Mount Athabasca
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| Mount Athabasca | |
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| Elevation: | 3,491 metres (11,454 feet) |
| Coordinates: | Template:Coor dms |
| Location: | Alberta, Canada |
| Topo map: | NTS 83C/03 |
| Range: | Canadian Rockies |
| First ascent: | 1898 by J. Norman Collie and H. Woolley |
| Easiest route: | glacier/snow climb |
Mount Athabasca is located in the Columbia Icefield of Jasper National Park. The mountain was named in 1898 by J. Norman Collie. Athabasca is the Cree Indian name for "where there are reeds" which originally referred to Lake Athabasca.
Routes
- North Glacier (Normal Route) II
- Silverhorn II
- Regular North Face III 5.4
- The Hourglass III 5.5
- North Ridge III 5.5
One of the most prominent features of Mt. Athabasca, is a horned shaped tip near the top called the "Silverhorn". The Silverhorn is one of the easier routes to the summit but requires more caution and ability than the normal route because of blue ice and falling ice from other parties. Although not apparent from the typical roadside view of the mountain, the south side of Silverhorn actually contains a scrambling route but one must still cross the north glacier to get to it. Once you reach the top of Silverhorn, the summit is a rather easy 15 minute plod over the narrow snow covered summit ridge. On a warm summer day, post-holing on the summit ridge is likely.
External links
- Mt. Athabasca on Peakfinder (http://www.peakfinder.com/peakfinder.asp?PeakName=Mount+Athabasca)
- Mt. Athabasca on Peakware (http://www.peakware.com/encyclopedia/peaks/athabasca.htm)