Blackfriars Peak

Blackfriars Peak
North aspect
Highest point
Elevation3,215 m (10,548 ft)[1]
Prominence609 m (1,998 ft)[1]
Isolation5.8 km (3.6 mi)[2]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates52°19′33″N 117°37′04″W / 52.32583°N 117.61778°W / 52.32583; -117.61778[3]
Naming
EtymologyBlackfriar
Geography
Blackfriars Peak
Location in Alberta
Blackfriars Peak
Location in Canada
Interactive map of Blackfriars Peak
CountryCanada
ProvinceAlberta
Protected areaJasper National Park
Parent rangeCanadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 83C5 Fortress Lake
Climbing
First ascent1953

Blackfriars Peak is a mountain in Alberta, Canada.

Description

Blackfriars Peak is a 3,215-metre (10,548-foot) summit located at the head of the upper Athabasca River valley in the Canadian Rockies. It is situated within Jasper National Park, 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) south-southeast of the town of Jasper, and eight kilometres (5 miles) east of the Continental Divide of the Americas. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Athabasca River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,800 metres (5,905 ft) above the Athabasca River in three kilometres (1.86 miles). The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway, weather permitting.[4] The nearest higher neighbor is Dais Mountain, 5.74 km (3.57 mi) to the south.[1]

History

The mountain was named in 1901 by Jean Habel who was a German geographer who explored the Canadian Rockies. He saw a resemblance between this peak and one in Europe with a similar name ("Schwartze Monche" which translates from German as black monks, or friars).[4][5] The first ascent of the summit was made on July 8, 1953, by Gus E. Landt and Dr. A. MacIntosh, led by Walter Perren who was a Swiss climbing guide and Parks Canada service warden.[4][5][6] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on March 22, 1989, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[3]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Blackfriars Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[7] Winter temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C.

Geology

The mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods and pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Blackfriars Peak, Alberta". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  2. ^ "Blackfriars Peak". Peakvisor.com. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  3. ^ a b "Blackfriars Peak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  4. ^ a b c "Blackfriars Peak". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2026-02-08.
  5. ^ a b Dave Birrell, 50 Roadside Panoramas in the Canadian Rockies, 2000, Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 0-921102-65-8, p. 33.
  6. ^ The Canadian Alpine Journal, 1954, Alpine Club of Canada, p. 114.
  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: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.
  8. ^ Gadd, Ben (2008), Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias