All Topics  
Grand Teton

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Grand Teton
 
 
  Topics Grand Teton Topic Home

Grand Teton is the highest mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
 within Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park. The park is named after the Grand Teton, which, at , is the tallest mountain in the Teton Range....
, and at 13,770 feet (4197 m), the second highest in the U.S. state of Wyoming
Wyoming

The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
. The origin of the name is controversial. The most common explanation is that "Grand Teton" means "large teat
Teat

Teat is an alternative word for the nipple of a mammary gland, in humans referred to as a breast, from which milk is discharged. Similarly, in Cattles, goats, etc., teats are the projections from the udder through which milk is discharged....
" in French, named by either French-Canadian or Iroquois
Iroquois

The Iroquois Confederacy is a group of First Nations/Native Americans in the United States that originally consisted of five nations: the Mohawk nation, the Oneida tribe, the Onondaga , the Cayuga nation, and the Seneca nation....
 members of an expedition led by Donald McKenzie of the North West Company
North West Company

The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal, Quebec from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada....
.However, other historians disagree, and claim that the mountain was named after the Teton Sioux tribe of Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
s.

There is a controversy over who made the first ascent of Grand Teton.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Grand Teton'
Start a new discussion about 'Grand Teton'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Grand Teton is the highest mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
 within Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park. The park is named after the Grand Teton, which, at , is the tallest mountain in the Teton Range....
, and at 13,770 feet (4197 m), the second highest in the U.S. state of Wyoming
Wyoming

The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
. The origin of the name is controversial. The most common explanation is that "Grand Teton" means "large teat
Teat

Teat is an alternative word for the nipple of a mammary gland, in humans referred to as a breast, from which milk is discharged. Similarly, in Cattles, goats, etc., teats are the projections from the udder through which milk is discharged....
" in French, named by either French-Canadian or Iroquois
Iroquois

The Iroquois Confederacy is a group of First Nations/Native Americans in the United States that originally consisted of five nations: the Mohawk nation, the Oneida tribe, the Onondaga , the Cayuga nation, and the Seneca nation....
 members of an expedition led by Donald McKenzie of the North West Company
North West Company

The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal, Quebec from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada....
.However, other historians disagree, and claim that the mountain was named after the Teton Sioux tribe of Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
s.

There is a controversy over who made the first ascent of Grand Teton. Nathaniel P. Langford
Nathaniel P. Langford

Nathaniel Pitt. Langford was an explorer, businessman, bureaucrat, vigilante and historian from St. Paul, Minnesota who played an important role in the early years of the Montana gold fields, territorial government and the creation of Yellowstone National Park....
 and James Stevenson claimed to reach the summit on July 29, 1872. However, their description and sketches match the summit of The Enclosure, a side peak of Grand Teton. The Enclosure is named after a man-made palisade of rocks on its summit, probably constructed by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
. When William O. Owen climbed the true summit in 1898, he found no trace of prior human passage. In all likelihood, The Enclosure was first climbed by Native Americans, while the true summit was first climbed by Owen.

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
Garnet Canyon

Garnet Canyon is located in Grand Teton National Park in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The canyon was formed by retreating glaciers which reached their last glacial maximum around 15,000 years ago....
, to the Lower Saddle.

The most popular route up the mountain is finished via the Upper Exum Ridge Route
Upper Exum Ridge Route

The Upper Exum Ridge Route is the upper section of a technical rock climbing up the Grand Teton's Exum Ridge in Wyoming.The route and ridge is named after Glenn Exum who pioneered the climb, via a solo ascent, on a day when his mentor Paul Petzoldt was guiding a couple up the original Owen-Spaulding Route....
 (II, 5.5) on the Exum Ridge, a 13-pitch exposed route first climbed by Glenn Exum
Glenn Exum

Glenn Exum numbers among the premier mountaineers in American climbing history. Exum is best remembered for ascents in the Teton Range. In 1931, while only in his teens, Exum was the first to climb the exposed ridge to the summit of Grand Teton which now bears his name....
, co-founder of Exum Mountain Guides
Exum Mountain Guides

The Exum Mountain Guides is a mountain guide service based in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The guide service was founded in the 1926 by Paul Petzoldt and Glenn Exum, for whom the Exum Ridge climbing route on the Grand Teton in Grand Teton National Park is named....
. The direct start of the Exum Ridge using the Lower Exum Ridge Route
Lower Exum Ridge Route

The Lower Exum Ridge Route is the lower section of a technical rock climbing up the Grand Teton's Exum Ridge in Wyoming. This route is often bypassed on hiking terrain by climbers who wish to climb only Upper Exum Ridge Route which is technically easier....
 (III, 5.7,) is considered a mountaineering classic and is featured in the in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
Fifty Classic Climbs of North America

Fifty Classic Climbs Of North America is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Alan Steck. It is considered a definitive piece of climbing literature, known to many climbers as simply "The Book", and has served as an inspiration for more recent climbing books....
.. In addition to the The Direct Exum Ridge Route the classic guidebook also features The North Ridge
North Ridge (Grand Teton)

The North Ridge of the Grand Teton is a technical rock climbing location up the Grand Teton in Wyoming. The route is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and considered a classic around the world....
 (IV, 5.8) and North Face
North Face (Grand Teton)

The North Face of the Grand Teton is a technical rock climbing up the Grand Teton in Wyoming. Today the route is usually climbed by a variation that avoids the chimneys which are often wet or icy....
 with Direct Finish (IV, 5.8) both of which ascend the dramatic northern aspect of the peak. The Grand Teton has the most routes listed in the Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
Fifty Classic Climbs of North America

Fifty Classic Climbs Of North America is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Alan Steck. It is considered a definitive piece of climbing literature, known to many climbers as simply "The Book", and has served as an inspiration for more recent climbing books....
 of any "peak". The only other "peak" to have more than one route listed is El Capitan
El Capitan

El Capitan is a vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The granite monolith is one of the world's favorite challenges for rock climbers....
 with, The Nose
The Nose (El Capitan)

The Nose is one of the original technical routes up El Capitan. It is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America and considered a classic around the world....
 and Salathé Wall
Salathé Wall (El Capitan)

The Salath? Wall is one of the original rock climbing routes up El Capitan. The Salathe Wall was named by Yvon Chouinard in honor of John Salath?, an earlier pioneer of rock climbing in Yosemite's....
. These inclusions have helped maintain the fame of the peak in the climbing community. Since the Tetons 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
Bill Briggs

Bill Briggs is the director of the Great American Ski School at Snow King Mountain in Jackson, Wyoming in the United States. Briggs, born in Maine, is notable as the first to ski the Grand Teton on June 15 1971 and as a result is said to be the father of extreme skiing in North America....
 in the spring of 1971 down the Ford Couloir; a route near the Owen-Spalding is now named in his honor.

See also

  • 4000 meter peaks of North America
  • Central Rocky Mountains
  • Mountain peaks of North America
    Mountain peaks of North America

    This article comprises three sortable tables of major summit of Greater North America.This article defines Greater North America as the northern portion of the continental landmass of the Americas extending from the Panama to Alaska plus the islands surrounding North America....
  • Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains
    Mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains

    This article comprises three sortable tables of summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface....
  • Mountain peaks of the United States
    Mountain peaks of the United States

    This article comprises three sortable tables of major summit of the United States.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface....


External links