Blackfriars Peak is a mountain in Alberta, Canada.
Description Blackfriars Peak is a summit located at the head of the upper Athabasca River valley in the Canadian Rockies. It is situated within Jasper National Park, 70 kilometres (43.5 miles) south-southeast of the town of Jasper, and eight kilometres (5 miles) east of the Continental Divide of the Americas. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Athabasca River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above the Athabasca River in three kilometres (1.86 miles). The mountain can be seen from the Icefields Parkway, weather permitting. The nearest higher neighbor is Dais Mountain, to the south.
History The mountain was named in 1901 by Jean Habel who was a German geographer who explored the Canadian Rockies. He saw a resemblance between this peak and one in Europe with a similar name ("Schwartze Monche" which translates from German as black monks, or friars). The first ascent of the summit was made on July 8, 1953, by Gus E. Landt and Dr. A. MacIntosh, led by Walter Perren who was a Swiss climbing guide and Parks Canada service warden. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on March 22, 1989, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.
Climate Based on the Köppen climate classification, Blackfriars Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below -20 °C with wind chill factors below -30 °C.
Geology The mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods and pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.
Gallery
See also Geography of Alberta Geology of the Rocky Mountains List of mountains in the Canadian Rockies
References
External links Parks Canada web site: Jasper National Park Weather: Blackfriars Peak