Oversight surfaces debate over Mt. Elbrus' continental roots.  

In the most recent issue of Breathe Magazine we published an article on the sport of competitive paragliding (The Red Bull X-Alps was the focus). In the article I had written that Mont Blanc was the highest mountain in Europe. As you could imagine I received a few emails from passionate readers generously correcting the oversight. One of which was Dan Mallory. "I have been to the top of the highest mountain in Europe with my daughter and it is Mt. Elbrus in Europe. Mont Blanc is the highest in Western Europe is how I have heard it termed." Yes, Mt Elbrus is the highest mountain in Europe, standing approximately 5,640 metres tall (Mont Blanc is approximaely 4800 metres tall). Thank you to all who wrote in.

As always when I am corrected, I started to dig to determine why I made the oversight. Sleep deprivation was the easiest choice. However, in searching for answers I found that there is a currently a small discussion centered around that very point: Is Mt. Elbrus actually in Europe?

Mt. Elbrus is located in the Caucasus Mountains which straddle the boundary between Asian Georgia and European Russia, a middle ground termed Eurasia. Therefore some critics argue that Mont Blanc is the tallest peak in Europe and place Mt. Elbrus within the Asian border. On the other hand most mountain climbers consider Mt. Elbrus to be north of the Asian border making it the tallest mountain in Europe. Wherever it lies there is one thing for certain, Mt. Elbrus is undeniably taller than Mont Blanc.  

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