Finger of Fate is a pillar in Custer County, Idaho, United States.
Description Finger of Fate is a distinctive landmark and rock-climbing destination in the Sawtooth Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It is situated south of Stanley, Idaho, in the Sawtooth Wilderness on land managed by Sawtooth National Forest. The spire can be seen from Highway 75 at Galena Summit as travelers approach Sawtooth Valley.The Finger of Fate: An Open Book to the Sawtooths, JP Preuss, Sawtooth Mountain Guides, August 9, 2019. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains to Hell Roaring Lake, thence the Salmon River via Hell Roaring Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises nearly above the lake in . The first ascent of the summit was made in 1958 by Louis Stur and Jerry Fuller via The Open Book (). A 6.5 magnitude earthquake in 2020 dislodged the summit boulder from the top of the pillar. This landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.
Climate Based on the Köppen climate classification, Finger of Fate is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. Winter temperatures can drop below 0 °F with wind chill factors below −10 °F. Climbers can expect afternoon rain and lightning from summer thunderstorms.
Climbing chronology History of early first ascents: Route Rating Year ClimbersThe Open Book5.8 1958Louis Stur, Jerry FullerEast Face5.11 1967J. Beaupre, G. Vendor, E. VendorFirst Winter ascent1973 J. Hecht, H. Bowron, G. Williams, J. FoxEast Face (left)1978 Reid Dowdle, D. HoughDrizzlepuss5.7 B. Gorton and S. Collins
See also List of mountain peaks of Idaho Geology of the Rocky Mountains
Gallery
References
External links Finger of Fate climbing: Mountainproject.com Finger of Fate (photo): Flickr