Selkirk Mountains
The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mica Pe ...
in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Its nearest higher peak is
Mount Macdonald
Mount Macdonald is a mountain peak located in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, immediately to the east of Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park. It is notable as the location of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Connaught and M ...
, to the north.
Mount Sir Donald
Mount Sir Donald is a 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, a ...
is to the southeast, and
Eagle Peak Eagle Peak is the name of 44 mountain peaks of the United States including:
*Eagle Peak (Alaska)
* Eagle Peak (Admiralty Island), in Alaska
* Eagle Peak (Washington), a summit in Mount Rainier National Park
*Eagle Peak (Mariposa County, California), ...
is to the south-southeast. The Avalanche Glacier is situated on the east side of the peak, and the
Connaught Tunnel
The Connaught Tunnel is in southeastern British Columbia, on the Revelstoke–Donald segment. The tunnel carries the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) main line under Mount Macdonald in the Selkirk Mountains, replacing the previous routing over Ro ...
lies partially beneath Avalanche Mountain. The peak is visible from eastbound Highway 1, the
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...
approaching Rogers Pass. During winter and spring of each year the western slope, named Avalanche Crest, generates
avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.
Avalanches can be set off spontaneously, by such factors as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, animals, and earth ...
s which can threaten the highway.
History
The mountain's name was applied by Major A.B. Rogers and stems from its history of avalanches from its western slopes onto Rogers Pass. The
1910 Rogers Pass avalanche
The 1910 Rogers Pass Avalanche killed 58 men clearing a railroad line just outside of Revelstoke in Rogers Pass through the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia on March 4, 1910. It is Canada's worst avalanche disaster.
Rogers Pass
The Canadian ...
, the deadliest avalanche in Canadian history, resulted in the deaths of 62
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
workers and was the impetus which forced the railway to build the Connaught Tunnel.
In 1881 Rogers and some of his party climbed to the crest of the ridge between Avalanche and Mount Macdonald, and may have climbed Avalanche itself. The first confirmed ascent of the mountain was made in 1885 by
John Macoun
John Macoun (17 April 1831 – 18 June 1920) was an Irish-born Canadian naturalist.
Early life
Macoun was born in Magheralin, County Down, Ireland in 1831, the third child of James Macoun and Anne Jane Nevin. In 1850, the worsening ec ...
and James M. Macoun.
The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1931 when approved by the
Geographical Names Board of Canada
The Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) is a national committee with a secretariat in Natural Resources Canada, part of the Government of Canada, which authorizes the names used and name changes on official federal government maps of Canada ...
.
Climate
Based on the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Avalanche Mountain is located in a
subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...
zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation
runoff
Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to:
* RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program
* Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed
* Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...
from the mountain drains west into the
Illecillewaet River
The Illecillewaet River is a tributary of the Columbia River located in British Columbia, Canada. Fed by the Illecillewaet Glacier in Glacier National Park, the river flows approximately to the southwest,Beaver River.
See also
*
Geography of British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada, bordered by the Pacific Ocean. With an area of it is Canada's third-largest province. The province is almost four times the size of the United Kingdom and larger than every United States ...
References
Gallery
File:Avalanche Mountain summit.jpg, Avalanche Mountain close-up
File:Macdonald and Avalanche.jpg, Mt. Macdonald (left) seen with Avalanche Mountain (right)
Mount Macdonald
Mount Macdonald is a mountain peak located in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, immediately to the east of Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park. It is notable as the location of the Canadian Pacific Railway's Connaught and M ...
, Northeast = Beaver River
, East = Avalanche Glacier
, Southeast =
Mount Sir Donald
Mount Sir Donald is a 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, a ...
, South =
Eagle Peak Eagle Peak is the name of 44 mountain peaks of the United States including:
*Eagle Peak (Alaska)
* Eagle Peak (Admiralty Island), in Alaska
* Eagle Peak (Washington), a summit in Mount Rainier National Park
*Eagle Peak (Mariposa County, California), ...
, Southwest =
Mount Afton
Mount Afton is a mountain summit located in Glacier National Park in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It is situated near the north end of Asulkan Ridge, south of Rogers Pass, northeast of Revelstoke, and west of Golden. ...
, WSW =
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway ( French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean o ...
Ursus Minor Mountain
Ursus Minor Mountain is a mountain summit located in Glacier National Park, in the Hermit Range of the Selkirk Mountains in British Columbia, Canada. Ursus Minor Mountain is situated northeast of Revelstoke, and west of Golden. It is also se ...
, Northwest =
Mount Rogers
Mount Rogers is the highest natural point in Virginia, United States, with a summit elevation of above mean sea level. The summit straddles the border of Grayson and Smyth Counties, Virginia, about WSW of Troutdale, Virginia. Most of the mo ...