Mount Thompson (California)

Mount Thompson
Mount Thompson
	North aspect, centered
Highest point
Elevation	13,494 ft (4,113 m)
Prominence	1,054 ft (321 m)
Parent peak	Mount Fiske (13,503 ft)
Isolation	3.02 mi (4.86 km)
Listing	Sierra Peaks Section
Coordinates	37°08′34″N118°36′49″W / 37.1428824°N 118.6136118°W
Naming
Etymology	Almon Harris Thompson
Geography
	Mount Thompson Location in California Mount Thompson Mount Thompson (the United States)
Location	Kings Canyon National Park ; Fresno County / Inyo County ; California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Mount Thompson
Geology
Rock type	granite
Climbing
First ascent	1909
Easiest route	class 2

Last updated December 08, 2024

Mount Thompson is a 13,494-foot-elevation (4,113 meter) mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, United States.^[3] It is situated on the shared boundary of Kings Canyon National Park with John Muir Wilderness, and along the common border of Fresno County with Inyo County. It is also 18 miles (29 km) west of the community of Big Pine, one mile northwest of Mount Gilbert, and three miles east of Mount Fiske, which is the nearest higher neighbor. Mount Thompson ranks as the 62nd-highest summit in California.^[2] This mountain's name commemorates Almon Harris Thompson (1839–1906).^[4] The first ascent of the peak was made by Clarence H. Rhudy and H. F. Katzenbach in the summer of 1909.^[5]

Climbing

Established climbing routes on Mount Thompson:^[6]

Northwest Face – class 3 – First Ascent June 30, 1931, by Norman Clyde
Southwest Face – class 2 – FA August 14, 1939, by Jack Sturgeon
Thompson Ridge – class 3 – FA 1959
Knudtson Couloir – class AI3 – FA 1984
Moynier Couloir – class 5.6 – FA 1986
Smrz Couloir – class 5.6 – FA 1990
Harrington Couloir – class AI2
Southeast Face – class 3–4
West Ridge – class 3

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Thompson is located in an alpine climate zone.^[7] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift). Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains south into the Middle Fork Kings River, and north into Bishop Creek.

Gallery

Mount Thompson viewed from Ski Mountaineers Peak
Mt. Thompson with an autumn dusting of snow.
13,280+ ft "Ski Mountaineers Peak" (left) is the highpoint of Thompson Ridge
North aspect

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Mount Powell is a 13,364-foot-elevation mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, United States. It is situated on the shared boundary of Kings Canyon National Park with John Muir Wilderness, and along the common border of Fresno County with Inyo County. It is also 19 miles (31 km) west of the community of Big Pine, and 1.17 miles (1.88 km) west of Mount Thompson, which is the nearest higher neighbor. Mount Powell ranks as the 81st highest peak in California, and the 10th highest of the Evolution Region of the Sierra Nevada. The west summit is unofficially known as "Point John." Two other peaks on the mountain are informally called "Point Wesley" (13,356 ft) in the middle, and "Point Powell" (13,360+ ft) one-half mile to the east.

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References

1 2 3 "Mount Thompson, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
1 2 3 4 "Thompson, Mount - 13,494' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
1 2 "Mount Thompson". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2021-04-10.
↑ Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)
↑ Sierra Club Bulletin, 1919, page 440.
↑ R. J. Secor, The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, Trails, 2009, Third Edition, Mountaineers Books, ISBN 9780898869712, page 287.
↑ 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 forecast: Mount Thompson

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[pb-1] 1 2 3 "Mount Thompson, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-04-10.

[listsofjohn-2] 1 2 3 4 "Thompson, Mount - 13,494' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-10.

[gnis-3] 1 2 "Mount Thompson". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2021-04-10.

[4] Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)

[5] Sierra Club Bulletin, 1919, page 440.

[6] R. J. Secor, The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, Trails, 2009, Third Edition, Mountaineers Books, ISBN 9780898869712, page 287.

[Peel-7] 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.

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