Alpha Mountain
History
The first ascent of the mountain was made in 1914 by Basil Darling and Alan Morkill via the southwest ridge. These two named the peak shortly after they made the ascent, alluding to Alpha, which is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, because the peak is the first (southeast) summit of the Alpha-Serratus-Tantalus-Zenith Ridge, and also because of its form. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on June 6, 1957, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.
Climate
Based on the Köppen climate classification, Alpha Mountain is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Coast Mountains where they are forced upward by the range (Orographic lift), 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 Alpha.
Climbing Routes
Established rock-climbing routes on Alpha Mountain:
- Southwest Ridge - class 3 First Ascent 1914
- East Ridge - class 5.8 FA 1916
- Northeast Ridge - class 4-5 FA 1968
- Northwest Ridge - class 4-5 FA 1969
- North Buttress - class mid-5 FA 1981
- South Face - class 4-5
Gallery
See also
Media related to Alpha Mountain at Wikimedia Commons
Mountains portal
- Geography of British Columbia
- Geology of British Columbia
References
- ^ "Alpha Mountain". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
- ^ "Topographic map of Alpha Mountain". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ "Alpha Mountain". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
- ^ "Alpha Mountain, British Columbia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
- ^ "Alpha Mountain". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2019-11-02.
- ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
External links
- Weather: Alpha Mountain
- YouTube: Climbing Alpha Mountain
- Vimeo: Climbing Alpha East Ridge