Mount Thompson (California)

Mount Thompson is a mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, United States. It is situated on the shared boundary of Kings Canyon National Park with John Muir Wilderness, and along the common border of Fresno County with Inyo County.
It is also west of the community of Big Pine, one mile northwest of Mount Gilbert, and three miles east of Mount Fiske, which is the nearest higher neighbor. Mount Thompson ranks as the 62nd-highest summit in California. This mountain's name commemorates Almon Harris Thompson. The first ascent of the peak was made by Clarence H. Rhudy and H. F. Katzenbach in the summer of 1909.

Climbing

Established climbing routes on Mount Thompson:

Northwest Face – – First Ascent June 30, 1931, by Norman Clyde
Southwest Face – class 2 – FA August 14, 1939, by Jack Sturgeon
Thompson Ridge – class 3 – FA 1959Knudtson Couloir – class AI3 – FA 1984Moynier Couloir – class 5.6 – FA 1986Smrz Couloir – class 5.6 – FA 1990Harrington Couloir – class AI2
Southeast Face – class 3–4
West Ridge – class 3

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Thompson is located in an alpine climate zone. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains south into the Middle Fork Kings River, and north into Bishop Creek.