Mount Ross is a mountain in

Canterbury Region Canterbury () is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current form was estab ...

of New Zealand.

Description

Mount Ross is part of the

Two Thumb Range The Two Thumb Range (sometimes called the Two Thumbs Range) is a range of mountains in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located to the east of Lake Tekapo and has several peaks which rise to around .

which is a subrange of 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 ...

. It is located west of the city of

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

in the

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 ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains west into the

Macaulay River The Macaulay River is a braided river of the Mackenzie Country of New Zealand's South Island. It flows south from the Two Thumb Range, part of the Southern Alps, its valley merging with that of the Godley River shortly before it enters the north ...

and east into North East Gorge Stream, which is a tributary of the Macaulay.

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 Macaulay Valley in less than three kilometres. The nearest higher neighbour is

Mount Chevalier Mount Chevalier is a mountain in Canterbury, New Zealand. Description Mount Chevalier is part of the Two Thumb Range which is a subrange of the Southern Alps. It is located west of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury Region of the S ...

, three kilometres to the north. The mountain's toponym honours John Ross, an 1870s manager of a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

adjoining nearby Lilybank Station. 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 1934 by Bill Cullens, Stan Forbes, and Frank Gillett.''Mt Ross''
New Zealand Alpine Club, Climbnz.org, Retrieved 14 January 2025.

Climbing

Climbing routes and the first ascents: * Via Macaulay River – Bill Cullens, Stan Forbes, Frank Gillett – (1934) * North East Ridge – Jenny Caine, Nel Caine – (1967)

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 Ross 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 ...

(Cfb) climate zone. Prevailing westerly winds blow moist air from the Tasman Sea onto the mountains, 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 or snow. 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 14 January 2025.

Gallery

File:Lake Tekapo 30.jpg, Mount Ross to left, with

behind (upper left corner).
South aspect, from south end of Lake Tekapo. File:South aspect of Mount Ross.jpg, South aspect of Mount Ross to right File:Lake Tekapo 33.jpg, Mount Ross and Mount Chevalier centred, viewed from Lake Tekapo.

References

External links