions. During these climbs, he became increasingly curious about the lesser-known neighboring peaks he could see from high summits. Realizing there was no comprehensive and accurate list of all Andean peaks above 5,000 meters, Max expanded his mission into a scientific and cartographic undertaking. With the support of physicist Dr. Suzie Imber and the University of Leicester, advanced NASA-powered software was used to identify and classify these elevations.

To ensure consistency and scientific rigor, the team adopted the “dominance” criterion developed by Eberhard Jurgalski from 8000ers.com. This method evaluates whether an elevation qualifies as an independent mountain based on its topographic prominence relative to its height. Peaks with a dominance greater than 7% were considered independent mountains. Using this system allowed Max and his collaborators to filter through over 65,000 high points to identify 1,175 true peaks, including 104 over 6,000 meters, forming a new and reliable basis for Andean mountain classification.

However, Max’s vision goes beyond numerical data. His goal is to gather the names and the historical ascent records of every peak on the list—an enormous challenge in a continent where much of this information is scattered, inconsistent, or undocumented. Through collaboration with climbers, historians, and local communities across the Andes, the project seeks to recover the human stories behind each summit. It’s a collective effort, and the mountaineering community worldwide is invited to contribute their knowledge. In doing so, we not only honor those who first climbed these mountains but also ensure their legacy is preserved for future generations.

Current Excel Sheet

Interactive Map (clickable waypoints)

andean-mountains--all-above-5000m Download latest KML version

Methods and Research information

Digital Elevation Model used:

Data sorting system:

Data processing:

Initial toponymies:

Data Georeferencing:

Data corrections. Thanks to:

  • Evelio Echevarría from Chile/US for his extensive research and publications at AAJ. Evelio is also responsible for many first ascents in Peru
  • Guillermo Almaraz from Argentina for basically running the whole research on First Ascents and corrections on countless peak names de Argentina
  • Eberhard Jurgalski from Germany, for sharing his own list of anything higher than 5700m, for his altitude corrections and of course, we have to thank him for the Dominance System
  • John Biggar from the UK, who basically did the same research, but 30 years ago with maps and pencils. Also for his information on peak names.
  • Guillermo Corona from Mendoza, Argentina, for his massive research on Argentinean peaks
  • Nomenclatura project run by Ulrich Lorber, from the Club Alemán Andino de Santiago, Chile
  • Nate Heald from USA/Peru for his research on Peruvian mountains and name corrections
  • Marcelo Lisnovsky for research on first Ascents of Argentinean and many peaks
  • Pablo David González for providing hundreds of names to Corona’s project and also for providing us with correct names at the Central Andes
  • Luis Ignacio Patricio Salazar and Agustín Ferrer for corrections on names of Chilean Peaks
  • Spanish website Desnivel.com and the editor Isaac Fernandez for help spreading information
  • Miguel Moya from San Juan, Argentina, for correction in some peaks of San Juan
  • Álvaro Rojas from Copiapo, Chile, for help finding many first ascents information and name corrections at the Chilean Atacama
  • Chilean website AndesHandBook.org website which has a lot of latest information, specially in Chile
  • Eduardo Cinicola from Argentina and his maps at Viajeros4x4.com.ar, they were very useful
  • Alberto Hung from Peru for providing first ascent information and name corrections
  • Guillermo Martin, the editor of Centro Cultural Argentino de Montaña from Argentina, for helping spreading the news and gathering more people to help with more information
  • Marcelo Scannu for first ascent information at the Dry Andes, specially Argentina
  • Glauco Muratti for fist ascent info in Argentina
  • Jose Martinez from Spain for providing information of his first ascents at the Atacama
  • Javier Sánchez from Spain for providing first ascent info and name corrections
  • Sebastian Aldana from Jujuy, Argentina, for name corrections
  • Christian Vitry for name corrections and providing information from his father’s research
  • Jorge Sirvas from Peru for name corrections on 2 peaks
  • Camilo Rada, from Chile for DGPS information at Central Andes
  • Mauricio Bianchi from Argentina for name corrections
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