Pico Simón Bolívar is the second highest
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...
in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the ...
, with an estimated height of . Pico Bolívar and the neighbouring summit of
Pico Cristóbal Colón
Pico Cristóbal Colón is the highest mountain in Colombia, with an estimated height of . Pico Cristóbal Colón and Pico Simón Bolívar are the two highest peaks in Colombia and are equal in elevation. One or the other of these peaks is there ...
are the two highest peaks in Colombia and are very nearly equal in elevation. The difference in elevation is estimated to be only one or two metres. One or other of these peaks is therefore the fifth most
prominent in the world (see
list of peaks by prominence
This is a list of mountain peaks ordered by their topographic prominence.
Terminology
The prominence of a peak is the minimum height of climb to the summit on any route from a higher peak, or from sea level if there is no higher peak. The lowe ...
). The nearest peak that is higher is
Cayambe, some away. There is a permanent snowcap on this peak and on the nearby mountains. It is part of the
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (English: ''Snow-Covered Mountain Range of Saint Martha'') is an isolated mountain range in northern Colombia, separate from the Andes range that runs through the north of the country. Reaching an elevation of ...
range, along with Pico Cristóbal Colón. The peak is named after
Simón Bolívar
Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24 July 1783 – 17 December 1830) was a Venezuelan military and political leader who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and B ...
.
Climbing history
Pico Simón Bolívar was first climbed in 1939 by W. Wood, A. Bakerwell and E. Praolini.
Access to these mountains became very difficult after the early 1990s due to hostile locals, drug traffickers, and
FARC
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army ( es, link=no, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de ColombiaEjército del Pueblo, FARC–EP or FARC) is a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian confl ...
guerillas. An expedition in 2015 was one of the first to climb in the range for many years, reaching the summit of Pico Cristóbal Colón.
See also
*
List of mountains by elevation
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
List of Ultras of South America
This is a list of the 209 ultra prominent peaks, or Ultras in South America. An ''Ultra'' is a mountain summit with a topographic prominence of or more.
Guiana Highlands
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Cordillera Oriental, Cordillera de M ...
References
{{reflist
Simon Bolivar
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta