Wetterhorn Peak

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Wetterhorn Peak
Wetterhorn peak.jpg
Highest point
Elevation 14,021 ft (4,274 m) [1] [2]
Prominence 1,635 ft (498 m) [2]
Parent peak Uncompahgre Peak [2]
Isolation 2.77 mi (4.46 km) [2]
Listing Colorado Fourteener 50th
Coordinates 38°03′38″N107°30′39″W / 38.0605503°N 107.5108924°W / 38.0605503; -107.5108924 [3]
Naming
English translationWeather Peak
Language of nameGerman
Geography
USA Colorado relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Wetterhorn Peak
Location within the state of Colorado
Location Hinsdale and Ouray counties, Colorado, United States [3]
Parent range San Juan Mountains [2]
Topo map USGS 7.5' topographic map
Wetterhorn Peak, Colorado [3]
Climbing
First ascent 1906 by George Barnard, C. Smedley, W. P. Smedley, D. Utter (first recorded ascent) [2] [4]
Easiest route Southeast Ridge: Scramble, class 3 [5]

Wetterhorn Peak (German : Wetterhorn, literally "weather horn") is a fourteen thousand-foot mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Uncompahgre Wilderness of the northern San Juan Mountains, in northwestern Hinsdale County and southeastern Ouray County, approximately 9 miles (14 km) east of the town of Ouray and 2.75 mi (4.4 km) west of Uncompahgre Peak.

Contents

Wetterhorn Peak and neighboring Matterhorn Peak (13,590 ft (4,142 m)) are named after the Wetterhorn and the Matterhorn, two famous peaks in the Swiss Alps. Both Colorado peaks are pointed rock spires (hence resembling their namesake peaks), whose shapes contrast with the broad bulk of the higher Uncompahgre Peak. [6]

The first recorded ascent of Colorado's Wetterhorn was made in 1906 by George Barnard, C. Smedley, W. P. Smedley, and D. Utter, [2] but a previous ascent by miners working in the area in the 19th century is likely. [4]

The standard route to the summit of Wetterhorn Peak ascends the southeast ridge, which is accessed via the Matterhorn Creek drainage on the south side of the mountain. The trailhead is on the Henson Creek Road, accessible from Lake City. The route involves 3,535 ft (1,077 m) of ascent from the trailhead and some exposed scrambling (Class 3/4) on the ridge itself. The nearby east face is considered a high-quality advanced snow climb or extreme ski descent. [6]

See also

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Coxcomb Peak is a 13,656-foot-elevation (4,162-meter) mountain summit located on the common boundary of Hinsdale County and Ouray County, in Colorado, United States. It is situated nine miles northeast of the community of Ouray, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is situated west of the Continental Divide. Coxcomb ranks as the 171st-highest peak in Colorado, and topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises 2,000 feet above Wetterhorn Basin in approximately one mile, and 4,400 feet above Cow Creek in three miles. Neighbors include Precipice Peak 2.7 miles to the north, Redcliff one-half mile north, Matterhorn Peak 2.3 miles to the east-southeast, and nearest higher neighbor Wetterhorn Peak 1.8 mile to the southeast. The mountain's descriptive name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use since at least 1906 when Henry Gannett published it in the Gazetteer of Colorado.

References

  1. The elevation of Wetterhorn Peak includes an adjustment of +1.903 m (+6.24 ft) from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Wetterhorn Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Wetterhorn Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Wetterhorn Peak". Summitpost.
  5. "Wetterhorn Peak Routes". 14ers.com.
  6. 1 2 Louis W. Dawson II. Dawson's Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners, Volume 2. Blue Clover Press. pp.  115–121. ISBN   0-9628867-2-6.