Measuring altitude

[ker0uac]

When was the last time we measured them? I wonder if any of them have grown up to 15k.

[Scott P]

When was the last time we measured them? I wonder if any of them have grown up to 15k.

Unless it had to do with mining or roads, I don't think any of the peaks have been measured since the 1970's and even then only a very few of them have been measured since the 1950's. A few of the helicopter placed benchmarks were placed later than that, but I don't know of any in Colorado? Utah has a few of those. Other than Holy Cross, I can't recall seeing any mountaintop benchmarks in Colorado with dates newer than the 1950's (can anyone else?), but a few surveys happened since then using the old benchmarks.

Adjustments have been made since then, but these are adjustments to old measurements, not newly surveyed measurements.

The 14er with the most recent actual survey I know of was Mount of the Holy Cross which was bumped up to a 14er after thought to be 13,996 for many years.

[Scott P]

Anyway, going through the datasheets, these are the last dates 14ers with a benchmark where elevations were last measured and/or monumented:

Elbert = 1952
Harvard = 1954
Uncompahgre = 1895
Lincoln = 1951
Grays = 1956
Castle = 1953
Quandary = 1951
Evans = 1955
Longs = 1939
Shavano = 1955
Princeton = 1954
Belford = 1955
Maroon = 1959
Tabeguache = 1955
Oxford = 1955
Sneffels = 1952
Democrat = 1964
Pikes = 1879
Snowmass = 1959
Windom = 1965
Eolus = 1965
North Eolus = 1965
Columbia = 1955
Pyramid = 1959
San Luis = 1958? (this is proibably the year that Stewart ceased to be a 14er as well)
North Maroon = 1959
Holy Cross = 1964 (the year that Holy Cross became a 14er again)
Huron = 1955

These are all of the 14ers that were used as survey station. The elevations of the other 14ers would have been determined from telemetry or other methods from survey stations on 14ers or other mountains and locations. For example, the current Capitol elevation was probably determined in 1959 as Snowmass, Pyramid, and both Maroons were used as survey stations then. The Wilson group seems the fartherest from any survey station benchmark, but the measurements were probably determined in 1952 since Sunshine Mountain (not to be confused with the 14er Sunshine Peak) was used as a survey station then and has a benchmark.

[RETEP 1]

Chicago Basin group is 1965...

[benmangelsdorf]

Word around town is that South Boulder Peak is gonna hit that 14k threshold this year

[Scott P]

Chicago Basin group is 1965...

Thanks.

[ker0uac]

Sunshine and Huron could potentially be downgraded to 13er if 1950s measurements were off by a few feet

to those looking to finish the list, I'd suggest leaving those two for the very end

[mtree]

If new measurements add or remove peaks, it will show us all how silly a reverence to bagging "14ers" really is!

[peter303]

NOAA (based in Boulder) is releasing a new sealevel reference geoid in 2022. It incorporates satellite measurements from GPS and gravimetry since the last geoid defined in 1983. Colorado drops about two feet (60 centimeters) sea slides 17 and 23 in the following talk.

https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/web/science_ed ... upload.pdf

I asked author if any 14ers are becoming 13ers. He hoped not, but Sunshine looks in trouble.

[Carl_Healy]

NOAA (based in Boulder) is releasing a new sealevel reference geoid in 2022. It incorporates satellite measurements from GPS and gravimetry since the last geoid defined in 1983. Colorado drops about two feet (60 centimeters) sea slides 17 and 23 in the following talk.

https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/web/science_ed ... upload.pdf

I asked author if any 14ers are becoming 13ers. He hoped not, but Sunshine looks in trouble.

I mean Gerry Roach still lists both NGVD29 and NAVD88 elevations in his books...

[HikerGuy]

but Sunshine looks in trouble.

I guess that depends on what elevation set is used, the more recent one that added an average of 6 feet to each peak or the set prior that Bill and many other sites still use. I still use the old set because this is my primary tracking site.

[spiderman]

but Sunshine looks in trouble.

I guess that depends on what elevation set is used, the more recent one that added an average of 6 feet to each peak or the set prior that Bill and many other sites still use. I still use the old set because this is my primary tracking site.

2015 elevation of Sunshine: 14,001.8’ +/- 0.7’
https://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... =2&t=46406