Mount Geikie (Canada)

Mount Geikie, pronounced like "geeky", is a 3,298-metre (10,820-foot) mountain summit located in Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. Situated 28 km (17 mi) southwest of Jasper near the Tonquin Valley, Mount Geikie is the second highest peak of The Ramparts in the Canadian Rockies, one of the most beautiful mountain meccas in the world. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Fraser, 8.0 km (5.0 mi) to the southeast, and the Continental Divide lies 3.0 km (1.9 mi) to the east.[1] Mount Geikie is composed of quartzite of the Cambrian period. This rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[3] The vertical wall of its north face is over 1,500-metre (4,900-foot) high, and has been compared to the other great north faces of the Canadian Rockies such as North Twin, Alberta, and Kitchener.[4]

Mount Geikie
Mount Geikie centered, flanked by Barbican Peak to right, Bastion Peak and Turret Peak to left
Highest point
Elevation3,298 m (10,820 ft) [1]
Prominence808 m (2,651 ft) [1]
Parent peakMount Fraser (3313 m)[1]
Coordinates52°42′50″N 118°23′29″W [2]
Geography
Mount Geikie
Location of Mount Geikie in British Columbia
Mount Geikie
Mount Geikie (Canada)
LocationMount Robson Provincial Park
British Columbia, Canada
Parent rangeCanadian Rockies
Topo mapNTS 83D/09
Geology
Age of rockCambrian
Type of rockQuartzite
Climbing
First ascent1924 by V.A. Fynn, M.D. Geddes, C.G. Wates[1]

History

Mount Geikie was named in 1898 by J. E. McEvoy of the Geological Survey of Canada for Scottish geologist Sir Archibald Geikie (1835–1924), who was the director-general of the British Geological Survey from 1882 to 1901.[5] The mountain was labelled on Arthur O. Wheeler's 1911 topographic map of the Mount Robson area. The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1951 when approved by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[2]

Climbing

The first ascent of Mount Geikie was made in 1924 by Val Fynn, M.D. Geddes, and Cyril G. Wates via a southwest route.[1] The first ascent of the north face was accomplished in 1967 by John Hudson and Royal Robbins (class 5.9).[6] Other routes on the north face include the Lowe/Hannibal (class 5.10b) in 1979 by George Lowe and Dean Hannibal,[7] Hesse-Shilling (5.10) by Mark Hesse and Brad Shilling in August 1994, and Honky Tonquin (VI+ 5.10 A3) by Seth Shaw and Scott Simper in July 1999.[8] The first solo ascent of the north face was made in August 2017 by Tony McLane of Canada.[9] The normal climbing route is the Southeast Face (IV, 5.5).

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Geikie is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[10] Temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C. In terms of favorable weather, July and August present the best months for climbing. However, these months coincide with mosquito season, which requires effective defenses for the days-long approach to reach the mountain. Precipitation runoff from Mount Geikie drains into Geikie Creek and Tonquin Creek, both tributaries and headwaters of the Fraser River.

See also

References
  1. "Mount Geikie". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  2. "Mount Geikie". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  3. Gadd, Ben (2008). "Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies, 1991. Sean Dougherty
  5. BC Geographical Names, Mount Geikie
  6. The Bold and Cold, A history of 25 Classic Climbs in the Canadian Rockies, Brendon Pullan, Rocky Mountain Books, 2016
  7. Fifty Favorite Climbs - The Ultimate North American Tick List, Mark Kroese, The Mountaineers Books, 2001.
  8. American Alpine Club, North America, Canada, Canadian Rockies, Summary. 2003
  9. First Solo Ascent of Mt. Geikie’s North Face American Alpine Club, 2018
  10. 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.
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