Neptuak Mountain

Neptuak Mountain was named by Samuel E.S. Allen in 1894. "Neptuak" is the Stoney Indian word for "nine" as Neptuak Mountain is peak #9 in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. It is located on the Continental Divide, which is also the British Columbia-Alberta border in this region, and is in the Bow Range of the Park Ranges of the Canadian Rockies. The summit is a tripoint for Banff National Park, Kootenay National Park, and Yoho National Park, where the three parks share a common border.

Climbing History

The first ascent was made on September 2, 1902 by J. Norman Collie, Hugh E.M. Stutfield, G.M. Weed, H. Woolley, guided by Christian Kaufmann On April 10, 2016 Luka Lindič and Marc-André Leclerc completed the first ascent via the NE face. They named the route "Psychological Effect ".
Brette Harrington and Tony McLane made the second ascent via the NE face on August 5, 2020.

Geology

Like other mountains in Banff Park, Neptuak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods. Formed in shallow seas, this sedimentary rock was pushed east and over the top of younger rock during the Laramide orogeny.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Neptuak is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below with wind chill factors below. Precipitation runoff from Neptuak drains east into tributaries of the Bow River, or west into tributaries of the Vermilion River.