Storm Mountain (Ball Range)

For the mountain in Alberta's Misty Range, see Storm Mountain (Misty Range).

Storm Mountain is a 3,158-metre (10,361-foot) mountain summit located on the Continental Divide on the shared border of Alberta and British Columbia in Canada. It is situated on the shared boundary of Kootenay National Park with Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. It is a large peak near the north end of the Ball Range, in the Bow River Valley opposite Castle Mountain. Vermilion Pass is situated to the northwest of the mountain, and Stanley Peak to the southwest. The nearest higher peak is Mount Ball, 5.7 km (3.5 mi) to the south.^[1]

Storm Mountain
Storm Mountain seen from Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway
Highest point
Elevation	3,158 m (10,361 ft)[1]
Prominence	408 m (1,339 ft)[1]
Parent peak	Mount Ball (3294 m)[1]
Listing	Mountains of Alberta Mountains of British Columbia
Coordinates	51°12′28″N 116°00′15″W[2]
Geography
Storm Mountain Location in Alberta Show map of Alberta Storm Mountain Location in British Columbia Show map of British Columbia Storm Mountain Location in Canada Show map of Canada
Country	Canada
Provinces	Alberta and British Columbia
National Parks	Banff and Kootenay
Parent range	Ball Range Canadian Rockies
Topo map	NTS 82O4 Banff[2]
Geology
Rock age	Cambrian
Rock type	Sedimentary rock
Climbing
First ascent	1889 W.S. Drewry, A St. Cyr, T.E. Wilson
Easiest route	Scramble[3]

History

Storm Mountain was named in 1884 by George Mercer Dawson who camped below the mountain and so named it because it was shrouded by storms for much of the time he was there.^[1]

The first ascent of the peak was made in 1889 by W.S. Drewry and A St. Cyr, with Tom Wilson as guide.^[1]

The mountain's name was made official in 1924 by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.^[2]

Geology

Storm Mountain is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.^[4] Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.^[5]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Storm Mountain is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.^[6] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. In terms of favorable weather, July through September are the best months to climb. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains west into Vermilion River, or east to Bow River.

The "other" Storm Mountain

Main article: Storm Mountain (Misty Range)

Dawson also named another peak Storm Mountain, 100 km away in Kananaskis Provincial Park to the southeast. It is unusual for two peaks of such close proximity to share the same name, especially when named by the same individual.

See also

• List of peaks on the British Columbia–Alberta border

References

1. "Storm Mountain". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
2. "Storm Mountain". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
3. Kane, Alan (1999). "Storm Mountain". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Calgary: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 214–215. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.
4. 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.
5. Gadd, Ben (2008). Geology of the Rocky Mountains and Columbias.
6. 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

• "Storm Mountain". BC Geographical Names.
• Storm Mountain weather: Mountain Forecast
• Storm Mountain photo: Flickr