Dilemma Peak is situated along the crest or Main Divide of the Southern Alps and set in the West Coast Region of South Island.

Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,200 metres (3,937 feet) above the Strauchon Glacier in one kilometre.

[4] The lower 2,594-meter east peak was first climbed in January 1914 by Hugh Chambers, Peter Graham, and Dorothy Holdsworth.

[6] Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountains, where the air is forced upward by the mountains (orographic lift), causing moisture to drop in the form of rain or snow.

The months of December through February offer the most favourable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.