Flattop Peak is a

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

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.

Description

Flattop is located in

The Bugaboos The Bugaboos are a mountain range in the Purcell Mountains of eastern British Columbia, Canada. The granite spires of the group are a popular mountaineering destination. The Bugaboos are protected within Bugaboo Provincial Park. Geography The ...

, west of the Bugaboo Glacier along the southern boundary of Bugaboo Provincial Park. Precipitation runoff from Flattop Peak drains east into Bugaboo Creek which is a tributary of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

; as well as west to Duncan River via East Creek. Flattop Peak is more notable for its steep rise above local terrain than for its absolute elevation as

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 with the summit rising 1,660 meters (5,446 ft) above East Creek in . The nearest higher neighbor is

line parent A peak's line parent is the closest higher peak on the highest ridge leading away from the peak's "key col". A col is the lowest point on the ridge between two summits and is roughly synonymous with pass, gap, saddle and notch. The highest col ...

Howser Peak, to the southeast.

History

The peak's descriptive name was applied by Eaton Cromwell, who made 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 with Peter Kaufmann on August 10, 1930.Eaton Cromwell (1931), ''In the Bugaboo Group'', Americanalpineclub.org
/ref> The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on June 9, 1960, by the

Geographical Names Board of Canada The Geographical Names Board of Canada (GNBC) is a national committee with a secretariat in Natural Resources Canada, part of the Government of Canada, which authorizes the names used and name changes on official federal government maps of Canad ...

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 ...

, Flattop Peak is located in a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports the Bugaboo Glacier on the peak's east slope and an unnamed glacier on the south slope.

Gallery

Flattop and Howser peaks.jpg, Flattop Peak (center), Howser Peak (upper left), with little Thimble Peak between the two

References

External links

* Flattop Peak
weather
{{Geographic Location 2 , Center = Flattop Peak , North =

Pigeon Spire Pigeon Spire is a peak in the Purcell Mountains of the Columbia Mountains in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It may be one of the most climbed of the spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a buildi ...