Mount Duncan 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

Mount Duncan is located along the southern boundary of Glacier National Park and is part of the Battle Range, a subrange of the

Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia which are part of a larger grouping of mountains, the Columbia Mountains. They begin at Mic ...

. The mountain is situated at the head of the Duncan River which the mountain is named after. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains north into headwaters of the Beaver River, and southeast to the Duncan River. Mount Duncan is more notable for its steep rise above local terrain than for its absolute elevation.

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 1,650 meters (5,413 ft) above Butters Creek in .

History

The mountain was named in 1890 by Harold Ward Topham, Emil Huber, and Henry Forster, in association with the Duncan River.Arthur Oliver Wheeler, The Selkirk Mountains/Chapter 2
/ref> The river is named for John (Jack) Duncan, an early prospector who worked claims along the lower reaches of the river that now bears his name. He was a candidate for the colonial Legislative Council from the

Kootenay Land District Kootenay Land District is a cadastral survey subdivision of the province of British Columbia, Canada, created with rest of those on Mainland British Columbia via the Lands Act of the Colony of British Columbia in 1860. The British Columbia governme ...

in 1866, and died circa 1900. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on July 29, 1904, 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 ...

. 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 at 9:10 a.m. on August 25, 1913, by Edward W. D. Holway, Ernest Feus, and Christian Häsler.Howard Palmer (1914), ''Mountaineering and Exploration in the Selkirks'', Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons, p. 421, 428. By 12:45 p.m. that same day, they were on the summit of Beaver Mountain one kilometer west and claiming another first ascent.

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 Duncan 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 Duncan Névé on the north slope and Duncan Glacier on the east slope of the peak.

Gallery

Duncan snow.jpg, Duncan centered, Beaver to left

References

External links