Nigel Peak is a 3,211-metre (10,535-foot) mountain summit located on the shared border of Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, Canada. Nigel has two peaks, the north summit is the highest point. The nearest higher peak is Mount Athabasca, 6.4 km (4.0 mi) to the south-southwest.[5] Nigel Peak is situated immediately north of Sunwapta Pass and can be seen from the Icefields Parkway and from Athabasca Glacier. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,100 metres (3,609 ft) above the parkway in two kilometres (1.2 mile).
| Nigel Peak | |
|---|---|
 West aspect (with inukshuk) | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,211 m (10,535 ft)[1] |
| Prominence | 611 m (2,005 ft)[1] |
| Parent peak | Sunwapta Peak (3,315 m)[1] |
| Listing | Mountains of Alberta |
| Coordinates | 52°14′22″N 117°10′18″W / 52.23944°N 117.17167°W[2] |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Nigel Vavasour |
| Geography | |
  Nigel Peak Location of Nigel Peak in Alberta  Nigel Peak Nigel Peak (Canada) | |
| Location | Alberta, Canada |
| Parent range | Canadian Rockies |
| Topo map | NTS 83C3 Columbia Icefield[2] |
| Geology | |
| Rock type | Sedimentary |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1919 by Interprovincial Boundary Commission[3] |
| Easiest route | Scrambling[4] |
History
editNigel Vavasour was a packer who accompanied J. Norman Collie and Hugh Stutfield to the Columbia Icefield area in 1897. The mountain was named by the mountaineers during an 1898 sheep hunt with Nigel.[3] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted March 5, 1935, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[2] The first ascent of the mountain was made in 1919 by the Interprovincial Boundary Commission.
Geology
editLike other mountains in Banff Park, Nigel Peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down from the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.[6] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.[7]
Climate
editBased on the Köppen climate classification, Nigel Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[8] Winter temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C. Precipitation runoff from Nigel Peak drains south into the North Saskatchewan River, and north into the Sunwapta River which is a tributary of the Athabasca River.
Gallery
edit-
Nigel Peak from west
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The southeast secondary summit
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West aspect
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Nigel Peak". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
- ^ a b c "Nigel Peak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
- ^ a b "Nigel Peak". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
- ^ Kane, Alan (1999). "Nigel Peak". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Calgary: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 307–308. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.
- ^ "Nigel Peak, Alberta". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
- ^ Belyea, Helen R. (1960). The Story of the Mountains in Banff National Park (PDF). parkscanadahistory.com (Report). Ottawa: Geological Survey of Canada. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-02. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
- ^ Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
- ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. ISSN 1027-5606.
External links
edit- Nigel Peak Weather forecast
- Parks Canada web site: Jasper National Park
- Parks Canada web site: Banff National Park
- Nigel Peak from Tangle Ridge: Flickr photo