Mount Avalanche is a mountain in New Zealand.

Description

Mount Avalanche is located four kilometres south of

Mount Aspiring / Tititea Mount Aspiring / Tititea is New Zealand's 23rd-highest mountain. The peak's altitude of makes it the country's highest outside the Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park region. Names Māori named it ''Tititea'', after a chief of the Waitaha iwi, ...

in 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 ...

. The summit is set on the boundary shared by the

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

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 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 populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. It is also within

Mount Aspiring National Park Mount Aspiring National Park is in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, north of Fiordland National Park, situated in Otago and Westland regions. The park forms part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Site. History Moun ...

which is part of the

Te Wahipounamu Te Wāhipounamu ( Māori for "the place of greenstone") is a World Heritage Site in the south west corner of the South Island of New Zealand. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1990 and covering , the site incorporates four national par ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains to the

Matukituki River The Matukituki River is a short braided river in the Southern Alps of New Zealand's South Island. Both its West Branch and East Branch originate from the Main Divide mountain ranges near Mount Aspiring / Tititea. Their largely glacier-fed wate ...

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 the Kitchener River in three kilometres. The nearest higher neighbour is

Rob Roy Peak Rob Roy Peak is a mountain in Otago, New Zealand. Description Rob Roy Peak is located in the Southern Alps of the South Island. It is also within Mount Aspiring National Park which is part of the Te Wahipounamu UNESCO World Heritage Site. Pre ...

, 3.6 kilometres to the south.

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 Avalanche 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 ...

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 mountain, where the air is forced upwards 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 and snow. This climate supports the Bonar, Hood, Avalanche, and Maud Francis glaciers on the 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 29 December 2024.

Climbing

Climbing routes with first ascents:''Mt Avalanche''
New Zealand Alpine Club, Climbnz.org, Retrieved 29 December 2024. * West Ridge – Dennis Leigh, Bill Walker, Jock Sim – (1935) * North Ridge – Neil Hamilton, Pearl Wright, Ron Knightley – (1949) * South Ridge – Tony Bowden, Graham Bishop – (1963) * West to East Peak Traverse – Laurie Kennedy, Dave Innes – (1969) * Maud Francis Glacier

Gallery

File:Mount Aspiring, New Zealand (Unsplash).jpg, Southwest aspect with Maud Francis Glacier File:Mount Avalanche se.jpg, Southeast aspect with Avalanche Glacier. Rob Roy Peak to left. File:Mount Cook, New Zealand (Air Plane) (3423401291).jpg, Mount Avalanche in front of Mount Aspiring

References

External links