Mount Thompson (California)

Mount Thompson
North aspect, centered
Highest point
Elevation13,494 ft (4,113 m)[1]
Prominence1,054 ft (321 m)[1]
Parent peakMount Fiske (13,503 ft)[2]
Isolation3.02 mi (4.86 km)[2]
ListingSierra Peaks Section
Coordinates37°08′34″N 118°36′49″W / 37.1428824°N 118.6136118°W / 37.1428824; -118.6136118[3]
Naming
EtymologyAlmon Harris Thompson
Geography
Mount Thompson is located in California
Mount Thompson
Mount Thompson
Location in California
Mount Thompson is located in the United States
Mount Thompson
Mount Thompson
Mount Thompson (the United States)
LocationKings Canyon National Park
Fresno County / Inyo County
California, U.S.
Parent rangeSierra Nevada[1]
Topo mapUSGS Mount Thompson
Geology
Rock typegranite
Climbing
First ascent1909
Easiest routeclass 2[2]

Mount Thompson is a 13,494-foot-elevation (4,113 meter) mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, United States.[3] 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 18 miles (29 km) 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.[2] This mountain's name commemorates Almon Harris Thompson (1839–1906).[4] The first ascent of the peak was made by Clarence H. Rhudy and H. F. Katzenbach in the summer of 1909.[5]

Climbing

Established climbing routes on Mount Thompson:[6]

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

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Thompson is located in an alpine climate zone.[7] 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 (orographic lift). Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains south into the Middle Fork Kings River, and north into Bishop Creek.

See also

  • Mount Thompson viewed from Ski Mountaineers Peak
    Mount Thompson viewed from Ski Mountaineers Peak
  • Mt. Thompson with an autumn dusting of snow. 13,280+ ft "Ski Mountaineers Peak" (left) is the highpoint of Thompson Ridge
    Mt. Thompson with an autumn dusting of snow.
    13,280+ ft "Ski Mountaineers Peak" (left) is the highpoint of Thompson Ridge
  • North aspect
    North aspect

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mount Thompson, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  2. ^ a b c d "Thompson, Mount - 13,494' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  3. ^ a b "Mount Thompson". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-04-10.
  4. ^ Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)
  5. ^ Sierra Club Bulletin, 1919, page 440.
  6. ^ R. J. Secor, The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, Trails, 2009, Third Edition, Mountaineers Books, ISBN 9780898869712, page 287.
  7. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.