Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises 2,346 feet (715 meters) above Rae Lakes in one mile.

This geographical feature was named for world-famous San Francisco surgeon Dr. Emmet Rixford (1865–1938), who made the first ascent of the summit in 1897 with two companions.

That subsequent party was David Starr Jordan, Vernon Lyman Kellogg, Ellwood Patterson Cubberley and Mrs.

[9] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains.

As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift).