Mountain lakes are one of nature’s most beautiful creations. Whether tucked into hanging valleys or sprawled over windswept plateaus, they inject color and texture into harsh landscapes. A day spent staring into a mountain lake is a day well spent.
For some of us, though, looking at the lakes is not enough. The desire to jump in is irresistible. These swims are usually too cold to be pleasant, but that’s not the point. It is hard to say exactly what the point is, but we love it.
Inevitably, the next step is to try swimming in higher and higher lakes. Zach Fogel and Dylan Nelson’s 2013 swim around 10,000 feet on Mount Whitney in California planted the idea.
How much higher can we go? Way higher. The undisputed bible of this discipline, highestlakes.com, lists a few ponds above 6000m and many above 5500m. Even these are not the limit, since any seasonal meltwater pool big enough to swim in can create opportunity. Many popular trekking routes are within striking distance of lakes above 5000m; for example, anyone visiting Everest Base Camp can easily swim in the 5200m pool visible from Kala Patthar. Still, swimming this high becomes an increasingly painful arms race relying on weather windows, acclimatization, and a steely determination to win a meaningless contest. Which is the best kind of contest.
This page serves as a public call for competitors. Have you swam higher than this? Do you have a pic or video? If so, send it my way and your name will go on the board. See the technical rules at the bottom of the page for details on what constitutes a “swim.”
The current leaderboard
| Rank | Altitude | Lake and Location | Date | Name |
| 1 | 4,750m/15,580ft | Kedar Tal, Gangotri, Uttarakhand, India | Oct 2020 | Mike Henry |
| 2 | 4,450m/14,501ft | Laguna Churup and Laguna Arhuaycocha, Huaraz, Peru | 2018 | Kai Norden |
| 4 | 4,250m/13,940ft | Pangong Tso, Ladakh, India | Sep 2017 | Mike Henry |
| 5 | 4,020m/13,200 ft | Unknown lake, Peru | Jul 2014 | Dylan Nelson |
| 6 | 3,020m/9,900ft | Lone Pine Lake, Mt Whitney, California, USA | May 2014 | Zach Fogel and Dylan Nelson |
Additional swimming records: Latitudes, Lowest Altitude, etc.
Zach Fogel has thrown down a gauntlet for this category. Still, no one is safe in a lifelong arms race. Note that scuba dives are explicitly allowed for the lowest-altitude contest.
- Furthest North: 68 degrees N, MacKenzie River Delta, Canada, 2019 (Zach Fogel)
- Furthest South: 51 degrees S, Torres del Paine, Chile, 2019 (Becky Skidmore and Zach Fogel)
- Lowest Altitude: -426m/-1398ft, Dead Sea, Israel, 2020 (Zach Fogel)
- Largest Altitude Difference: 4875m/16000ft between Kedar Tal, India, 2020 and Danakil Depression, Ethiopia, 2019 (Mike Henry)
Technical rules
The goal of the contest is to swim at the maximum altitude. Some clarifications of these terms:
- Swim: You need to fully immerse your body in the water and propel yourself at least one body-length without touching the ground. So, lying down in a tiny puddle or stream doesn’t count, even if you can get your whole body in the water (still, we officially salute you for such bravery in mountain water).
- Altitude: Should be verified by a map or a GPS device, or at least Google Maps after the trip.
- Verification: Video of the swim is preferred. Photo is fine if there is no video.
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