Mount Robson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Robson |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 3,954 m (12,972 ft) |
| Prominence | 2,829 m (9,281 ft) |
| Listing |
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| Geography | |
 Mount Robson
Location in British Columbia
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| Parent range | Rainbow Range (Canadian Rockies) |
| Topo map | NTS 83E/03 |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | July 31, 1913 by William W. Foster, Albert H. McCarthy and Conrad Kain |
| Easiest route | South face (UIAA IV) |
Mount Robson is a very tall and important mountain in the Rocky Mountains of North America. It's the highest point in the Canadian Rockies.
This amazing mountain is found completely inside Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. It's also part of the Rainbow Range of mountains. Mount Robson is the second tallest mountain fully within British Columbia, only a bit shorter than Mount Waddington. You can easily see its south side from the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16), and many people take pictures of it there.
Mount Robson was probably named after Colin Robertson. He worked for two big fur trading companies in the early 1800s. Some people used to think it was named after John Robson, who was an early leader of British Columbia.
The Texqakallt people, who are part of the Secwépemc nation, were the first people to live in this area. They call the mountain Yexyexéscen, which means "striped rock." Another unofficial name for it is Cloud Cap Mountain.
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Exploring Mount Robson's Geography and Climate
Mount Robson stands incredibly high above the land around it. From Kinney Lake, the mountain's south-west side rises about 2,975 meters (9,760 feet) to the very top.
The north side of Mount Robson is covered in a lot of ice and snow. About 800 meters (2,600 feet) of ice stretches from the top down to the Berg Glacier.
You can see the north face from Berg Lake, which is about a 19-kilometer (12-mile) hike away. The lake is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) long and sits at an elevation of 1,646 meters (5,400 feet). There are places to camp at each end of the lake. There's also a log shelter called Hargreaves Shelter, named after the family who helped early explorers visit Berg Lake.
The Berg Glacier directly drops pieces of ice into the lake. The Robson Glacier, which is between Mount Robson and Mount Resplendent, used to feed into both Berg Lake and Adolphus Lake. This meant its water flowed to both the Arctic and Pacific oceans! However, it has since moved back more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) and now only feeds the Robson River. The top of Mount Robson has a tundra climate, which means it's very cold and has no trees.
| Climate data for Mount Robson Peak 1981-2010 (53.110 -119.156) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −9.3 (15.3) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
3.3 (37.9) |
6.7 (44.1) |
7.1 (44.8) |
7.3 (45.1) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
−7.9 (17.8) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −12.9 (8.8) |
−12.2 (10.0) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
1.6 (34.9) |
4.9 (40.8) |
5.1 (41.2) |
2.9 (37.2) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−10.7 (12.7) |
−12.5 (9.5) |
−4.9 (23.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −16.5 (2.3) |
−16.7 (1.9) |
−15.1 (4.8) |
−12.2 (10.0) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
3.0 (37.4) |
3.2 (37.8) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
−9.5 (14.9) |
−15.6 (3.9) |
−17.2 (1.0) |
−8.5 (16.7) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 271 (10.7) |
257 (10.1) |
238 (9.4) |
153 (6.0) |
134 (5.3) |
157 (6.2) |
157 (6.2) |
173 (6.8) |
234 (9.2) |
307 (12.1) |
357 (14.1) |
175 (6.9) |
2,613 (103) |
| Source: http://www.climatewna.com/ClimateBC_Map.aspx | |||||||||||||
Mount Robson's History and First Climbers
In 1893, Mount Robson was surveyed and found to be the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. This happened after some confusion about the height of other mountains like Mt. Hooker and Mt. Brown.
The first time someone successfully climbed Mount Robson was on July 31, 1913. This difficult climb was led by a young guide named Conrad Kain. It was considered the hardest ice face climb in North America at the time! A large group from the Alpine Club of Canada organized this trip. They used the new Grand Trunk Pacific railway to get close to the mountain.
Before 1913, climbers had to travel by pack train from Edmonton or Laggan. This made it very hard to reach the mountain, so only a few brave explorers tried to climb it.
One famous early climber was the Reverend George Kinney. He was a founder of the Alpine Club. In August 1909, after twelve attempts, he claimed to have reached the summit with a local guide named Donald "Curly" Phillips. However, there was a big argument about his claim. Many people in the Alpine Club doubted his story because his route seemed too dangerous and unlikely. Today, most people believe he reached a high ridge but not the very top. Kinney Lake, which is below the mountain's south face, is named in his honor.
Climbing Mount Robson's Challenges
The Emperor Face on the northwest side of Mount Robson is about 1,500 meters (4,900 feet) tall. It's one of the toughest challenges for expert climbers. However, the Kain route and the southeast face are more commonly used.
The Kain route follows the path of the first successful climb. It goes all the way up the Robson Glacier to the upper northeast face and the summit ridge.
Climbing Mount Robson is very difficult, and many attempts don't make it to the top. Only about 10% of climbers succeed. Even though the mountain is under 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) tall, there's no easy way to reach the summit. Bad weather often forces climbers to turn back.
Here are some of the main climbing routes on Mount Robson:
- South Face (Normal Route) IV
- Kain Face IV (named after Conrad Kain)
- Wishbone Arete IV 5.6
- Emperor Ridge V 5.6
- Emperor Face, Stump/Logan VI 5.9 A2
- Emperor Face, Cheesmond/Dick VI 5.9 A2
- Emperor Face, Infinite Patience VI WI5 M5 5.9
- Emperor Face, House-Haley M7
- North Face IV
- Fuhrer Ridge IV 5.4
Images for kids
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Colin Robertson
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See also
In Spanish: Monte Robson para niños
