The Footstool is a mountain 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 ...

of New Zealand.

Description

The Footstool is situated on the crest or Main Divide 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 set on the common boundary shared by the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

and

West Coast Region The West Coast () is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller Distri ...

s of

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 ...

. It is located six kilometres north 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 ...

and set on the boundary shared by

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 ...

and

Westland Tai Poutini National Park Westland Tai Poutini National Park is a national park located on the western coast of New Zealand's South Island. Established in 1960 as Westland National Park to commemorate the centenary of the European settlement of Westland District, it cov ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains north into the

Copland River The Copland River is a river on the West Coast of the 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 ...

and south to the Hooker River.

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 south face rises nearly above Hooker Lake in three kilometres. The nearest higher peak is Mount Sefton, two kilometres to the west-southwest.

History

The mountain's toponym may have been a humorous invention of surveyor Edward Sealy, originating from a remark sometime before 1871 that one might sit on Mount Sefton with one's feet on the

footstool A footstool (foot stool, footrest, foot rest) is a piece of furniture or a support used to elevate the feet. There are two main types of footstool, which can be loosely categorized into those designed for comfort and those designed for functi ...

. 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 1894 by Tom Fyfe and George Graham.''The Footstool''
New Zealand Alpine Club, Climbnz.org, Retrieved 23 December 2024.

Climbing

Climbing routes on The Footstool: * Main Divide – Tom Fyfe, George Graham – (1894) * East Ridge – Jack Clarke, Peter Graham,

Henrik Sillem Hendrik "Henrik" Sillem (12 August 1866 in Amsterdam – 13 July 1907 in Courmayeur, Italy) was a Dutch jurist, mountaineer and shooting sports, sport shooter. Personal life and education Henrik Sillem was the son of Johann Gottlieb Sill ...

– (1906) * North Neve – M.R. Barwell, A.F. Reid – (1953) * Couloir Route (East Face) – Graeme Dingle, Jill Tremain – (1967) * Direct (East Face) – Ray Button, Graeme Dingle – (1979) * ''Wombats on Heat'' (East Face) – Michael Batchelor, Gordon Poultney – (1988) * ''Requiem for a Dream'' – Greg Abrahams, Euan Boyd, Steve Farrad, Florian L'Hostis – (2007)

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 ...

, The Footstool 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

tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...

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 the Eugenie, Tewaewae, Huddleston, and Fiddian glaciers on this mountain's slopes. 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 23 December 2024.

Gallery

File:The Footstool NZ.jpg File:The Footstool, New Zealand.jpg, Southeast aspect File:Mt. Sefton and The Footstool.jpg, Mount Sefton to left, The Footstool to right File:Sunrise The Footstool. (8114764085).jpg, South aspect at sunrise File:The Footstool.jpg File:NZ Hooker Valley track.jpg, The Footstool straight ahead

References

External links

* The Footstool
weather
* The Footstool
Climbnz.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Footstool, The Southern Alps Mountains of the Canterbury Region Mountains of the West Coast Region Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park Westland Tai Poutini National Park