Mount Elbrus is the highest peak in Europe, according to the commonly used Caucasus boundary.
This dormant stratovolcano rises to 5,642 metres in the western Caucasus of Russia. It has two summits: the western summit is higher, while the eastern summit reaches 5,621 metres. Both summits are volcanic cones covered by extensive ice and snow.
The Europe–Asia boundary is not universally defined. Geographers who place the boundary along the Greater Caucasus watershed classify Elbrus as Europe’s highest mountain. Other definitions place parts of the Caucasus in Asia, which can lead to Mont Blanc being called Europe’s highest peak instead.
Elbrus was first climbed successfully in 1874 by a British-led expedition that reached the western summit. The mountain is also one of the Seven Summits, the highest peaks on each continent under the conventional continental scheme.