Grand Teton

Infobox Mountain
Name= Grand Teton
Photo= Grand_Teton_in_Winter-NPS.jpg
Caption= Grand Teton in Winter
Elevation= 13,770 feet (4,197 m)
Location= Wyoming, USA
Prominence = 6,530 feet (1,990 m)
Range= Teton Range
Coordinates= coord|43|44|28|N|110|48|06|W|region:US [cite web|title=Grand Teton|work=Geographic Names Information System|url=gnis3|1609199|publisher=USGS]
Topographic
USGS Grand Teton
Easiest route= Owen-Spalding Route Class 5.5
First ascent= 1898 by William O. Owen and party
Listing = Ultra

Grand Teton is the highest mountain within Grand Teton National Park, and the second highest in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The origin of the name is controversial. The most common explanation is that "Grand Teton" means "large teat" in French, named by either French-Canadian or Iroquois members of an expedition led by Donald McKenzie of the North West Company. [cite book|url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/grte1/chap5.htm|title=Colter's Hell and Jackson's Hole|last=Mattes|first=Merrill J.|chapter="Le Trois Tetons": The Golden Age of Discovery, 1810-1824|year=1962|publisher=Yellowstone Library and Museum Association] However, other historians disagree, and claim that the mountain was named after the Teton Sioux tribe of Native Americans. [cite web|url=http://www.yellowstone-online.com/history/yhtwo3.html|title=Historical Origins of Mountain Names in Yellowstone|last=Macdonald Jr.|first=James S.|work=The Magic of Yellowstone]

There is a controversy over who made the first ascent of Grand Teton. Nathaniel Langford and James Stevenson claimed to reach the summit on July 29, 1872. However, their description and sketches match the summit of The Enclosure: side peak of Grand Teton. The Enclosure is named after a man-made palisade of rocks on its summit, probably constructed by Native Americans. When William O. Owen climbed the true summit in 1898, he found no trace of prior human passage. Therefore, The Enclosure was probably first climbed by Native Americans, and the true summit was first climbed by William Owen. [cite book|title=A Place Called Jackson Hole|chapter=Park of the Matterhorns|last=Jackson|first=Reynold G.|url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/grte2/hrs16.htm|date=1999|editor=John Daugherty|publisher=Grand Teton Natural History Association]

Climbing routes

Grand Teton can be climbed with minimal gear via the Owen-Spalding route (II, 5.4). However, it is highly exposed and experience is recommended. The Owen-Spalding route is named after the climbers who made the first claimed ascent: William Owen, Franklin Spalding, Frank Peterson and John Shive. There is some debate as to which person made the first ascent; however most agree this group was the first. Their route begins at the Upper Saddle which is reached by walking from Lupine Meadows Trailhead, up Garnet Canyon, to the Lower Saddle.

The most popular route up the mountain is the Exum Ridge(II, 5.5), a 13-pitch exposed route first climbed by Glenn Exum, co-founder of Exum Mountain Guides. This route takes the south ridge of the mountain to the summit, and the direct start (Lower Exum Ridge, III, 5.7) is considered a mountaineering classic. The North Ridge (IV, 5.8) and North Face with Direct Finish (IV, 5.8) ascend the dramatic northern aspect of the peak, and their inclusion in Steck and Roper's Fifty Classic Climbs of North America (Sierra Club Books, CA, 1979) has helped maintain the fame of the peak in the climbing community. Since the first ascent, 38 routes with 58 variations have been established.

The Grand Teton has been skied by three routes, each requiring at least one rappel. The first descent on skis was made by Bill Briggs in the spring of 1971 down the Ford Couloir; a route near the Owen-Spalding is now named in his honor.

ee also

*4000 meter peaks of North America
*Central Rocky Mountains
*Mountain peaks of North America
*Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains
*Mountain peaks of the United States

References

External links

* [http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150312/grand-teton.html Grand Teton on Summitpost]
* [http://www.nps.gov/grte/ NPS website for Grand Teton National Park]
* [http://www.tetoncam.com Live Webcam view of the Grand Teton from the Idaho side]