Mount Sir Richard


Mount Sir Richard is a glaciated summit in British Columbia, Canada.

Description

Mount Sir Richard is located in the McBride Range of the Coast Mountains, and southeast of Whistler in Garibaldi Provincial Park. It is the highest point of the McBride Range and seventh-highest peak within the park. Precipitation runoff and glacial meltwater from this mountain's south and east slopes drains to the Lillooet River via Tuwasus Creek, whereas the north and west slopes drain into headwaters of the Cheakamus River. Mount Sir Richard is more notable for its steep rise above local terrain than for its absolute elevation as topographic relief is significant with the summit rising 1,880 metres above Tuwasus Creek in less than and 1,380 metres above Cheakamus River in.

History

The mountain's name honors Sir Richard McBride. The toponym was officially adopted September 2, 1930, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada. In 1903, at the age of 33, he became the youngest premier in the history of British Columbia. McBride was knighted in 1912, then resigned as premier in 1915 and became British Columbia's agent-general in London. There is also Mount McBride located on Vancouver Island that is named after him.
The first ascent of the summit was made on May 2, 1937, by Don Munday, Phyllis Munday, and Pip Brock via the Cheakamus River Valley and McBride Glacier. Their adventure took 14 days.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Sir Richard is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Coast Mountains where they are forced upward by the range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall. As a result, the Coast Mountains experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports the Ubyssey Glacier on the south and west slopes of the peak, as well as the McBride Glacier on the north and east slopes. The months of July and August offer the most favorable weather for climbing Mount Sir Richard.