Popes Peak | |
Elevation M: | 3163 |
Elevation Ref: | [1] |
Prominence M: | 81 |
Prominence Ref: | [2] |
Range: | Bow Range |
Parent Peak: | Collier Peak (3232 m) |
Country: | Canada |
Region Type: | Provinces |
Part Type: | Protected areas |
Map: | Alberta#British Columbia#Canada |
Label Position: | right#left |
Mapframe: | yes |
Mapframe-Zoom: | 8 |
Mapframe-Caption: | Interactive map of Popes Peak |
Coordinates: | 51.4022°N -116.2944°W |
Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
First Ascent: | 1903 George Collier, Joseph Collier, Christian Kaufmann |
Easiest Route: | North Face III |
Popes Peak is a mountain on the border of Alberta and British Columbia in Western Canada, on the Continental Divide of the Americas, part of the Bow Range of the Canadian Rockies between Lake Louise Valley and Cataract Brook, bordering Banff and Yoho national parks.
The peak was named in 1887 after John Henry Pope, a member of the 1st Canadian Parliament. It was originally known as Boundary Peak for the borders running through it, just south of Kicking Horse Pass
The mountain was first climbed in 1903 by George Collier and his brother Joseph, guided by Christian Kaufmann.
Popes Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[4]
Based on the Köppen climate classification, Popes Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[5] Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.