Posts filed under 'Peak of the Week'
Mount Ararat may be familiar to many people from the Biblical story that names it as the landing place of Noah’s Ark. It lies in extreme eastern Turkey, just 10 miles west of the Iranian border. The area has been contested over the centuries and ruled by many different groups, such as; Romans, Arabs, Georgians, and Byzantines just to name a few.
Mt Ararat
16,946 ft
The Mt Ararat Anomaly is an object seen in photos that some believe are the remains of the Ark. It lies at about 15,000 feet. The object has been photographed from the air as well as from space, and it is still undetermined as to whether it is actually a foreign object or part of the mountain.
From Wikipedia.org:
Geology
Ararat is a stratovolcano, formed of lava flows and pyroclastic ejecta, with no volcanic crater. Above the height of 4,200 m (13,780 ft), the mountain mostly consists of igneous rocks covered by an ice sheet.
A smaller 3,896 m (12,782 ft) cone, Little Ararat, rises from the same base, southeast of the main peak. The lava plateau stretches out between the two pinnacles. The bases of these two mountains is approximately 1,000 km2 (386 sq mi) wide.
The formation of Ararat is hard to retrieve geologically, but the type of vulcanism and the position of the volcano raise the idea that subduction relation vulcanism occurred when the Tethys Ocean closed during the Neogene, as recently occurred along the borders of the Eurasian, African and Arabian plates from Cabo de Gata to the Caucasus.
Climbing Mount Ararat
The climb is long, but there is a fairly easy route from the south in late summer for climbers who are familiar with the use of axe and crampons. Snow covers the last 400 m (¼ mile) year-round. There are two possible campsites on the mountain, and the glacier begins around 4,800 m (15,750 ft). The Turkish government requires a climbing permit and use of a certified Turkish guide. Arrangements can take two months to complete.
January 5th, 2009
You’ll notice I changed the category “Mountain of the Week”" to the way more catchy “Peak of the Week.” Thanks for the suggestion Gonz. If you’d like to go back and see previous selections, just follow this link to Peak of the Week. And please comment on any of these posts to make a suggestion for a peak you’d like to see. I normally pool general data about the mountain along with info from Wikipeda and other mountaineering and geography sources.
Chimborazo
20,565 ft
Chimborazo is a huge pyramidal volcano located in Ecuador, South America. It has been in the sites of many climbers working their way up through their mountaineering dream list.
This bad boy gets extra points for not only being a popular climb but also for topping out at over 20,000 feet. That makes it an excellent training climb for larger Himalayan peaks.
An interesting fact about Chimborazo is that it’s summit is the furthest point from the center of the earth.
Mountaineering
As Ecuador’s highest mountain, Chimborazo is a very popular climb and can be climbed year round with the best seasons being December-January and July-August.
Routes
The easiest (Grade: PD) and most climbed routes are the Normal and the Whymper route. Both are western ridge routes starting at the Whymper hut and leading via the Ventemilla summit to the main (Whymper) summit. There are several other less used and more challenging routes on the other mountains faces and ridges leading to one of Chimborazo’s summits: Main (Whymper, Ecuador), Politecnico (Central), N. Martinez (Eastern). The mountain is contained on the IGM (Instituto Geografico Militar) 1:50000 Map Chimborazo (CT-ÑIV-C1).[2]
Refugios
There are two functioning Huts, the Carrel Hut (4,850 m) and the nearby Whymper Hut (5,000 m). The Carrel Hut can be reached by car from Riobamba, Ambato or Guaranda. On the north-west side there is the now defunct Zurita hut (4,900 m) which served as base for the Pogyos route.[10]
Mountaineering info from Wikipedia.
November 21st, 2008
Uncompahgre Peak
(14,309 ft)
Despite it’s ridiculously hard to pronounce name, this peak is a stunning beauty. It typifies everything people stereotype for mountain topography. Long snowy slopes, a craggy upper section and a pointy summit.
Uncompahgre Peak lies in a rugged chain in known as the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado.
Uncompahgre is a Ute Indian word that has several connotations that relate to water. “dirty water” “rocks that make water red”
Ever since I caught images of this mountain I have wanted to get up onto it’s slopes. I’ve heard it is one of the more beautiful mountains to climb in the area with a great class II approach to the summit. From a distance the pictures make it look like you would need to do alot of scrambling, but according to 14ers.com that isn’t necessary.
From Wikipedia:
Uncompahgre Peak is the sixth highest mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado and is the highest peak of the San Juan Mountains. It is located in the Uncompahgre Wilderness in the northern San Juans, in northern Hinsdale County approximately 7 miles (11 km) west of the town of Lake City.
Uncompahgre peak has a broad summit plateau, rising about 1,500 ft (500 m) above the broad surrounding alpine basins. The south, east and west sides are not particularly steep, but the north face boasts a 700 ft (210 m) cliff. Like all peaks in the San Juan Mountains, Uncompahgre is of volcanic origin, but is not a volcano. The rock is of poor quality for climbing, precluding an ascent of the north face.
The most popular route for climbing Uncompahgre Peak is Uncompahgre National Forest Service Trail Number 239, which starts from the end of the Nellie Creek Road, east-southeast of the peak. The Nellie Creek Road is a four wheel drive road accessed from the Henson Creek Road, about 4 miles west of Lake City. The trail to the summit is a strenuous hike rising 2,919 ft (890 m) in elevation in about 3.5 mi (6 km). It accesses the summit in a winding ascent, starting from the east, passing over a south-trending ridge, and finishing on the west slopes of the summit plateau.[2]
November 14th, 2008
I’ve been slacking on the Mountain of the Week posts… okay slacking is being generous.I haven’t done one in months. I will be picking these back up though as peak bagging season ends to give us all something to plan for when we get out next summer.
Mt Massive
(14,421 ft)
Mt Massive is big… no no, massive. It is also a mountain of massive stats, as mountain stats go.
As if one summit wasn’t enough, this one has 5. The summit ridge is 3 miles long and the round trip standard route comes in at 13.6 miles. Mt Massive is the 2nd highest peak in Colorado. It is situated just next to Mt Elbert, which is #1 when it comes to altituitude in the state of Colorado.
Massive also boasts being the 3rd highest peak in the lower 48, not to mention it is the 29th highest peak in all of the North American continent. It has over half a square mile of land ABOVE 14,000 feet. I was out with some friends peakbagging in the area a few years ago and we climbed Elbert next door. The view of Massive from the summit was amazing. Since that day it’s been on my list.
From Wikipedia:
Mount Massive was first surveyed and climbed in 1873 during the Hayden Survey of the American West; survey member Henry Gannett is credited with the first ascent.[3] Its name comes from its elongated shape: it has five summits, all above 14,000 ft (4,268 m), and a summit ridge over 3 mi (4.8 km) long. Mount Elbert is Mount Massive’s nearest neighbor among the fourteeners; it lies about 5 mi (8 km) south-southeast of the peak.
September 30th, 2008
Imja Tse (Island Peak) - (20, 305 ft - 6,189 m)
Any major gear companies want to sponsor a Himalayan peak? This would be a good way to do it on the cheap. Imja Tse, or Island Peak as it is known to many is located just next to Everest. It sits in the shadow of the tallest mountain of the world. Even though it is a whopping 20, 305 feet it looks small next to it’s big brother. It is taller than 4 of the 7 summits.
From Wikipedia…
“Imja Tse, better known as Island Peak, is a mountain in the Himalaya of eastern Nepal. The peak was named Island Peak in 1951 by Eric Shipton’s party since it appears as an island in a sea of ice when viewed from Dingboche. The peak was later renamed in 1983 to Imja Tse but Island Peak remains the popular choice. The peak is actually an extension of the ridge coming down off the south end of Lhotse Shar.
Imja Tse was first climbed in 1953 by a British team as a training exercise in preparation for Mount Everest. Tenzing Norgay was one of the members of this first ascent team.”
So, who wants to sponsor me in the 2008 Imja Tse climb?… North Face? No… Patagonia… No? Somebody? Anybody? 
SummitClimb.com has a good deal on a trek/climb up this peak if you’re interested.
December 27th, 2007
Mountain of the Week - Lyskamm - 14,852 FT (4,527 M)
Lyskamm is located on the Italian/Swiss border in the Alps. It has a double peak, one lying in Italy and one in Switzerland. The peak in Switzerland is the higher of the two. Many us Zermatt as a jumping off point to climb this mountain.
From Wikipedia - The mountain is often climbed as a traverse from the Felikjoch (West), to the Listjoch (East) or vice versa. The traverse consists mostly of a narrow, snow-covered ridge, with some scrambling over rocks. In good conditions, this route is fairly easy and objectively safe, however in bad snow conditions and/or bad visibility, the ridge can be challenging because of large, sometimes double, cornices, mainly on the southern side of the ridge.
The eastern and highest of the two peaks is 4,527 m high, and was first ascended in 1861 by a 14-man team (eight Englishmen and six Swiss guides) led by J. F. Hardy and including William Edward Hall, up the east ridge. The ridge as a whole was first traversed three years later by Leslie Stephen, Edward Buxton, Jakob Anderegg and Franz Biener.
October 11th, 2007
I try to stick to less popular mountains with the “Mountain of the Week” feature. Mt Vesuvius is very well known, but I’m not too sure how many of us think of climbing it. No matter how you look at it, it’s a cool one fo shizzle.
Mountain of the Week - Mt Vesuvius
Image courtesy of Discovery Channel and Crew Creative, Ltd.
Mt Vesuvius
From Wikipedia:
Mount Vesuvius (Italian: Monte Vesuvio, Latin: Mons Vesuvius) is a volcano east of Naples, Italy. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting. The only other two such volcanoes in Italy (Etna and Stromboli) are located on islands.
Vesuvius is on the coast of the Bay of Naples, about nine kilometres (six miles) east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is conspicuous in the beautiful landscape presented by the Bay of Naples, when seen from the sea, with Naples in the foreground. Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. It has erupted many times since and is today regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people now living close to it and its tendency towards explosive eruptions.
Mount Vesuvius was regarded by the Greeks and Romans as being sacred to the hero and demigod Heracles/Hercules, and the town of Herculaneum, built at its base, was named after him.
Climbing
There is access by road to within 200 metres of the summit (measured vertically), but thereafter access is on foot only. There is a spiral walkway around the mountain from the road to the crater.
September 13th, 2007
I just returned from Peru (just before the big quake… wow). And since the center piece of my trip there was to trek through the Andes and up over a high pass which skirts the glaciers on Mt. Salkantay, I thought this was a good opportunity to showcase this beautiful mountain. Not the highest in the Andes, but certainly a beautiful mountain that is apparently rarely climbed due to its difficulty according to our guide.
Mount Salkantay - (20,574 ft - 6,271M)
From Wikipedia -
Salcantay is a large, steep peak, “the most spectacular peak of the region”,[9] with great vertical relief, particularly above the low valleys to the north, which are tributaries of the Amazon River.
Salcantay was first climbed in 1952 by a French-American expedition comprising Fred D. Ayres, David Michael, Jr., John C. Oberlin, W. V. Graham Matthews, Austen F. Riggs, George I. Bell, Claude Kogan, M. Bernard Pierre, and Jean Guillemin. All except Oberlin, Riggs, and Guillemin made the summit.[9]
The standard route on the mountain is the Northeast ridge. Accessing the route typically involves three days of travel from Cusco. The climb involves about 1,800 m (5,900 ft) of vertical gain, on glacier, snow, ice, and some rock. The route is graded AD on the French adjectival scale.[4]
The name Salcantay is from salqa meaning wild, uncivilized, or savage, and was recorded as early as 1583.[10] The name is thus often translated as “Savage Mountain”.
Directly to the north of Salcantay lies Machu Picchu, which is at the end of a ridge that extends down from this mountain. Viewed from Machu Picchu, the Southern Cross is above Salcantay’s summit when at its highest point in the sky during the rainy season. The Incas associated this alignment with concepts of rain and fertility, and considered Salcantay to be one of the principal deities controlling weather and fertility in the region west of Cuzco. [11]
August 21st, 2007
In honor Outdoorzy member leighkmill’s first hiking trip last weekend, our mountain of the week is Clingman’s Dome. We’re still waiting on a trip report, Leigh, but here is some info while we’re waiting.
From clingmansdome.com:
At 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s highest point. It is the highest point in Tennessee, and the second highest point east of the Mississippi.The peak is accessible after driving Clingmans Dome Road from Newfound Gap, and then walking a steep half-mile trail. A paved trail leads to a 54-foot observation tower. The Appalachian Trail crosses Clingmans Dome, marking the highest point along its 2,144 mile journey.
Wikipedia says:
Though not quite the outdoor adventure, it does provide the casual visitor with an excellent glimpse of the often hostile environment of highland Appalachia, and the fifty-foot high observation tower allows spectators a 360 degree panorama of the surrounding mountains, on the infrequent occasion of a clear, sunny day. Cantilevered signs, hanging from the rails of the tower, point out the various peaks that can be viewed in the distance.
For the more hardy hiker, the Appalachian Trail also crosses Clingman’s Dome, passing a very short distance behind the observation tower. The trail can be picked up from Newfound Gap and hiked for approximately 7½ miles to the tower, which offers the only opportunity to actually hike Clingman’s Dome. The entire distance is above 5,000 ft (1,524 m), and is perfumed with the fragrant scent of spruce.
In addition to Clingman’s Dome, Chimney Tops, Abrams Falls and Hen Wallow Falls trails were all used to help break in Leigh’s new hiking shoes.
Images from Wikipedia.
August 2nd, 2007
I recently visited Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. This is an excellent place to get your mountain bike on… And if you like trout, there were hoards of trout fisherman. They would hike in a few miles on trails that followed the mountain streams and then cast their line. It looked like an excellent place to fish and our neighbors in the campground brought back several large trout to eat the first night we were there. The park is named after Mt. Pisgah which is the dominant peak in the area.
Mt. Pisgah - (5,721 ft - 1,744 m)
Mount Pisgah is a mountain in the Appalachian Mountain Range and part of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, United States. The mountain’s height is 5,721 feet (1,744 metres) and it sits approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Asheville at the crossing of the boundaries of Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Transylvania counties. The mountain is easily accessible via the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Description from Wikipedia. Photo by Wikipedia user Badgettrg
July 26th, 2007
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