Atwell Peak is a dramatic pyramid-shaped volcanic peak located at the southern edge of

Mount Garibaldi Mount Garibaldi (, ) is a dormant stratovolcano in the Garibaldi Ranges of the Pacific Ranges in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It has a maximum elevation of and rises above the surrounding landscape on the east side of the Cheakamus Ri ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Atwell Peak was the source of many

pyroclastic flow A pyroclastic flow (also known as a pyroclastic density current or a pyroclastic cloud) is a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter (collectively known as tephra) that flows along the ground away from a volcano at average speeds of b ...

s during Garibaldi's development. Frequent

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

s on its west face drops steeply into the

Cheekye River The Cheekye River is a river in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It flows west into the Cheakamus River and north of Squamish. See also *List of rivers of British Columbia The following is a partial list of rivers of British Columbia, orga ...

. Atwell Peak is often mistakenly called Mount Garibaldi when viewed from Squamish, since the main peak is hidden. The peak is usually climbed during winter or early spring when the rock is frozen because it is very loose and rotten. Atwell Peak contains three ridges, the north, east, and south. The two most visible routes are the north and south ridges. Atwell Peak is part of the Garibaldi Massif which is an eroded

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a typically conical volcano built up by many alternating layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with ...

formed during the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

. The volcano is also part of the

Garibaldi Volcanic Belt The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt is a northwest–southeast trending volcanic chain in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains that extends from Watts Point in the south to the Ha-Iltzuk Icefield in the north. This chain of volcanoes is located in s ...

which is a segment of the

Canadian Cascade Arc The Canadian Cascade Arc, also called the Canadian Cascades, is the Canada, Canadian segment of the North American Cascade Volcanic Arc. Located entirely within the Canadian province of British Columbia, it extends from the Cascade Mountains in th ...

, but it is not within the geographic boundary of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

. It is located in the

Garibaldi Ranges The Garibaldi Ranges are the next-to-southwesternmost subdivision of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains; only the North Shore Mountains are farther southwest. They lie between the valley formed by the pass between the Cheakamus River and ...

of the

Pacific Ranges The Pacific Ranges are the southernmost subdivision of the Coast Mountains portion of the Pacific Cordillera. Located entirely within British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada, they run northwest from the lower stretches of the Fraser River to B ...

Ridges

Atwell Peak consists of three ridges, the north, east, and south. The east ridge connects with the north ridge about 100 horizontal metres north of the summit. All ridges, with the possible exception of the upper east ridge, are sharp and heavily corniced in winter and spring. The north ridge is the shortest climbing route. Several gullies on the southeast face offer moderate routes that eventually join one of the three ridges. The northeast face is the shortest of the peak's faces but has many bergschrunds.

Glaciers and icefield

To the east of Atwell Peak lies the

Garibaldi Névé The Garibaldi Névé is a snowfield in the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on the north and east sides of Mount Garibaldi in New Westminster Land District. The névé along with its outlet g ...

ice field An ice field (also spelled icefield) is a mass of interconnected valley glaciers (also called mountain glaciers or alpine glaciers) on a mountain mass with protruding rock ridges or summits. They are often found in the colder climates and high ...

, which is a popular objective with the ski touring crowd. Two pocket glaciers lie right below the east side of the peak, the Diamond Glacier to the southeast and the upper Bishop Glacier to the northeast. Straight north of Atwell toward Mount Garibaldi lies a small, high-elevation ice cap called the Cheekye Glacier.

Gallery

Atwell Peak1.jpg, Atwell from Garibaldi

References

External links

{{Garibaldi Volcanic Belt Volcanoes of British Columbia Two-thousanders of British Columbia Garibaldi Volcanic Belt Pleistocene lava domes New Westminster Land District Pleistocene British Columbia Lava domes of British Columbia