Challenger Point

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Challenger Point
Challenger Point seen from nearby Kit Carson Mountain.
Elevation	14,081 ft (4,292 m)
Location	Colorado, United States
Range	Rocky Mountains, Sangre de Cristo Range
Prominence	280 ft - 320 ft (86 m - 98 m)^[1]^[2]
Coordinates	37°58′49.4″N, 105°36′23.8″W
Topo map	USGS Crestone Peak
Easiest route	Difficult class 2 (10 mile round trip)

Challenger Point is a fourteener in the Sangre de Cristo range, located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Colorado. The summit is on the northwest shoulder of Kit Carson Mountain, and is a subpeak of the latter.^[3] It was named in memory of the seven astronauts who died when the Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrated shortly after liftoff on January 28, 1986.

[edit] The Memorial

The proposal to name the summit Challenger Point was made by Colorado Springs resident Dennis Williams in 1986. The USGS Board of Geographic Names approved the application on April 9, 1987.

Local climber Alan Silverstein organized and led an expedition on the weekend of July 18, 1987 to place a 6 by 12 inch memorial plaque on the summit. The plaque reads:

CHALLENGER POINT, 14080+'
In Memory of the Crew of Shuttle Challenger
Seven who died accepting the risk,
expanding Mankind's horizons
January 28, 1986 Ad Astra Per Aspera

The Latin phrase "Ad Astra Per Aspera" translates as "To the stars through adversity."

[edit] Climbing

Trailhead: Willow Creek Trailhead, 8,900 ft (2,713 m)

[edit] See also

Columbia Point

[edit] References

^ Challenger Point at Peakbagger.com
^ This range is derived from the USGS topo map, available at topozone.com by clicking on the coordinates in the infobox. Also see Lists of John.
^ The topographic prominence of Challenger Point, between 280 ft (86 m) and 320 ft (98 m), may not meet the standard 300 ft (91 m) cutoff for an independent peak. However it has become a standard ascent for climbers attempting to complete all of Colorado's fourteeners.