Joffre Peak is a mountain summit located in the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains (french: La chaîne Côtière) are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the Coast of British Columbia ...

, in

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is a class A provincial park located east of Pemberton in British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1996, when Joffre Lakes Recreation Area (created 1988) was upgraded to park status. Three glacier-fed lakes ...

, in southwestern

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. It is the second-highest point of the Joffre Group, which is a subset of the

Lillooet Ranges The Lillooet Ranges are the southeasternmost subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia. They are located between the drainage of the Lillooet River and Harrison Lake on the west and the canyon of the Fraser Rive ...

. It is situated east of Pemberton and northeast of

Lillooet Lake Lillooet Lake is a lake in British Columbia, Canada about 25 km in length and about 33.5 square kilometres (22 mi²) in area. It is about 95 km downstream from the source of the Lillooet River, which resumes its course after leaving ...

. Joffre is more notable for its steep rise above local terrain than for its absolute elevation as

topographic relief Terrain or relief (also topographical relief) involves the vertical and horizontal dimensions of land surface. The term bathymetry is used to describe underwater relief, while hypsometry studies terrain relative to sea level. The Latin word ...

is significant with the summit rising 1,500 meters (4,920 ft) above Cayoosh Creek in . The nearest higher peak is Mount Matier, to the south. The mountain's climate supports the Matier Glacier on the southwest slope, and the Anniversary Glacier on the southeast slope. 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 peak drains into Joffre Creek and Cayoosh Creek which are both within the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

watershed.

History

The

first ascent In mountaineering, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in guide books) is the first successful, documented attainment of the top of a mountain or the first to follow a particular climbing route. First mountain ascents are notable because they en ...

of the mountain was made on July 19, 1957 by Dick Chambers and Paddy Sherman, who were members of the

British Columbia Mountaineering Club The British Columbia Mountaineering Club (BCMC) is a mountaineering organization, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded on October 28, 1907 as the Vancouver Mountaineering Club, it became one of the centres of Canadian Mountaineering, part ...

. The first ascent party named this peak for its position at the head of Joffre Creek. The creek and mountain's name honors

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre (1852–1931), a French

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

who served as Commander-in-Chief of French Armies in World War I. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted June 22, 1967, 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 ...

. Joffre Peak should not be confused with

Mount Joffre Mount Joffre is a mountain located on the Continental Divide of the Americas, Continental Divide, in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Alberta, and Elk Lakes Provincial Park, Elk Lakes and Height of the Rockies Provincial Parks in British Columbia ...

in the Canadian Rockies which is also named for the same person.

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 ...

, Joffre Peak 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 of western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

Most

weather front A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For in ...

s originate in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, and travel east toward the

where they are forced upward by the range (

Orographic lift Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...

), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall. As a result, the Coast Mountains experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for climbing Joffre Peak.

Climbing Routes

Established climbing routes on Joffre Peak: * Southeast Face - First ascent 1957 * Southwest Gully - FA 1971 * East Ridge - FA 1980

Gallery

File:Joffre Peak.jpg, Mt. Matier (left) and Joffre Peak reflected in Duffy Lake File:Joffre group crop.jpg, The Joffre Group: Joffre Peak (left), Mt. Matier (highest), Hartzell, Spetch,

Slalok Mountain Slalok Mountain, originally known as Rex's Pillar, is a mountain summit located in the Coast Mountains, in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the third-highest point of the Joffre Group, which is a subs ...

, Tszil, and Mt. Taylor (farthest right) File:Joffre Peak, north.jpg, North aspect File:A short hike on Blackcomb Mtn, as a day trip from Kamloops via Duffy Lake road - Joffre Peak (2721m), (the highest one) - (28761858106).jpg, Joffre from Duffy Lake File:Matier and Joffre from Silent Hub.jpg, Matier (left) and Joffre (right) File:Joffre Peak and Matier.jpg, Joffre Peak with Mt. Matier (left)

References

External links