Foster Peak is a mountain summit located on the western border of
Kootenay National Park. It is the highest point in the
Vermilion Range, a sub-range of the
Canadian Rockies of
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 ...
. Its nearest higher peak is
Mount Ball, to the northeast.
The mountain is part of what is known as The Rockwall.
Floe Lake, southeast of the peak, is one of the beauty spots of Kootenay National Park. The area is accessible via the Floe Lake Trail and Rockwall Trail. The Rockwall Trail is a scenic traverse of alpine passes, subalpine meadows, hanging glaciers, and limestone cliffs, in some places in excess of above the trail.
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History
The mountain was named in 1913 after
William Wasbrough Foster, who that same year made the first ascent of
Mount Robson, the highest point in the Canadian Rockies.
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 ...
.[ The first ascent of Foster Peak was made in 1933 by Kate (Katie) Gardiner and Ken Jones, with Walter Feuz as guide.]
Geology
Foster Peak is composed of Ottertail limestone, a sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...
laid down during the Precambrian
The Precambrian ( ; or pre-Cambrian, sometimes abbreviated pC, or Cryptozoic) is the earliest part of Earth's history, set before the current Phanerozoic Eon. The Precambrian is so named because it preceded the Cambrian, the first period of t ...
to Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...
periods and pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny
The Laramide orogeny was a time period of mountain building in western North America, which started in the Late Cretaceous, 80 to 70 million years ago, and ended 55 to 35 million years ago. The exact duration and ages of beginning and end of the o ...
.
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 ...
, Foster 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.
See also
* List of mountains in the Canadian Rockies
*Geology of the Rocky Mountains
The geology of the Rocky Mountains is that of a discontinuous series of mountain ranges with distinct geological origins. Collectively these make up the Rocky Mountains, a mountain system that stretches from Northern British Columbia through cen ...
* Geography of British Columbia
References
;Notes
External links
* Weather forecast
Foster Peak
* Parks Canada web site
Kootenay National Park
* Foster Peak (photo)
Flickr
{{Canadian Rockies, state=collapsed
Three-thousanders of British Columbia
Vermilion Range (British Columbia)
Kootenay Land District