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Summit Analysis using the National Elevation DatasetAverage Steepness by 7.5' USGS Quadrangles(Minimum 2 summits/quad)Below is a ranking of quads which contain the steepest summits(on average) at a 100m and 800m distance. The figure listed is the average vertical angle in degrees. Eleven western US states are covered, with a combined listing at the top. Total number of quads analyzed: 10025
Summary:Looking at the combined western states average list, six of the top ten graded quads are in Glacier NP. Mt Stimson and Mt Cleveland quads hold the two highest peaks in the park. Kintla holds the third highest, and Mt St Nicholas quad contains the park's most well known technical summit. It's not surprising these quads grade out high in the half mile radius category but they also get high marks at the 100m average, right up there with desert tower areas in Utah and Arizona. The Cascades, Grand Canyon, and a quad in southern Utah round out the top ten. The desert tower quads get high marks in the 100m category and only average totals at 800m while the alpine quads are more balanced. This pattern persists further down the rankings. The rest of the top fifty is largely rounded out by a mixture of more Glacier NP and North Cascades quads. In the southwest, a couple more spots in the Grand Canyon show up, along with some areas of cocentrated desert towers(Zion NP, Fishers Towers). California (#47,Tehipite Dome) and Colorado(#48,Couthouse Mtn) finally make appearences. Elsewhere in Montana, one Beartooth quad(#24, Cathedral Point) and two Bitteroot quads(#36, Como Peaks, #41, Trapper Peak) fall within the top fifty. Other alpine ranges whose quads make initial showings in the top 100 include the Sawtooths(#61, Warbonnet Peak), Tetons(#68, Mt Moran), Missons(#80, Mount Calowahcan). Oregon first shows up at #106, New Mexico at #122, Nevada at #206. Scraping bottom, the Camano quad(NW of Seattle) could be considered the western quad with the least steep summits on average for quads with more than two peaks. |
