Photo on left shows Malia Metella, Théo Curin, and Mathieu Witvoet completing a 122 km self-sustained swim, an 11-day stage swim across Lago Titicaca at 3,812 meters in Bolivia. Photo on right show UN Patron of the Oceans Lewis Pugh swimming 1 km in Lake Pumori at 5,300 meters on Mount Everest in the Nepal – Tibet border.

We have documented the following High-Altitude Open Water Swims – open water swims that are held at high altitude at least 1,000 meters above sea level.

This is a special kind of swimming that requires an adventure in itself in getting to the location, determining a safe course to attempt, an adaptive swimming pace based on the high altitude and lower oxygen levels, and a careful rewarming and recovery post-swim process. It also requires an experienced team of handlers and escort crew members.

We know there are many more such high-altitude swims and want to document as many as possible.

• 1,132 meters (3,715 feet): wild swimming in Khar Nuur in the Khovd aimag in western Mongolia’s Great Lakes Depression
• 1,400 meters (4,593 feet): 1.6 km Speedo Ice Swim Africa in Nuwedam, Fraserburg, Northern Cape in South Africa [see below]
• 1,511 meters (4,957 feet): 1.93 km and 3.86 km Mountain Swim Series Solstice Sunset Swim in Union Reservoir (Calkins Lake) in Longmont, Colorado, USA
• 1,609 meters (5,279): 45 km Issyk-Kul Race across Issyk-Kul in the deep basin of the northeast Kyrgyzstan
• 1,624 meters (5,328 feet): 1.6 km, 3.2 km and 4.8 km BAM Bare Bones Open Water Swim Series at the Boulder Reservoir in Boulder, Colorado, USA
• 1,624 meters (5,328 feet): 300m, 700m, 950m and 1 km BAM Bi-Weekly Open Water Swims near Dream Cove at the Boulder Reservoir in Boulder, Colorado, USA
• 1,645 meters (5,397 feet): wild swimming in Khovsgol Nuur in the Khovsgol Nuur National Park in northern Mongolia
• 1,654 meters (5,427 feet): 1.6 km and 3.2 km Mountain Swim Series Chatfield Classic in Hatfield Lake in Littleton, Colorado, USA
• 1,676 meters (5,500 feet): 6.43 km Sierra Nevada Open Water 4 MS by Richard Gardner across Shaver Lake in the Sierra National Forest of Fresno County, California, USA
• 1,756 meters (5,760 feet): 4.82 km Mountain Swim Series Carter Lake Crossing in Carter Lake Reservoir in Loveland, Colorado, USA
• 1,897 meters (6,224 feet): 250m Gar Woods Polar Bear Swim in Lake Tahoe, California, USA
• 1,897 meters (6,224 feet): 16.1 km Olympic Club Trans Tahoe Relay in Lake Tahoe, California, USA
• 1,897 meters (6,224 feet): 17.1 km Vikingsholm Swim between Cave Rock in Nevada and Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, California, USA [see historical results here]
• 1,897 meters (6,224 feet): 19.3 km true width swim across Lake Tahoe between California and Nevada, USA
• 1,897 meters (6,224 feet): 34.3 km swim across Lake Tahoe, California, USA [see Lake Tahoe Triple Crowners below]
• 2,060 meters (6,759 feet): wild swimming in Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur in the Khangai Mountains in central Mongolia 17. 2,200 meters (7,218 feet): 500m International Limit Challenging Race of Crossing Yellow River Qinghai China) in northwest China’s Qinghai Province in Tibetan Plateau
• 2,323 meters (7,621 feet): 2.25 km Sierra Nevada Open Water 4 MS by Richard Gardner across June Lake in Inyo National Forest, Mono County, California, USA
• 2,425 meters (7,957 feet): 1.5 km loops (repeated until failure) Mountain Swim Series Cliff Backyard Ultra Swim in Wellington Lake in Bailey, Colorado, USA
• 2,425 meters (7,957 feet): 5 km and 10 km Mountain Swim Series Castle 5K/10K in Wellington Lake in Bailey, Colorado, USA
• 3,000 meters (9,842 feet): 1 km Festival Internacional de Natación de Invierno en Argentina in the Andes Mountains, Argentina
• 3,048 meters (10,000 feet): 1 km South African Ice Swimming Championships in Afriski, Lesotho in Africa
• 3,216 meters (10,551 feet): wild swimming and Ice Miles within the glacier crevasse at the Nature Ice Palace on the Hintertux Glacier in Austria with water temperatures under -0°C
• 3,812 meters (12,507 feet): 7 km Nadando Cerca del Cielo in Lago Titicaca from the Isla de la Luna to the Isla del Sol in Bolivia
• 3,812 meters (12,507 feet): 16 km by Lynne Cox in Lago Titicaca from Copacabana, Bolivia to Chimbo, Peru
• 5,200 meters (17,060 feet): 1 km by Lewis Pugh in Lake Pumori on Mount Everest in the Nepal – Tibet border [see below]
• 5,909 meters (19,386 feet): Ojos Swim by Madswimmers Jean Craven, Juandre Human, Milton Brest, Evan Feldman, Chris Marthinusen, Herman van der Westhuizen and Robert Graaff across Ojos del Salado in Mount Tres Cruces on the border of Chile and Argentina in the Andes Mountains [see below]

https://youtu.be/DCjQ1Eqp7CI

https://youtu.be/QISHX5UKky0

https://youtu.be/QoH5QffHekw

The Lake Tahoe Open Water Swimming Association recognizes and ratifies the Lake Tahoe Triple Crown that includes the following three high-altitude swims: 21.3-mile Length 10.6-mile Vikingsholm 12-mile True Width. The following swimmers have completed the Lake Tahoe Triple Crown.

1. Erika Shanahan Gliebe, USA – total Triple Crown time: 26 hours 52 minutes
2. Nicholas Kelley, USA – total Triple Crown time: 22 hours 48 minutes
3. Scott Kaloust, USA – total Triple Crown time: 27 hours 0 minutes
4. Jessica Wood, USA – total Triple Crown time: 25 hours 14 minutes
5. Dave Van Mouwerik, USA – total Triple Crown time: 26 hours 40 minutes
6. Shannon House Keegan, USA – total Triple Crown time: 26 hours 7 minutes [shown below]
7. Georgia Wells, USA – total Triple Crown time: 30 hours 27 minutes
8. Jorge Angel, Columbia – total Triple Crown time: 19 hours 46 minutes
9. Maya Merhige, USA – total Triple Crown time: 24 hours 36 minutes
10. Ragip Vural Tandoğan, Turkey – total Triple Crown time: 33 hours 39 minutes
11. Kerianne Brownlie, USA – total Triple Crown time: 25 hours 39 minutes

Shannon House Keegan in middle after a 13 hours 17 minute crossing of Lake Tahoe with her crew members, sister Julie House Moreno and Todd Lantry of Rogue Valley Masters Swim Team.

© 2024 Daily News of Open Water Swimming

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