Stupendous Mountain is a 2,682-metre (8,799-foot) mountain summit located in British Columbia, Canada.

Stupendous Mountain
Northwest aspect
Highest point
Elevation2,682 m (8,799 ft)[1]
Prominence692 m (2,270 ft)[1]
Parent peakThe Horn (2,907 m)[1]
Isolation5.15 km (3.20 mi)[1]
ListingMountains of British Columbia
Coordinates52°23′07″N 126°11′43″W / 52.38528°N 126.19528°W / 52.38528; -126.19528[2]
Naming
EtymologyStupendous
Geography
Stupendous Mountain is located in British Columbia
Stupendous Mountain
Stupendous Mountain
Location in British Columbia
Stupendous Mountain is located in Canada
Stupendous Mountain
Stupendous Mountain
Stupendous Mountain (Canada)
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
DistrictRange 3 Coast Land District
Parent rangeCoast Mountains
Topo mapNTS 93D8 Stuie[2]
Climbing
First ascent1937

Description edit

Stupendous Mountain, also known as Mount Stupendous,[3] is situated in the Coast Mountains, towering above the south side of Bella Coola Valley. Stupendous is set 40 km (25 mi) east of Bella Coola and 430 km (270 mi) northwest of Vancouver. Precipitation runoff and glacier meltwater from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Bella Coola River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,540 meters (8,333 feet) above the river in four kilometers (2.5 miles). The peak can be seen from Highway 20.

History edit

Stupendous Mountain was described by Sir Alexander Mackenzie on 17 July 1793: "Before us appeared a stupendous mountain, whose snow-clad summit was lost in the clouds."[4][5][6] A 1947 map confined the name Stupendous Mountain to the higher southern peak (2,697 m) on the massif; at the same time the northern peak was adopted as Table Mountain.[4] The landform's toponym was officially adopted as "Stupendous Mountain" on November 1, 1979, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada and was shifted to the lower northern peak, while the name "Table Mountain" was rescinded.[2] The mountain's Native American name is Chil-a-thlum-dinky.[7]

The first ascent of the summit was made in 1937 by Don Munday, Phyllis Munday and their sixteen-year-old daughter, Edith.[3][8]

Climate edit

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Stupendous Mountain is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[9] 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. This climate supports a small glacier on the northeast slope.

See also edit

Gallery edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Stupendous Mountain, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  2. ^ a b c "Stupendous Mountain". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  3. ^ a b Chic Scott (2000), Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering, Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 9780921102595, p. 108
  4. ^ a b "Stupendous Mountain". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
  5. ^ Lawrence Johnstone Burpee (1939), Canadian Geographical Journal, Volumes 18-19, p. 2
  6. ^ G. P. V. Akrigg, Helen B. Akrigg (1997), British Columbia Place Names, UBC Press, ISBN 9780774806374, p. 258
  7. ^ Geological Survey of Canada (1878), Report of Progress for 1876–77, Dawson Bros., p. 34.
  8. ^ Frances Rooney (2005), Extraordinary Women Explorers, Second Story Press, ISBN 9781926739199
  9. ^ 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 edit