Serendipity Spire
East aspect, to the right
Highest point
Elevation2,857 m (9,373 ft)[1][2]
Prominence747 m (2,451 ft)[3]
Isolation4.02 km (2.50 mi)[3]
ListingMountains of British Columbia
Coordinates51°44′41″N 118°00′55″W / 51.74472°N 118.01528°W / 51.74472; -118.01528[4]
Naming
EtymologySerendipity
Geography
Serendipity Spire is located in British Columbia
Serendipity Spire
Serendipity Spire
Location of Serendipity Spire in British Columbia
Serendipity Spire is located in Canada
Serendipity Spire
Serendipity Spire
Serendipity Spire (Canada)
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
DistrictKootenay Land District[5]
Parent rangeSelkirk Mountains[2]
Topo mapNTS 82M9 Goldstream River[4]

Serendipity Spire is a 2,857-metre (9,373-foot) mountain in British Columbia, Canada.

Description

Serendipity Spire is located 88 km (55 mi) northwest of Golden in the Selkirk Mountains.[4][5] Serendipity Spire is surrounded by glaciers, the largest of which is the OK Glacier to the northwest. Precipitation runoff and glacial meltwater from the peak's slopes drains into tributaries of the Columbia River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,457 metres (4,780 ft) above Austerity Creek in approximately 2 km (1.2 mi). The peak was so named by American mountaineer William Lowell Putnam III "...because the mountain was inspiring to look at," which was a Putnam malapropism since serendipity is finding something valuable or agreeable, that hadn't been sought.[5] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on January 23, 1973, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[4]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Serendipity Spire is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[6] Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports several glaciers surrounding the peak.

See also

References

  1. Glen W. Boles, William Lowell Putnam, Roger W. Laurilla (2006), "Canadian Mountain Place Names", Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 9781894765794, p. 224.
  2. 1 2 "Serendipity Spire". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  3. 1 2 "Serendipity Spire, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Serendipity Spire". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  5. 1 2 3 "Serendipity Spire". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  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: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.
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