Mount Balfour

Mount Balfour
Mount Balfour
	Mount Balfour from Iceline Trail
Highest point
Elevation	3,272 m (10,735 ft)
Prominence	934 m (3,064 ft)
Parent peak	Howse Peak (3295 m)
Listing	Mountains of Alberta ; Mountains of British Columbia ;
Coordinates	51°33′55″N116°27′58″W / 51.56528°N 116.46611°W
Geography
	Mount Balfour Location in Alberta Mount Balfour Mount Balfour (British Columbia)
	Interactive map of Mount Balfour
Country	Canada
Provinces	Alberta and British Columbia
Protected areas	Banff National Park ; Yoho National Park ;
Parent range	Waputik Range
Topo map	NTS 82N9 Hector Lake
Climbing
First ascent	1898 C.L. Noyes, C.S. Thompson, G.M. Weed; Appalachian Mountain Club

Last updated November 13, 2024

Mount Balfour is a mountain located on the Continental Divide, part of the border between British Columbia and Alberta, in the Waputik Range in the Park Ranges of the Canadian Rockies.^[1]^[3] It is the 71st highest peak in Alberta^[8] and the 113th highest in British Columbia;^[9] it is also the 52nd most prominent in Alberta.

Climbing History

Early attempts to climb the mountain were made from Niles Pass via Sherbrooke Lake.^[7] The first ascent was made on August 18, 1898, by C.L. Noyes, C.S. Thompson, G.M. Weed; members of the Appalachian Mountain Club. The party started their ascent from Hector Lake which they had reached by crossing Dolomite Pass to Bow Lake and then continuing south. C.E. Fay had also attempted the mountain in 1898 via the Sherbrooke Lake/Niles Pass approach but were eventually turned back by poor weather and inexperience.^[6] Parties from the ACC completed ascents of Balfour in 1909 via Sherbrooke Lake, Niles Pass, Daly Glacier and then summitting via the SE arête.^[7]

Geology

Mount Balfour is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.^[10] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.^[11]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Balfour is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.^[12] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.

Gallery

Mt. Balfour approach to col off to the left
Mt. Balfour from Ski Louise ski resort

Related Research Articles

Mount Ball is a mountain located on the Continental Divide, on the borders of Banff and Kootenay national parks in Western Canada. Mt. Ball is the highest peak of the Ball Range in the Canadian Rockies.

Mount Hector is a 3,394-metre (11,135-foot) mountain summit located in the Bow River valley of Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. The mountain was named in 1884 by George M. Dawson after James Hector, a geologist on the Palliser expedition. The mountain is located beside the Icefields Parkway, 17 km (11 mi) north of Lake Louise.

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.

Peyto Peak is a mountain in the Waputik Range, part of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada. It lies at the north end of the Wapta Icefield, in Banff National Park, about one km (0.6 mi) east of the border with British Columbia and 32 km (20 mi) north of the town of Field. Five kilometres to the northeast lies Bow Pass, one of the high points of the Icefields Parkway. Between the peak and the pass lies picturesque Peyto Lake. Three kilometres southwest of Peyto Peak is Mount Baker, the highest point in the immediate vicinity.

Saint Nicholas Peak is a 2,938-metre (9,639-foot) mountain summit in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. It is located on the Continental Divide, on the Alberta-British Columbia border, in both Banff National Park and Yoho National Park. It lies at the eastern edge of the Wapta Icefield, and is part of the Waputik Mountains which are a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Lyell (Canada)</span> Mountain in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada

Mount Lyell is a mountain on the Alberta–British Columbia border in western Canada. Comprising five distinct summits, Mount Lyell reaches a height of 3,498 m (11,476 ft). The mountain was named by James Hector in 1858 in recognition of Scottish geologist Sir Charles Lyell.

Mount Victoria, 3,464 metres (11,365 ft), is a mountain on the border between British Columbia and Alberta in the Canadian Rockies. It is located just northeast of Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park and is also part of Banff National Park and is on the Continental Divide. The mountain has two peaks, the south being the highest while the north peak is slightly lower at 3,388 metres (11,115 ft).

Mount Habel is a 3,073-metre (10,082-foot) mountain summit located in Banff National Park on the Continental Divide along the border of Alberta and British Columbia in the Waputik Mountains, part of the Canadian Rockies. It was named in 1986 after Jean Habel. Jean Habel was a German geographer who explored the Canadian Rockies and in 1897 was the first to set foot on the Wapta Icefield which surrounds Mount Habel.

Mount Olive is located N of the head of the Yoho River on the Continental Divide, on the Alberta-British Columbia border, in both Banff National Park and Yoho National Park. It lies on the eastern edge of the Wapta Icefield, and is part of the Waputik Mountains. It was named in 1898 by H.B. Dixon after his wife Dixon, Olive.

Mount Gloria is located on the border of Alberta and British Columbia on the Continental Divide in Canada. It was named in 1913 by the Interprovincial Boundary Survey after Lake Gloria which lies directly north of the mountain.

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.

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.

Mount Jimmy Simpson is a 2,966-metre (9,731-foot) summit located 3 kilometres northwest of Bow Lake in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Thompson, 3.0 km (1.9 mi) to the southwest. Mount Jimmy Simpson is a member of the Waputik Mountains, and is situated east of the Wapta Icefield and west of the Bow River valley. Mount Jimmy Simpson can be seen from the Icefields Parkway at Bow Lake. Jimmy Simpson Junior is a 2,721 meter sub-summit east of the mountain.

Mount Niles is a 2,967-metre (9,734-foot) summit located in the Waputik Range of Yoho National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. The nearest higher peak is Mount Daly, 1.63 km (1.01 mi) to the immediate northeast. Takakkaw Falls is situated four km to the west, the Waputik Icefield lies to the north, and Sherbrooke Lake lies to the south. Precipitation runoff from Mount Niles drains into the Yoho River and Niles Creek, both tributaries of the Kicking Horse River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises approximately 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) above Yoho Valley in four kilometers (2.5 mile).

Emerald Peak is a 2,701-metre (8,862-foot) mountain summit located in Yoho National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Carnarvon, 1.7 km (1.1 mi) to the northwest. Both are part of the President Range which is a subset of the Waputik Mountains. Emerald Peak is visible from Emerald Lake, rising 1,256-metre (4,121-foot) above the northwest shore. The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1924 when approved by the Geographical Names Board of Canada, in association with Emerald Lake, which in turn was named in 1900 on account of its color.

Mount Carnarvon is a 3,046-metre (9,993-foot) mountain summit located in the Kiwetinok River Valley of Yoho National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is The President, 3.9 km (2.4 mi) to the north-northeast. Both are part of the President Range which is a subset of the Waputik Mountains. Mount Carnarvon is situated five kilometers northwest of Emerald Lake, but is hidden from view behind Emerald Peak. However, Carnarvon is visible from Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway. The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing Mount Carnarvon.

Trolltinder Mountain is a 2,912-metre (9,554-foot) mountain summit located immediately west of the Continental Divide, in the Waputik Range of the Canadian Rockies in British Columbia, Canada. It is situated in Yoho National Park, with its nearest higher peak being Mount Balfour, 1.0 km (0.62 mi) to the northeast, and Fairy Lake directly below its southern slope.

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.

Pulpit Peak is a 2,720-metre (8,920-foot) mountain summit located one km south of Hector Lake in Banff National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Its nearest higher peak is Lilliput Mountain, 3.6 km (2.2 mi) to the southwest. Pulpit Peak is situated east of the Waputik Icefield, and is a member of the Waputik Mountains. Pulpit Peak can be seen from the Icefields Parkway towering 900 metres (2,950 ft) above Hector Lake.

Mount Ogden is a mountain in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, Canada.

References

1 2 "Mount Balfour". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-20.
↑ "Topographic map of Mount Balfour". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
1 2 3 "Mount Balfour". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
1 2 "Mount Balfour". BC Geographical Names . Retrieved 2013-06-15.
1 2 "Mount Balfour (BC)". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2019-08-26.
1 2 "Waputik Icefield". bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
1 2 3 Thorington, J. Monroe (1966) [1921]. "Kicking Horse Pass to Howse Pass". A Climber's Guide to the Rocky Mountains of Canada. With the collaboration of Putnam, William Lowell (6th ed.). American Alpine Club. pp. 136–137. ISBN 978-1376169003.
↑ "Peaks in Alberta by height". bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
↑ "List of peaks in BC". bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
↑ Belyea, Helen R. (1960). The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park (PDF). parkscanadahistory.com (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
↑ Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias
↑ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L. & McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN 1027-5606.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[peakfinder-1] 1 2 "Mount Balfour". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-20.

[opentopomap-2] "Topographic map of Mount Balfour". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 2021-11-05.

[bivouac-3] 1 2 3 "Mount Balfour". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2009-02-21.

[bcgnis-4] 1 2 "Mount Balfour". BC Geographical Names . Retrieved 2013-06-15.

[cgndb-5] 1 2 "Mount Balfour (BC)". Geographical Names Data Base . Natural Resources Canada . Retrieved 2019-08-26.

[bivouac_waputik-6] 1 2 "Waputik Icefield". bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-08-26.

[Thorington1966-7] 1 2 3 Thorington, J. Monroe (1966) [1921]. "Kicking Horse Pass to Howse Pass". A Climber's Guide to the Rocky Mountains of Canada. With the collaboration of Putnam, William Lowell (6th ed.). American Alpine Club. pp. 136–137. ISBN 978-1376169003.

[8] "Peaks in Alberta by height". bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-08-26.

[9] "List of peaks in BC". bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-08-26.

[Belyea1960-10] Belyea, Helen R. (1960). The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park (PDF). parkscanadahistory.com (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-13.

[gadd-11] Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias

[Peel-12] Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L. & McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . ISSN 1027-5606.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]