Opalchenie Peak (, ) is the peak rising to at the south extremity of the ice-covered Vinson Plateau, Sentinel Range in the Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica. It is of low topographic prominence, just , with parent summit Fukushima Peak (). The feature has a partly ice-free summit and south slopes, where two parallel ridges descend steeply southwestwards with Donnellan Glacier flowing in between and Mount Slaughter rising on the more southerly ridge.Opalchenie Peak SCAR Composite Antarctic Gazetteer The northerly ridge was climbed up to the summit plateau by American Robert Anderson in November 1992, and subsequently used to establish a new route to Mount Vinson in 2003.R. Anderson. The Rolex Ridge solo, Mt. Vinson, Antarctica. Explore 7 Summits website, 27 February 2019R. Anderson. Mt. Vinson, southwest face, first ascent to Double003. American Alpine Journal, 2003. pp. 332-333 Opalchenie Peak overlooks Vinson Plateau on the north, Craddock Massif on the southeast and upper Nimitz Glacier area on the southwest.
The peak is named after the Bulgarian Volunteer Force in the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish War and the Macedonian-Adrianople Volunteer Force in the 1912-1913 Balkan Wars, "opalchenie" being the Bulgarian word for "volunteer force".
Location Opalchenie Peak is located at , which is south by east of Mount Vinson, south of Fukushima Peak, southwest of Schoening Peak, northwest of Mount Rutford, north by east of Mount Slaughter, east of Brichebor Peak and southeast of Silverstein Peak. USGS mapping in 1961, updated in 1988.
Maps Vinson Massif. Scale 1:250 000 topographic map. Reston, Virginia: US Geological Survey, 1988 D. Gildea and C. Rada. Vinson Massif and the Sentinel Range. Scale 1:50 000 topographic map. Omega Foundation, 2007 Antarctic Digital Database (ADD). Scale 1:250000 topographic map of Antarctica. Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Since 1993, regularly updated
Honours Opalchenie Peak Street in the city of Sofia is named after the feature.V. Lilkov, V. Kalanovski and I. Kostadnov. Report No. COA26-BK08-5556/2/27.04.2026 on naming streets with important toponyms reflecting the Bulgarian presence in Antarctica. Sofia City Council, 2026. (in Bulgarian)Naming streets with important toponyms reflecting the Bulgarian presence in Antarctica. Session No. 60, 30 April 2026. Agenda item 79. Timing 16:00. (in Bulgarian)Decision No. 322 of the Sofia Municipal Council of April 30, 2026 on naming streets with names of important toponyms reflecting the Bulgarian presence in Antarctica. (in Bulgarian)
See also Mountains in Antarctica Four-thousander
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Notes
References Opalchenie Peak SCAR Composite Antarctic Gazetteer Bulgarian Antarctic Gazetteer Antarctic Place-names Commission (in Bulgarian) Basic data (in English)
External links Opalchenie Peak. Adjusted Copernix satellite image Opalchenie Peak on AADC website