El Diente Peak is a
high
High may refer to:
Science and technology
* Height
* High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area
* High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory
* High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...
summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...
in the
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...
range of the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
of
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. The peak is located in the
Lizard Head Wilderness of
San Juan National Forest
The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres (2,935.7 sq mi, or 7,603.42 km²) in western Colorado. The forest occupies land in Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezum ...
, north by east (
bearing 8°) of the
Town of Rico in
Dolores County,
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. "El Diente" is Spanish for "The Tooth", a reference to the shape of the peak.
[
]
Climbing
The topographic prominence
In topography, prominence or relative height (also referred to as autonomous height, and shoulder drop in US English, and drop in British English) measures the height of a mountain or hill's summit relative to the lowest contour line encircling ...
of El Diente Peak is only , so by a strict cutoff rule, it would not be counted as a separate peak from its higher neighbor Mount Wilson. However, the 3/4 mile (1.2 km) connecting ridge is a significant climbing challenge ( Class 4/5), making El Diente more independent than its prominence would indicate.[
]
Hence, it is often regarded as a full-fledged fourteener
In the mountaineering parlance of the Western United States, a fourteener (also spelled 14er) is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least . The 96 fourteeners in the United States are all west of the Mississippi River. Colorado
Co ...
.
El Diente is one of the more dramatic peaks in Colorado in terms of local relief and steepness. As a result, it is one of the most challenging climbs among Colorado's fourteeners. All routes involve at least class 3 scrambling on loose talus, and poor route-finding can expose the climber to more difficult and dangerous terrain.
Incidents
As with all high peaks, El Diente has risks for climbers and mountaineers.
* In 2010, experienced climber John Arthur Merrill was killed in a rock slide on El Diente's south face while hiking with his dog.
* In 2019, a climber was rescued after surviving a 600-foot fall from El Diente after landing in an avalanche chute. While seriously injured, the climber was rescued by helicopter after activating an emergency signal on his GPS device.
* In 2020, climber Regina Stump fell 60 feet from El Diente after a boulder she was scrambling came loose. After breaking a wrist she was able to climb to safety.
* In 2022, a climber fell from El Diente Peak and broke his leg. He was rescued after calling for help from his inReach device.
Historical names
*El Diente
*El Diente Peak [
]
See also
*List of mountain peaks of Colorado
This is a list of major mountain peaks in the U.S. State of Colorado.
This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks in Colorado.
The summit of a mountain or hill may be measured in three principal ways:
#The topographi ...
**List of Colorado fourteeners
This is a list of mountain peaks in the U.S. State of Colorado that exceed of elevation.
In the mountaineering parlance of the Western United States, a ''fourteener'' is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet. This is a co ...
References
External links
*
*
Mountains of Dolores County, Colorado
Four-thousanders of the United States
{{Colorado-geo-stub