Thanks to Google, you can now view Mt. Kilimanjaro or Mt. Everest right from your home.
It's all part of an addition to Google Street View released by the company on Monday March 18, which includes images from four of the seven tallest mountains on Earth. The project was conducted by the Google Mountain Enthusiast team.
"Whether you're scoping out the mountain for your next big adventure or exploring it from the comfort and warmth of your home, we hope you enjoy these views from the top of the world," wrote Google adventurer Dan Fredinburg in a blog post. "With Google Maps, you can instantly transport yourself to the top of these peaks and enjoy the sights without all the avalanches, rock slides, crevasses and dangers from altitude and weather that mountaineers face."
Google employees took the pictures using a tripod-mounted digital camera with a fisheye lens in order to capture 360-degree views. They have walked, driven and biked through locations across the globe to add to Google's Street View features. For this project, the mountains the team mapped included Aconcagua in Argentina at 22,841 feet, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at 19,341 feet, Mt. Elbrus in Russia at 18,510 feet and Everest South Base Camp in Nepal at 17,598 feet. The team climbed the peaks over the course of the last 18 months.
The journey presented a number of technical challenges, including the fact that the team had to carry bulky equipment plus clothing and food. Another challenge was the batteries.
"As the temperature goes down, the battery life goes down," said Michele Battelli, who photographed Aconcagua. "We brought 15 or so batteries and recharged them along the way."
Regardless, the Google Adventurers were able to come back with a wealth of images to be shared.
"It was this out-of-world experience of entering into an environment where not many people go and knowing we were going to bring back that experience for others to see," Fredinburg said.
