Most 3,000 m mountains climbed in one week

The most 3,000 m mountains climbed in one week is 13, achieved by Emily Woodhouse (UK), in Andalucia, Spain, from 2 to 9 August 2020.

Emily received her first Guinness World Records book in 2005 and had always been interested in one day achieving a record. As a keen solo mountaineer, she was often called “brave” for her adventures and wanted to challenge a GWR title in order to show that solo female mountaineers are not brave per se but just doing what they enjoy!

After a lengthy period of preparation - not helped by the ever-changing travel guidance due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic - Emily finally made it to the Sierra Nevada National Park. She had originally planned a seven-day record attempt to time in with annual leave, not knowing a global pandemic would mean she spent the next six months on furlough!

Despite her planning, there were a few setbacks during the attempt. At one point she was enjoying herself so much she dropped off her planned route and missed one of the peaks she had planned to climb. The temperature over the seven days was also extremely hot, meaning finding water was very difficult. Emily attempted this record completely unsupported and carried all of her own equipment. On her first night the wind would have taken her tent away had she not had so much equipment inside.

On her climbs she mostly ate dehydrated ration packs as they weighed less, alongside homemade breakfast bars in the morning and a selection of dried fruit, nuts, sweets and biscuits for snacking. Lunch was a staple of two peanut butter wraps. She did not listen to music, instead taking in the outdoors and writing travel stories in her head. As soon as she finished the attempt she enjoyed a well-earned burger and chips!

Her first experience of mountains was Yosemite when she was only a few years old. Since then she has always been interested in mountains and over time developed the mountaineering ‘bug’. In 2015 Emily got her Mountain Leader award and joined Mountain Rescue. Her favourite areas are Scottish ridgelines in winter or the jagged peaks of Slovenia and the Dolomites; while the closest challenge she has attempted prior to this record was the Tors Challenge, where she visited 119 Dartmoor tors in one continuous 10-day circuit. “I am certainly not the most experienced mountaineer out there – and I hope people can take inspiration from that”, she told GWR.

When asked what being a Guinness World Records title holder would mean to her, Emily said “It would be a really lovely outcome for what has been a difficult year. Like so many people in the UK, I’ve just been made redundant, so successfully achieving a GWR title would be a really positive achievement. Maybe it would even help pave the way towards a new future in the adventure space. I did it as a personal challenge, but who knows where it could lead.”