Sierra Peaks Section

The Sierra Peaks Section (SPS) is a mountaineering society within the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club that serves to provide mountaineering activities for Sierra Club members in the Sierra Nevada, and to honor mountaineers who have summited Sierra Nevada peaks.

History

The Sierra Peaks Section was established in 1955. The Section maintains historic summit registers at Bancroft Library on the University of California, Berkeley campus.^[1]

Membership

To become a member of the SPS, one must be a Sierra Club member and have climbed at least six peaks on the SPS List; it is not necessary that the peaks be Emblem peaks. For verification purposes, two of those ascents must be done on an official SPS trip.^[2]

Especially accomplished members are award with emblems, with the following grades (from highest to lowest):^[3]

Third List Completion
Second List Completion
First List Completion
Master Emblem
Senior Emblem
Emblem

Upon receiving one of the normal emblems, members may be recognized with one of the following additional emblems, which are not ranked:

Geographic Emblem
Explorer Emblem

SPS List

To the general public, they are most known for their peak bagging list, created in 1955, a product of the Sierra Club's long legacy of promoting climbing in the Sierra Nevada.^[4] Completing the list is highly prestigious in American mountaineering circles, and climbers who complete the list are often cited as having done so (e.g. by the American Alpine Club).^[5]

The list is divided into three levels of importance. The Emblem peaks are considered the most iconic peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and to summit all of them is the goal of many peak baggers and alpinists. Mountaineers peaks are less notable peaks known for presenting mountaineering challenges; they do not have the prestige that Emblem peaks have attached to them, but ascending them is necessary to gain higher levels of recognition for Section members. Finally, there are the numerous general peaks of lesser note.^[6]

Some peaks require substantial rock climbing experience (e.g. North Palisade and Mount Clarence King), and in some cases snow travel skills. Most peaks may require few technical skills, although the commonly cited difficulty ratings of peak climbs in the Sierra Nevada are considered to be understated, or “sandbagged”.^[7]^[8] The majority of peaks are very remote and require substantial cross-country travel.

The list is an example of a subjective "decision by committee" list with the peaks on the list being determined by the Sierra Club. Peaks are occasionally added or removed from the list due to a variety of factors, such as accessibility, notability, and interest.^[9] The list is followed by thousands of hikers and climbers and has been noted in numerous books and guides on the Sierra Nevada.

There are 15 Emblem peaks, 35 Mountaineers peaks, and 197 general peaks, for a total of 247 peaks.^[10] The number of peaks is traditionally set at 248, the original number of peaks listed in 1955; however the number changes at times due to issues such as legal access or higher interest in one peak over another.

The elevations listed below are those officially described on the list (based on USGS topographic map contours), and may not be the actual elevations of those peaks, although they are usually accurate to within 50 feet.

Emblem Peaks

Peak^[6]	Elevation
Olancha Peak	12,123 feet (3,695 m)
Mount Whitney	14,491 feet (4,417 m)
Mount Williamson	14,370 feet (4,380 m)
Mount Kaweah	13,802 feet (4,207 m)
Mount Brewer	13,570 feet (4,140 m)
Mount Clarence King	12,907 feet (3,934 m)
Split Mountain	14,042 feet (4,280 m)
Mount Goddard	13,568 feet (4,136 m)
North Palisade	14,242 feet (4,341 m)
Mount Darwin	13,831 feet (4,216 m)
Mount Humphreys	13,986 feet (4,263 m)
Mount Abbot	13,704 feet (4,177 m)
Mount Ritter	13,143 feet (4,006 m)
Mount Lyell	13,114 feet (3,997 m)
Matterhorn Peak	12,279 feet (3,743 m)

Mountaineers Peaks

Peak^[6]	Elevation
Mount LeConte	13,930 feet (4,250 m)
Mount McAdie	13,799 feet (4,206 m)
Mount Russell	14,088 feet (4,294 m)
Black Kaweah	13,720 feet (4,180 m)
Triple Divide Peak	12,634 feet (3,851 m)
Milestone Mountain	13,638 feet (4,157 m)
Table Mountain	13,632 feet (4,155 m)
Thunder Mountain	13,517 feet (4,120 m)
Mount Ericsson	13,583 feet (4,140 m)
Deerhorn Mountain	13,281 feet (4,048 m)
East Vidette	12,356 feet (3,766 m)
Junction Peak	13,845 feet (4,220 m)
University Peak	13,589 feet (4,142 m)
Mount Gardiner	12,907 feet (3,934 m)
Arrow Peak	12,959 feet (3,950 m)
Mount Ruskin	12,920 feet (3,940 m)
Tehipite Dome	7,708 feet (2,349 m)
Middle Palisade	14,012 feet (4,271 m)
Norman Clyde Peak	13,855 feet (4,223 m)
Devil’s Crag #1	12,400 feet (3,800 m)
Mount McDuffie	13,282 feet (4,048 m)
Mount Sill	14,153 feet (4,314 m)
Thunderbolt Peak	14,003 feet (4,268 m)
The Hermit	12,328 feet (3,758 m)
Seven Gables	13,080 feet (3,990 m)
Bear Creek Spire	13,720 feet (4,180 m)
Red Slate Mountain	13,123 feet (4,000 m)
Mount Morrison	12,277 feet (3,742 m)
Clyde Minaret	12,264 feet (3,738 m)
Mount Clark	11,522 feet (3,512 m)
Mount Starr King	9,092 feet (2,771 m)
Cathedral Peak	10,911 feet (3,326 m)
Whorl Mountain	12,033 feet (3,668 m)
Tower Peak	11,755 feet (3,583 m)

Full list

Area 1: Southern Sierra

Area 2: Mineral King and Kern River

Area 3: Olancha to Langley and west

Area 4: Corcoran to Whitney

Area 5: Whitney to Williamson

Area 6: Kaweahs and west

Area 7: Great Western Divide

Area 8: Kings–Kern divide

Area 9: Kearsarge Pass vicinity

Area 10: Baxter Pass to Taboose Pass

Area 11: Western mid-Sierra

Area 12: South Palisades

Area 13: Mt. Goddard vicinity

Area 14: North Palisades

Area 15: Evolution area

Area 16: Humphreys Basin and west

Area 17: Bear Creek Spire area

Area 18: Mono Creek to Mammoth

Area 19: Ritter Range and vicinity

Area 20: Clark Range and vicinity

Area 21: Mt. Lyell and north

Area 22: Tioga Pass to Bond Pass

Area 23: Bond Pass to Lake Tahoe

Area 24: Northern Sierra

References

^ "Sierra Peaks Section Brief History".
^ "Sierra Peaks Section Membership Page".
^ "Sierra Peaks Section Emblem Introduction Page".
^ Andy Selters. Images of America: Inyo National Forest. p. 83
^ 1997 American Alpine Journal. p. 394.
^ ^a ^b ^c SPS List, 20th edition
^ Drummond, Lizz (2013-09-03). "Numbers Game: Classic Sandbags at 4 Historic Crags". Climbing Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
^ "Ten Favorite High Sierra Climbs". 21 October 2009.
^ Helman, Adam. The Finest Peaks - Prominence and Other Mountain Measures.
^ "Sierra Peaks Section". SummitPost.org.

Bibliography

Secor, R. J. (2009). The High Sierra : peaks, passes, trail. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-0-89886-971-2.

External links

Official web site

[1] "Sierra Peaks Section Brief History".

[2] "Sierra Peaks Section Membership Page".

[3] "Sierra Peaks Section Emblem Introduction Page".

[4] Andy Selters. Images of America: Inyo National Forest. p. 83

[5] 1997 American Alpine Journal. p. 394.

[official_list-6] SPS List, 20th edition

[Drummond_2013-7] Drummond, Lizz (2013-09-03). "Numbers Game: Classic Sandbags at 4 Historic Crags". Climbing Magazine. Retrieved 2020-07-18.

[8] "Ten Favorite High Sierra Climbs". 21 October 2009.

[9] Helman, Adam. The Finest Peaks - Prominence and Other Mountain Measures.

[10] "Sierra Peaks Section". SummitPost.org.

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