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Omoo Peak

Coordinates: 50°57′58″N 117°20′59″W / 50.96611°N 117.34972°W / 50.96611; -117.34972
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Omoo Peak
North aspect in winter
Highest point
Elevation2,674 m (8,773 ft)[1]
ListingMountains of British Columbia
Coordinates50°57′58″N 117°20′59″W / 50.96611°N 117.34972°W / 50.96611; -117.34972[2]
Naming
EtymologyOmoo
Geography
Omoo Peak is located in British Columbia
Omoo Peak
Omoo Peak
Location of Omoo Peak in British Columbia
Omoo Peak is located in Canada
Omoo Peak
Omoo Peak
Omoo Peak (Canada)
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
DistrictKootenay Land District
Parent rangeSelkirk Mountains
Battle Range
Topo mapNTS 82K14 Westfall River[2]
Climbing
First ascent1972 David Michael, Donald Daem[3]

Omoo Peak is a 2,674-metre (8,773-foot) mountain summit in British Columbia, Canada.

Description

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Omoo Peak is located in the Battle Range of the Selkirk Mountains.[4] The remote peak is set immediately west of Schooner Pass and approximately 8 km (5.0 mi) south of Glacier National Park. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains north into Butters Creek and south into Houston Creek which are both tributaries of the Duncan River. Omoo Peak is more notable for its steep rise above local terrain than for its absolute elevation. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,450 meters (4,757 ft) above Houston Creek in 2.5 km (1.6 mi).

Etymology

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North aspect

The landform is named after Omoo, which was a Herman Melville novel published in 1847.[1] In the novel, "Omoo" was a Tahitian native whose name meant "a person who wanders," and is from the dialect of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean which is the setting for the book.[4] The name was submitted by author/mountaineer Robert Kruszyna in 1972 and follows the Herman Melville-associated naming theme of the area established in 1958–59 by the Sam Silverstein-Douglas Anger climbing party.[4] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on October 3, 1973, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[2]

Climate

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Based on the Köppen climate classification, Omoo Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[5] Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports a small unnamed glacier on the north slope of the peak.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Glen W. Boles, William Lowell Putnam, Roger W. Laurilla (2006), "Canadian Mountain Place Names", Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 9781894765794, p. 190.
  2. ^ a b c "Omoo Peak". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  3. ^ Andrew John Kauffman (1973), Battle Range, Southern Selkirks, Americanalpineclub.org
  4. ^ a b c "Omoo Peak". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  5. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.
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