Mount Sir Donald is a 3,284-metre (10,774-foot) mountain summit located in the Rogers Pass area of Glacier National Park in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Its good rock quality and classic Matterhorn shape make it popular for alpine rock climbers, and the Northwest Arete route is included in the popular book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.

Mount Sir Donald
Mount Sir Donald from Abbott Ridge
Highest point
Elevation3,284 m (10,774 ft)[1]
Prominence874 m (2,867 ft)[1]
Parent peakMount Dawson
Coordinates51°15′47.2″N 117°25′53.0″W / 51.263111°N 117.431389°W / 51.263111; -117.431389
Geography
Mount Sir Donald is located in British Columbia
Mount Sir Donald
Mount Sir Donald
Mount Sir Donald is located in Canada
Mount Sir Donald
Mount Sir Donald
Mount Sir Donald (Canada)
DistrictKootenay Land District
Parent rangeSelkirk Mountains
Topo mapNTS 82N6 Blaeberry
Climbing
First ascentEmil Huber, Carl Sulzer, Harry Cooper, 1890

It was originally named Syndicate Peak in honor of the group who arranged the finances for the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, but was later renamed after Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, head of the syndicate.[1]

The first ascent was made in 1890 by Emil Huber and Carl Sulzer of Switzerland and porter Harry Cooper.[1][2] As of the 1910s, an average of three or four ascents per year were being made.[3]

Climate

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Based on the Köppen climate classification, the mountain has a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[4] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains west into the Illecillewaet River, or east into the Beaver River.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Mount Sir Donald". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  2. ^ "On The Top Of Mount Sir Donald". The New York Times. 1890-08-08. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
  3. ^ Howard Palmer (1914). Mountaineering and Exploration in the Selkirks. G. P. Putnam's sons. pp. 46.
  4. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.
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