From the Latin culmen , the summit is the top or top of a mountain . Topography defines the term as the point on the surface that is highest in altitude compared to the points immediately adjacent to it. For example: "The summit of Mount Everest is more than 8,800 meters high" , "If the weather conditions hold up, we will reach the summit in two hours" , "You can see the sea from the summit" .
Typically, the concept of summit is used to name a mountain peak that has a significant degree of topographic prominence, that is, it is located at a considerable distance from the nearest point of highest elevation.
It is possible to speak of a subsummit to refer to other peaks close to the summit, although with less prominence. These subsummits are usually part of the same mountain as the summit.
All of this also leads us to determine that there are many summits in the world that have become the most important precisely because of the height at which they are located. However, among the most significant is, for example, Everest, which is located in the Himalayas and has a height of 8,848 meters.
Many mountaineering and climbing enthusiasts and professionals have set themselves the goal of reaching the summit. Thus, since 1953 there have been more than 140 attempts to achieve this, the first to bear fruit being the one made by the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, from Nepal.
Likewise, another of the most important peaks in the world is K2, which is in the Asian Karakoram mountain range and is 8,611 meters high. There are various attempts, failed or not, that have been carried out with the clear objective of ascending this mountain, which is considered one of the most difficult and dangerous due to its characteristics.
Kangchenjunga, Lhotse or Makalu, all three in the Himalayan mountain range, are other of the most significant peaks that exist on the entire planet.
The notion of summit can also be used symbolically to indicate the last level that can be reached or the top of something : "After winning a new title with his team, the footballer has reached the summit of his career," "Mario He reached the professional summit at the age of 30 and today he is one of the most consulted experts in the world" , "This tennis player is close to reaching the summit" .
In addition to all the above, we would have to emphasize that within the literary field one of his most important works has precisely the term in question in its title. We are referring to "Wuthering Heights", a novel written in 1847 by Emily Brontë who used the pseudonym Ellis Bell to publish it.
A summit, finally, is a meeting between leaders or leaders to discuss very relevant issues : "The summit of South American presidents will take place next month in São Paulo."