Located in the Caucasus mountains, the snowy summit of Mount Elbrus towers over Europe and Russia at 5,652m. Photo: Google. The summit of mighty Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Western and Southern Hemispheres and the tallest point outside of the Himalayas. Photo: Google. At 19,341 ft, Uhuru is the highest point on Mount Kilimanjaro. Called the Roof of Africa, Kilimanjaro is the highest peak on the African continent and highest freestanding mountain in the world. Photo: Google. While on the Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal you can stand face to face with Mount Everest, the “Goddess Mother of the Earth", from the easily reached high-point of 18,192-foot Kala Pattar. Trekkers climb this peak before dawn to catch a glimpse of Everest at sunrise. Photo: Google. The Kilimanjaro Moir Hut. Photo: Google. The Kilimanjaro Moir Hut. Photo: Google. Kilimanjaro Arrow Glacier Camp. Photo: Google. Everest Tengboche Monastery. Photo: Google. Everest Tengboche Monastery. Photo: Google Namche Bazaar near Everest. Photo: Google. Mudslide Bridge near Everest. Photo: Google. Elbrus Diesel Hut. Photo: Google. Elbrus Barrel Huts. Photo: Google. Everest. Photo: Google Aconcagua Plaza. Photo: Google. Aconcagua Camp Colera. Photo: Google.

Your day job, not to mention fitness level, will probably keep you from ever ascending the mightiest peaks on Earth. Don't worry. Google's done the hard work for you and released the stunning panoramic images needed to make you feel like you're on top of the world.

Google, which seems determined to map every square inch of the planet, on Monday released Street View images from four of the seven tallest mountains on earth. One lucky engineer, who happens to be a passionate mountaineer, led the Google Mountain Enthusiast team during a project that was strictly a labor of love for all involved.

"There's a social benefit to using these tools to tell the story in these environments. A chance to really connect to whats on the ground with a rich imagery so they can see what it looks like and feels like to be there," says Dan Fredinburg, who is a technical program manager for security and privacy when he isn't scaling summits.

Fredinburg's teams – which included four to seven people, depending upon the trip – used a lightweight tripod and digital camera with a fisheye lens to visually map Aconcagua in Argentina (22,841 feet), Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania (19,341 Feet), Mount Elbrus in Russia (18,510 feet) and Everest South Base Camp in Nepal (17,598 feet). It's the same setup the Street View team uses for the Business Photos program. They opted to use that rig instead of the 40-pound, 75-megapixel Google Trekker backpack.

"When you're going expeditions in the alpine style environment, every gram, every ounce, every pound counts," Fredinburg says.

Fredinburg says Google has been very receptive and supportive of his blending together work and play. Beyond slaking his thirst for adventure, the excursions – made over the course of 18 months – helped make Street View more accurate, vivid and useful for his fellow adventurers, as well as those happy to explore Earth from the comfort of home.

His passion for climbing almost got the better of him while climbing Everest. He really, really wanted to go all the way to the top, but the team arrived just before the summit window in October.

"It was only planned to go to the basecamp," says Fredinburg. "I did try to convince my guides to take me further up. I was very excited when I got to basecamp."

His enthusiasm led to an awkward conversation with the guides, who refused to take him any higher than base camp. He pressed the issue, and offered to pay them for their trouble. Still, they refused. It eventually dawned on him that perhaps it was too risky. So he asked about the odds of dying.

"Certain," came the response. "100 percent."

Maybe admiring the view from your desk is a better idea.