Johannesburg Mountain
Encyclopedia
Johannesburg Mountain is one of the most famous peaks in the North Cascades
of Washington state
. Though not one of the top 100 peaks in the state by elevation,
nor one of the top peaks as ranked by topographic prominence
, Johannesburg is notable for its large, steep local relief, and particularly its immense, dramatic Northeast Face, which drops 5,000 feet (1,525 m) in only 0.9 miles (1.4 km).
The name "Johannesburg Mountain" comes, through an error, from "Johnsberg," the name of three mining claims on the north face of the peak. It has also been called "Elsbeth."
Johannesburg Mountain was first climbed on July 26, 1938 by Calder Bressler, Bill Cox, Ralph Clough, and Tom Myers, via a version of the most popular route today, the East Ridge/Cascade-Johannesburg Couloir Route. This route, and others which also finish on the south side of the mountain, are mostly scrambling
routes. However there are many routes on the north and northeast faces which are highly technical and involve considerable objective danger
from falling rock and ice.
North Cascades
The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in Canada as the Cascade Mountains...
of Washington state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
. Though not one of the top 100 peaks in the state by elevation,
nor one of the top peaks as ranked by topographic prominence
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
, Johannesburg is notable for its large, steep local relief, and particularly its immense, dramatic Northeast Face, which drops 5,000 feet (1,525 m) in only 0.9 miles (1.4 km).
The name "Johannesburg Mountain" comes, through an error, from "Johnsberg," the name of three mining claims on the north face of the peak. It has also been called "Elsbeth."
Johannesburg Mountain was first climbed on July 26, 1938 by Calder Bressler, Bill Cox, Ralph Clough, and Tom Myers, via a version of the most popular route today, the East Ridge/Cascade-Johannesburg Couloir Route. This route, and others which also finish on the south side of the mountain, are mostly scrambling
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
routes. However there are many routes on the north and northeast faces which are highly technical and involve considerable objective danger
Glossary of climbing terms
This page describes terms and jargon related to climbing and mountaineering.-A:American death triangle : An anchor which is created by connecting a closed loop of cord or webbing between two points of protection, and then suspending the rope from a carabiner clipped to only one strand of said anchor...
from falling rock and ice.