Mount Crosscut is a mountain in
Fiordland
Fiordland (, "The Pit of Tattooing", and also translated as "the Shadowlands"), is a non-administrative geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western third of Southland. Most of F ...
, New Zealand.
Description
Mount Crosscut is part of the
Darran Mountains
The Darran Mountains are a prominent range within New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, the country's biggest national park. They contain the park's highest peak, Mount Tūtoko ().
Geography
The range lies between Milford Sound (Piopiotahi) a ...
and is situated in the
Southland Region
Southland () is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists of the southwestern portion of the South Island and includes Stewart Island. Southland is bordered by the culturally similar Otago Region to the north and east, and the West Coast ...
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 set within
Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park is a national park in the south-west corner of South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 13 National parks of New Zealand, national parks in New Zealand, with an area covering , and a major part of the Te W ...
which is part of the
Te Wahipounamu 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 drains into tributaries of the ]Hollyford River
The Hollyford River / Whakatipu Kā Tuka is in the southwest of the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for through Fiordland, its sources being close to the Homer Tunnel and in Gertrude Valley in the southern Darran Mountains.
At first, the ...
. 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 Lake Marian
Lake Marian is an alpine lake at the southern end of the Darran Mountains in the Fiordland National Park in the South Island of New Zealand. The lake is located just above the treeline in a hanging valley leading northwest from the Hollyford Vall ...
in 2.5 kilometres and above Cirque Creek in one kilometre. The nearest higher peak is Mount Christina
Mount Christina is a mountain in Fiordland, New Zealand.
Description
Mount Christina is the southernmost peak of the Darran Mountains and is situated in the Southland Region of South Island. It is set within Fiordland National Park which i ...
, three kilometres to the south-southeast.[ The mountain was named in 1924 by Dr. D. Jennings on account that the jagged peaks resemble the teeth of the ]crosscut saw
A crosscut saw (thwart saw) is any saw designed for cutting wood perpendicular to (across) the wood grain. Crosscut saws may be small or large, with small teeth close together for fine work like woodworking or large for coarse work like log b ...
that his party of students was using for clearing tracks.[''Mount Crosscut'']
New Zealand Gazetteer, Retrieved 20 December 2024. 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 1936 by T.N. Beckett, Gordon Speden, Hallum Smith, and E. Rich.[''Mt Crosscut'']
New Zealand Alpine Club, Climbnz.org, Retrieved 20 December 2024.
Climbing
Climbing routes on Mount Crosscut:[
* East Peak (2,263 m)
** Original Line – T.N. Beckett, Gordon Speden, Hallum Smith, E. Rich – (1936)
** South East Ridge – Bill Gordon, Ralph Miller, Bill Blee – (1955)
* Second Peak (2,252 m)
** Original Route – Bill Gordon, Jim McFarlane, Lloyd Warburton, Duncan Wilson – (1953)
* Middle Peak (2,250 m)
** Original Line – Bart Challis, Lindsay Stewart – (1934)
** ''Dislocation Arête'' – Athol Abrams, Chuck Schaap, Jon Waugh – (1968)
* West Peak (2,203 m)
** West Ridge – George Moir, Ken Roberts, Bob Sinclair – (1923)
** Lindsay Stewart Buttress – Lindsay Stewart, Don Stewart, Harold Jacobs – (1967)
** Cul de Sac – Geoff Gabites, Nigel Perry, Duncan Ritchie, Calum Hudson – (1982)
** ''The Wrongest Day'' – Tom Williams, Ian Brown – (2012)
* Crosscut Traverse (all four peaks) – Austin Brookes, Archie Simpson – (1963 or 1964)
]
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 Crosscut 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. Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountain, 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 and snow. This climate supports small unnamed glaciers on the 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 19 December 2024.
See also
* List of mountains of New Zealand by height
The following are lists of mountains in New Zealand ordered by height. Names, heights, topographic prominence and isolation, and coordinates were extracted from the official Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) Topo50 topographic maps at thint ...
* Fiordland
Fiordland (, "The Pit of Tattooing", and also translated as "the Shadowlands"), is a non-administrative geographical region of New Zealand in the south-western corner of the South Island, comprising the western third of Southland. Most of F ...
References
External links
* Mount Crosscut
weather
* Mount Crosscut
New Zealand Alpine Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crosscut, Mount
Fiordland National Park
Mountains of Fiordland