Columbia Icefield

Columbia Icefield
Columbia Icefield
	Columbia Icefield with Mt. Castleguard at the left.
	Columbia Icefield Columbia Icefield Columbia Icefield
Type	Icefield
Coordinates	52°09′26″N117°18′50″W / 52.15722°N 117.31389°W
Terminus	outflow glaciers

Last updated November 04, 2024

The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in North America's Rocky Mountains.^[1] Located within the Canadian Rocky Mountains astride the Continental Divide along the border of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the ice field lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and partly in the southern end of Jasper National Park.^[1]^[2] It is about 325 square kilometres (125 sq mi) in area, 100 to 365 metres (328 to 1,198 ft) in depth and receives up to 7 metres (280 in) of snowfall per year.^[2]

History

The Columbia Icefield was formed during the Great Glaciation, or Illinoisan period (238,000 to 126,000 BCE).^[3] The initial advancement of the ice field ended during the latter millennia of the Early Wisconsinan period (73,000 to 62,000 BCE), around the time Homo sapiens began to appear on the earth.^[3] The next major advance of the ice field occurred during the Late Wisconsinan period (18,000 to 9,000 BCE), which marked the end of the major intercontinental land mass bridges.^[3] During the Crowfoot Glacier advance (9,000 to 7,000 BCE), humans were beginning to learn farming along the Tigris, Euphrates, and Nile rivers.^[3] The last major period of advance occurred during the Little Ice Age, which lasted from about 1200 AD to 1900 AD. Around 1800, the Athabasca Glacier peaked, then went through a period of recession, and then advanced again until 1840, when it began receding until the present day.^[3]

The Columbia Icefield was one of the last major geological features in western Canada to be visited and recorded by Europeans, due to its isolation and harsh weather conditions.^[4] In April 1827, Scottish botanist David Douglas was crossing Athabasca Pass—a major trading route located north of the Icefield—when he climbed one of the adjacent mountain peaks. He reported his first ascent in his journal, describing it to be 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) in height.^[4] In the summer of 1884, geology professor Arthur Philemon Coleman explored the Great Divide from Banff to Jasper in search of Douglas' giant peak.^[4] While unsuccessful, he did discover the route that would become the Icefield Parkway.^[4] In July 1898, British explorer J. Norman Collie and his friends Hugh Stutfield and Herman Wooley set off in search of Douglas' giants, equipped by the famous Banff outfitter Bill Peyto. On the morning of August 18, Collie and Wooley climbed the east side of Mount Athabasca, moved up the glacier when the ridge gave way to crumbling rock, and made their way to the summit, where they discovered an ice field that extended to almost every horizon.^[4] Collie later wrote:

The view that lay before us in the evening light was one that does not often fall to the lot of modern mountaineers. A new world was spread at our feet: to the westward stretched a vast ice-field probably never before seen by the human eye, and surrounded by entirely unknown, unnamed and unclimbed peaks.^[5]

In 1900, former British clergyman James Outram came to the Canadian Rockies to recover his health after a nervous breakdown.^[6] The following year he made the first ascent of Mount Assiniboine (3,618 m; 11,870 ft), then considered the "Matterhorn of the Rockies".^[6] In 1902, Outram made ten first ascents of peaks over 3,050 metres (10,010 ft) and discovered four new mountain passes in the Columbia Icefield area.^[6] Two of his first ascents in 1902 were Mount Columbia (3,747 m; 12,293 ft) and Mount Bryce (3,507 m; 11,506 ft), one of the most dangerous and difficult summits in the Rocky Mountains.^[6]

Following World War I, other mountaineering firsts occurred. In 1923, American climbers James Munroe Thorington and W. S. Ladd joined Austrian guide Conrad Kain to summit the daunting North Twin Peak (3,731 m; 12,241 ft), Mount Columbia, and Mount Saskatchewan (3,342 m; 10,965 ft) in five days.^[6] The following year, another American expedition led by William O. Field and guide Edward Feuz climbed both the North Twin Peak and the South Twin Peak (3,566 m; 11,699 ft) in twenty-four hours—a combined distance of about 60 kilometres (37 mi).^[6] In 1927, A. J. Ostheimer discovered a new route to the North Peak Summit, made first ascents of Stutfield Peak (3,450 m; 11,320 ft) and Mount Kitchener (3,505 m; 11,499 ft), and became the first climber to traverse the Snow Dome (3,456 m; 11,339 ft) in 36 hours.^[7] During his 63-day visit to the Columbia Icefield, Ostheimer and his two companions walked over a 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) and climbed thirty peaks—twenty-five of which were first ascents.^[8]

In March 1932, three men undertook a remarkable skiing journey from Jasper to Banff that covered about 500 kilometres (310 mi).^[8] When Cliff White, Joe Weiss, and Russell Bennet reached the Columbia Icefield, they climbed to the summit of Snow Dome, and then made a downhill run descent of almost 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) which lasted for 50 kilometres (31 mi)—the longest continuous ski run in Canadian history up to that point.^[9] Their accomplishment played a major role in generating worldwide interest in the Canadian Rockies.^[9] Today, mountaineers and skiers from around the world come to the Columbia Icefield to explore some of the classic routes discovered by these early pioneers of mountaineering.^[9]

Glaciers

The icefield feeds six major glaciers:

Athabasca Glacier
Castleguard Glacier
Columbia Glacier
Dome Glacier
Stutfield Glacier
Saskatchewan Glacier

Parts of the Columbia Icefield and part of other icefields and glaciers are visible from the Icefields Parkway.

The icefield was first reported in 1898 by J. Norman Collie and Hermann Woolley after they had completed the first ascent of Mount Athabasca.^[10]

The Athabasca River and the North Saskatchewan River originate in the Columbia Icefield, as do tributary headwaters of the Columbia River.^[11] As the icefield is atop a triple Continental Divide these waters flow ultimately north to the Arctic Ocean, east to Hudson Bay (and thence to the North Atlantic Ocean), and south and west to the Pacific Ocean.^[12] Hudson Bay, in some watershed divisions, is considered to be in the Arctic watershed, in which case this would arguably not be a triple continental divide point.

Mountains

Some of the highest mountains in the Canadian Rockies are located around the edges:

Mount Alberta (3,619 m; 11,873 ft)
Mount Andromeda (3,450 m; 11,320 ft)
Mount Athabasca (3,491 m; 11,453 ft)
Mount Bryce (3,507 m; 11,506 ft)
Mount Castleguard (3,090 m; 10,140 ft)
Mount Columbia (3,747 m; 12,293 ft)
Mount King Edward (3,490 m; 11,450 ft)
Mount Kitchener (3,505 m; 11,499 ft)
North Twin Peak (3,684 m; 12,087 ft)
South Twin Peak (3,566 m; 11,699 ft)
Snow Dome (3,456 m; 11,339 ft)
Stutfield Peak (3,450 m; 11,320 ft)

Climate

Columbia Icefield has an alpine climate (Köppen: ETf), because the weather station is located at an altitude of 1,981.20 m (6,500 ft). The average annual temperature is −2.1 °C (28.2 °F). The month of July is the warmest with an average temperature of 9.1 °C (48.38 °F).

Climate data for Columbia Icefield (1951–1980)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	4.4 (39.9)	9.4 (48.9)	6.7 (44.1)	18.9 (66.0)	22.2 (72.0)	23.3 (73.9)	26.1 (79.0)	25.6 (78.1)	21.7 (71.1)	17.2 (63.0)	8.9 (48.0)	3.9 (39.0)	26.1 (79.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−9.4 (15.1)	−5.4 (22.3)	−2.6 (27.3)	3.1 (37.6)	9.1 (48.4)	12.1 (53.8)	15.2 (59.4)	14.3 (57.7)	10.3 (50.5)	3.5 (38.3)	−4.3 (24.3)	−6.6 (20.1)	3.3 (37.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−14.2 (6.4)	−10.5 (13.1)	−8.6 (16.5)	−3.3 (26.1)	2.8 (37.0)	6.2 (43.2)	9.1 (48.4)	8.6 (47.5)	5.0 (41.0)	−1.2 (29.8)	−8.2 (17.2)	−10.7 (12.7)	−2.1 (28.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−19.0 (−2.2)	−15.5 (4.1)	−14.6 (5.7)	−9.7 (14.5)	−3.5 (25.7)	0.2 (32.4)	2.9 (37.2)	2.7 (36.9)	−0.5 (31.1)	−5.9 (21.4)	−12.1 (10.2)	−14.8 (5.4)	−7.5 (18.5)
Record low °C (°F)	−41.1 (−42.0)	−30.0 (−22.0)	−35.0 (−31.0)	−22.8 (−9.0)	−17.8 (0.0)	−12.2 (10.0)	−9.4 (15.1)	−6.1 (21.0)	−15.0 (5.0)	−26.1 (−15.0)	−32.0 (−25.6)	−36.0 (−32.8)	−41.1 (−42.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	112.6 (4.43)	83.9 (3.30)	72.1 (2.84)	70.1 (2.76)	37.9 (1.49)	74.8 (2.94)	69.1 (2.72)	50.5 (1.99)	53.0 (2.09)	113.1 (4.45)	112.3 (4.42)	80.7 (3.18)	930.1 (36.62)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	0.9 (0.04)	0.9 (0.04)	0.8 (0.03)	3.1 (0.12)	7.1 (0.28)	58.5 (2.30)	49.9 (1.96)	55.4 (2.18)	39.5 (1.56)	17.8 (0.70)	1.9 (0.07)	2.8 (0.11)	238.6 (9.39)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	106.9 (42.1)	94.8 (37.3)	58.9 (23.2)	83.1 (32.7)	35.0 (13.8)	10.0 (3.9)	1.4 (0.6)	2.1 (0.8)	13.8 (5.4)	64.7 (25.5)	79.7 (31.4)	92.5 (36.4)	642.9 (253.1)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm)	15	13	14	10	11	15	13	14	14	12	13	13	157
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm)	0	0	0	1	2	14	13	12	11	4	0	0	57
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm)	17	15	15	13	5	1	1	0	2	10	11	12	102
Source: Environment Canada ^[13]^[14]

Related Research Articles

Mount Columbia is a mountain located in the Winston Churchill Range of the Rocky Mountains. It is the highest point in Alberta, Canada, and is second only to Mount Robson for height and topographical prominence in the Canadian Rockies. It is located on the border between Alberta and British Columbia on the northern edge of the Columbia Icefield. Its highest point, however, lies within Jasper National Park in Alberta.

Mount Alberta is a mountain located in the upper Athabasca River Valley of Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. J. Norman Collie named the mountain in 1898 after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. It is the most difficult of the 11,000ers from a climbing point of view.

Mount Forbes is the seventh tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies and the tallest within the boundaries of Banff National Park. It is located in southwestern Alberta, 18 km (11 mi) southwest of the Saskatchewan River Crossing in Banff. The mountain was named by James Hector in 1859 after Edward Forbes, Hector's natural history professor at the University of Edinburgh during the mid-19th century.

Mount Athabasca is in the Columbia Icefield of Jasper National Park in Canada. The mountain was named in 1898 by J. Norman Collie, who made the first ascent on August 18 of that year. Athabasca is the Cree language name for "where there are reeds", which originally referred to Lake Athabasca. Mount Athabasca is unusual, in that water flows to the Pacific Ocean from the western slope, the Arctic Ocean from the northeastern slope, and to Hudson Bay from the southeastern slope.

North Twin (Peak) is one of the two main peaks that comprise The Twins massif located at the northeast corner of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The other lower peak is named South Twin (3,566 m). North Twin is the third-highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, after Mount Robson and Mount Columbia.

South Twin (Peak) (3,566 m (11,699 ft)) is one of two main peaks that comprise The Twins massif located at the northeast corner of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The other higher main peak is named North Twin, with a height of 3,731 m (12,241 ft). South Twin is the eighth-highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.

Diadem Peak is a peak located in the Sunwapta River Valley of Jasper National Park, Canada. Diadem Peak is essentially the high point of a ridge leading down from the slightly higher Mount Woolley. This peak was the first 11,000er north of the Columbia Icefield to be climbed and one of the few peaks in the Canadian Rockies to be climbed before 1900.

Stutfield Peak is a mountain in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is located at the northern end of the Columbia Icefield, 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north-west from Mount Kitchener, in the Winston Churchill Range of the Canadian Rockies. The peak has two summits - Stutfield East and Stutfield West - and is therefore sometimes referred to as The Stutfields. The West peak is higher than the East peak by 50 m (164 ft).

Mount Andromeda is located within the Columbia Icefield on the boundary of Banff and Jasper national parks. The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway (#93) near Sunwapta Pass and is 2.3 km WSW of Mount Athabasca. Mt. Andromeda was named in 1938 by Rex Gibson, former president of the Alpine Club of Canada, after Andromeda, the wife of Perseus. From the Climber's Guide:

Snow Dome is a mountain located on the Continental Divide in the Columbia Icefield, where the boundary of Banff National Park and Jasper National Park meets the border of Alberta and British Columbia in Canada. The summit's elevation is 3,456 m (11,339 ft).

Howse Peak is the highest mountain in the Waputik Mountains, a subrange of the Canadian Rockies. It is located 5 km (3 mi) west of the Icefields Parkway, above Chephren Lake, on the continental divide between Alberta and British Columbia. At 3,295 m (10,810 ft), it is the 46th highest peak in Alberta, and the 59th highest in British Columbia.

Mount Wilcox is a 2,884-metre (9,462-foot) mountain summit located in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. It is located in Jasper National Park right beside the Columbia Icefield visitor centre with the Icefields Parkway traversing the western base of the mountain. Its nearest higher peak is Nigel Peak, 3.35 km (2.08 mi) to the northeast. Mount Wilcox is a moderate scramble from Wilcox Pass. Due to its location, it provides one of the best views of the Athabasca Glacier.

Sunwapta Pass is a mountain pass in the Canadian Rockies in the province of Alberta. Sunwapta Pass is the low point of the saddle created between Mount Athabasca and Nigel Peak. The pass marks the boundary between Banff and Jasper national parks. The Icefields Parkway travels through Sunwapta Pass 108 km (67 mi) southeast of the town of Jasper and 122 km (76 mi) northwest of the Parkway's junction with the Trans-Canada Highway near Lake Louise. The pass is the second highest point on the Icefields Parkway. Bow Summit in Banff National Park is the highest point on the parkway.

Hooker and Brown are two mythical mountains, once reputed to lie on the great Divide of the Canadian Rockies in Jasper National Park, bordering the Athabasca Pass, the old passage for the fur trade. These two peaks were reputed to be the highest mountains in North America at over 16,000 feet (4,900 m), and were maintained to be so on maps and atlases, for almost a hundred years, spurring the early mountaineers arriving on the railway (1890) to explore the Rockies and discover features such as the Columbia Icefield.

Mount Murchison is a 3,348-metre (10,984 ft) mountain summit located at the convergence of the North Saskatchewan River valley and Mistaya River valley of Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. The main summit has two high points: the Southeast Peak is 3,348 m, whereas the Northwest Peak is 3,333 m and separated by 700 m distance. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Cline, 15.71 km (9.76 mi) to the north. Mount Murchison is situated immediately southeast of the confluence of the North Saskatchewan River, Mistaya River, and Howse River near Saskatchewan Crossing, where the Icefields Parkway intersects with the David Thompson Highway.

Nigel Peak is a 3,211-metre (10,535-foot) mountain summit located on the shared border of Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Nigel has two peaks, the north summit is the highest point. The nearest higher peak is Mount Athabasca, 6.4 km (4.0 mi) to the south-southwest. Nigel Peak is situated immediately north of Sunwapta Pass and can be seen from the Icefields Parkway and from Athabasca Glacier. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,100 meters (3,610 feet) above the parkway in two kilometers (1.2 mile).

Mount Thompson is a 3,089-metre (10,135-foot) mountain summit located four kilometres west of Bow Lake in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Baker, 5.0 km (3.1 mi) to the west. Mount Thompson is situated east of the Wapta Icefield, and is a member of the Waputik Mountains. Mount Thompson can be seen from the Icefields Parkway at Bow Lake.

Portal Peak is a 2,926-metre (9,600-foot) mountain summit located four kilometers west of Bow Lake in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Thompson, 1.0 km (0.62 mi) to the northwest. Portal Peak is situated east of the Wapta Icefield, and is a member of the Waputik Mountains. Portal Peak can be seen from the Icefields Parkway at Bow Lake.

Mount Noyes is a 3,080-metre (10,100-foot) mountain summit located in the Mistaya River valley of Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Mount Noyes is situated at the confluence of Silverhorn Creek and Mistaya River, 3.5 km northwest of Mount Weed, and 9.2 km east of Howse Peak. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Patterson, 8.55 km (5.31 mi) to the south. Topographic relief is significant as it rises over 1,380 metres above the Icefields Parkway in two km.

Survey Peak is a 2,667-metre (8,750-foot) mountain summit in Alberta, Canada.

References

Citations

1 2 "Columbia Icefield". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
1 2 "Columbia Icefield Area and the Athabasca Glacier". Jasper National Park. Parks Canada. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
1 2 3 4 5 Sandford 1993, p. 23.
1 2 3 4 5 Sandford 1993, p. 56.
↑ Sandford 1993, pp. 56–58.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Sandford 1993, p. 58.
↑ Sandford 1993, pp. 58–59.
1 2 Sandford 1993, p. 59.
1 2 3 Sandford 1993, p. 60.
↑ "Mount Athabasca". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
↑ "Drainage Basins". The Atlas of Canada. 2009. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
↑ Huck, Barbara; Whiteways, Doug. "The Columbia Icefield and the Athabasca Glacier". In Search of Ancient Alberta. Heartland Associates. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
↑ "Canadian Climate Normals 1951–1980 Volume 2: Temperature" (PDF). Environment Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-08-09. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
↑ "Canadian Climate Normals 1951–1980 Volume 3: Precipitation" (PDF). Environment Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-08-09. Retrieved October 24, 2020.

Sources

Fraser, Esther (1969). The Canadian Rockies: Early Travels and Explorations . Edmonton: M. G. Hurtig Ltd. ISBN 978-0-888-30115-4.
Sandford, Robert W. (1993). The Columbia Icefield . Banff: Altitude Publishing. ISBN 978-1-551-53619-4.

Gallery

Snow Dome and the Columbia Icefield
Columbia Icefield; Mt. Bryce right, our tent left
Skiing the Columbia Icefield
Peaks to the West of the Icefield

External links

Media related to Columbia Icefield at Wikimedia Commons
Columbia Icefield Glacier Adventure (Brewster)
Jasper Columbia Icefield (Jasper Columbia Icefield)
Columbia Icefield (Bivouac)
Columbia Icefield Flickr

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Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
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[britannica-1] 1 2 "Columbia Icefield". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved January 10, 2015.

[pc-athabasca-2] 1 2 "Columbia Icefield Area and the Athabasca Glacier". Jasper National Park. Parks Canada. Retrieved March 15, 2021.

[sandford-23-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Sandford 1993, p. 23.

[sandford-56-4] 1 2 3 4 5 Sandford 1993, p. 56.

[sandford-56-58-5] Sandford 1993, pp. 56–58.

[sandford-58-6] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sandford 1993, p. 58.

[sandford-58-59-7] Sandford 1993, pp. 58–59.

[sandford-59-8] 1 2 Sandford 1993, p. 59.

[sandford-60-9] 1 2 3 Sandford 1993, p. 60.

[peakfinder-10] "Mount Athabasca". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-15.

[atlas-11] "Drainage Basins". The Atlas of Canada. 2009. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2015.

[huck-12] Huck, Barbara; Whiteways, Doug. "The Columbia Icefield and the Athabasca Glacier". In Search of Ancient Alberta. Heartland Associates. Archived from the original on February 8, 2005. Retrieved January 10, 2015.

[tempnormals-13] "Canadian Climate Normals 1951–1980 Volume 2: Temperature" (PDF). Environment Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-08-09. Retrieved October 24, 2020.

[precipnormals-14] "Canadian Climate Normals 1951–1980 Volume 3: Precipitation" (PDF). Environment Canada. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-08-09. Retrieved October 24, 2020.

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