Mount Edgar Thomson is a mountain in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand.

Description

Mount Edgar Thomson is set in the

Ben Ohau Range Ben Ohau Range is a mountain range in Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury Region, South Island, New Zealand. It lies west of Lake Pukaki, at and east of the Dobson River (New Zealand), Dobson river and Lake Ōhau. The Ben Ohau range is domin ...

of the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...

and is situated in the

Canterbury Region Canterbury () is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current form was estab ...

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. This peak is located south-southwest of

Mount Cook Village Mount Cook Village, officially Aoraki / Mount Cook, is located within New Zealand's Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park at the end of , only south of the summit of the country's highest mountain, also called Aoraki / Mount Cook, in the Souther ...

Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park is a national park located in the Canterbury Region in the central-west of the South Island of New Zealand. It was established in October 1953 and takes its name from the highest mountain in New Zealand, Aora ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains east to the

Tasman River The Tasman River is an alpine braided river flowing through Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island. The river's headwaters are in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, where it is the outflow of the proglacial Tasman Lake. It is also fed by t ...

via Hoophorn and Birch Hill streams, whereas the west slope drains into headwaters of the Dobson River.''Dobson River''
New Zealand Gazetteer, Retrieved 26 December 2024.

Topographic relief Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

is significant as the summit rises above Hoophorn Stream in 1.5 kilometres. The nearest higher peak is

Mount Sealy Mount Sealy is a mountain in Canterbury Region of New Zealand. Description Mount Sealy is located in the Southern Alps and the Canterbury Region of South Island. This peak is situated southwest of Mount Cook Village and set within Aoraki / M ...

, two kilometres to the northwest. The

first ascent In mountaineering and climbing, a first ascent (abbreviated to FA in climbing guidebook, guide books), is the first successful documented climb to the top of a mountain or the top of a particular climbing route. Early 20th-century mountaineers a ...

of the summit was made in April 1915 by Jane Thomson and

Conrad Kain Conrad Kain (10 August 1883, Schwarzau im Gebirge, Nasswald – 2 February 1934, Cranbrook, British Columbia) was an Austrian mountain guide who guided extensively in Europe, Canada, and New Zealand, and was responsible for the first ascents of mo ...

. The mountain's toponym was applied by Jane Thomson to honour her only child, Edgar (1881–1904), who had died in 1904 at age 23 from a football injury. Edgar Thomson died at the Wellington Hospital after sustaining a head injury while playing a rugby match.

Climbing

Climbing routes with first ascents:''Mt Edgar Thomson''
New Zealand Alpine Club, Climbnz.org, Retrieved 26 December 2024. * East Ridge – Jane Thomson,

– (1915) * South Face – J.A. Roberts, Clem Williams – (1925) * South Ridge – Charlie Collins, David Hall, Priestly Thomson – (1946) * Whiteley Woute – Richard Whiteley – (1971) * Central Rib – Hans Muller, Otto Van Allman – (1973) * West Face – Tim Steward, Reg Measures – (2012)

Climate

Based on the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Mount Edgar Thomson is located in a

marine west coast An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

(Cfb) climate zone, with a

subpolar oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

(Cfc) at the summit. Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountains, where the air is forced upward by the mountains (

orographic lift Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...

), causing moisture to drop in the form of rain or snow. This climate supports a small unnamed glacier on the peak's south slope. The months of December through February offer the most favourable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.''The Best Time to Visit the South Island''
nzpocketguide.com, Retrieved 26 December 2024.

Gallery

File:Mount Edgar Thomson, New Zealand.jpg, Southeast aspect File:Valley of Hoophorn Stream 02.jpg, Mount Edgar Thomson (left) and the valley of Hoophorn Stream File:Cran Edgar Sefton.jpg,

Mount Cran Mount Cran is a mountain in Canterbury, New Zealand. Description Mount Cran is set in the Ben Ohau Range of the Southern Alps and is situated in the Canterbury Region of the South Island. This peak is located south of Mount Cook Village. Pre ...

(left), Mount Edgar Thomson (center), Mount Sefton (right) across Lake Pukaki.

References

External links