This is the 7th lecture of Winter School 2025!

This lecture will take place on campus in room 1-190 from 7pm to 9pm.

Guest Lecturer: Eric and Matthew Gilbertson

Matthew and Eric Gilbertson are fraternal twin brothers who were dedicated MITOC members and trip leaders from 2004-2015. During their time at MIT, they hiked the Appalachian Trail, biked from Alaska to Montana, and climbed the highest mountain in all 50 states. They hold a world record for the fastest time (and first people) to climb the highest mountain in all 23 North American Countries. They’re currently working on the ultimate peakbagging list - the 196 country high points. They hold PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from MIT.

Talk description

Want to travel to the summits of 146 countries in one evening? In our presentation, we’ll take you on a tour of the highest mountains in two-thirds of the world’s countries, from the jungles of Micronesia, to the highlands of Saudi Arabia, to the icy peaks of western Mongolia and the summit of K2. We’ll cover stealth peakbagging missions in Bahrain, armed escorts through the jungle of Belize, sub-Arctic high- altitude mountaineering in Alaska, and the first SE-NW kite ski traverse of Greenland, all in pursuit of the tallest summits. We’ll focus on trips relevant to Winter School, with takeaway lessons about balancing careers and life with adventuring, plus strategies to maximize your time outdoors.