Mount Chephren
Mount Chephren and Waterfowl Lake seen from the Icefields Parkway
Highest point
Elevation3,266 m (10,715 ft)[1][2][3]: 306 [a]
Prominence443 m (1,453 ft)[5][b]
Parent peakHowse Peak (3295 m)[5]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates51°50′25″N 116°40′59″W / 51.84028°N 116.68306°W / 51.84028; -116.68306[7]
Geography
Mount Chephren is located in Alberta
Mount Chephren
Mount Chephren
Location in Alberta
LocationAlberta, Canada
Parent rangeWaputik Mountains
Topo mapNTS 82N15 Mistaya Lake
Geology
Type of rockQuartzite, Limestone, Dolomite[3]: 306 
Climbing
First ascent1913 by J.W.A. Hickson, guided by Edward Feuz jr.[2]
Easiest routeScramble (difficult) on south face

Mount Chephren is a mountain located in the Mistaya River Valley of Banff National Park, Canada.

Mount Chephren was named after Chephren, the 4th Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh. The mountain was originally named Pyramid Mountain in 1897 by J. Norman Collie, but it conflicted with an identically named peak in Jasper National Park, so it was renamed in 1924 to its present name.[8][4][2]

Routes

Scramble

Mount Chephren is rated a difficult scramble on the south face due to its steep upper slopes with possible snow and ice difficulties. Considerable snow on the route would likely require crampons and an ice axe, thereby pushing the climb into the realm of technical mountaineering. The best conditions for scrambling would normally be late July and August.[4]

The trail head is located at the west end of the Waterfowl Lakes campground off the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park. The elevation gain from the trail head to the summit is 1,630 m (5,348 ft).[4]

Technical

There are three main routes:[2][9]

Geology

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Mount Chephren is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.[10] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[11]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Chephren is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[12] Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.

Mount Chephren and Waterfowl Lake seen from the Icefields Parkway

References

  1. ^ Bow Lake and Saskatchewan Crossing (Map). Cochrane, AB: Gem Trek Publishing. 1995. ISBN 1-895526-10-8. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  2. ^ a b c d "Mount Chephren". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2003-11-08.
  3. ^ a b Gadd, Ben (2008). Canadian Rockies Geology Road Tours. Jasper, AB: Corax Press. ISBN 978-0-9692631-2-8.
  4. ^ a b c d Kane, Alan (1999). Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Calgary: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 300–301. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.
  5. ^ a b c "Mount Chephren". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  6. ^ "Mount Chephren". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  7. ^ "Mount Chephren". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  8. ^ "Official naming date". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-05-07.
  9. ^ Dougherty, Sean (1991). Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies. Rocky Mountain Books. p. 174. ISBN 9780921102144.
  10. ^ Belyea, Helen R. (1960). The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park (PDF). parkscanadahistory.com (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  11. ^ Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
  12. ^ 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.
Notes
  1. ^ Other sources give 3307 m[4] and 3274 m[5][6]
  2. ^ Based on a summit elevation of 3274 m
Categories