Houdini Needles
South aspect
Highest point
Elevation2,663 m (8,737 ft)[1]
ListingMountains of British Columbia
Coordinates51°45′22″N 117°50′40″W / 51.75611°N 117.84444°W / 51.75611; -117.84444[2]
Naming
EtymologyHoudini
Geography
Houdini Needles is located in British Columbia
Houdini Needles
Houdini Needles
Location of Houdini Needles in British Columbia
Houdini Needles is located in Canada
Houdini Needles
Houdini Needles
Houdini Needles (Canada)
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
DistrictKootenay Land District[3]
Parent rangeAdamant Range[1]
Selkirk Mountains
Topo mapNTS 82N13 Sullivan River[2]
Climbing
First ascent1948

Houdini Needles is a 2,663-metre (8,737-foot) mountain in British Columbia, Canada.

Description

Houdini Needles is part of the Adamant Range which is a subrange of the Selkirk Mountains.[3] It is located 79 km (49 mi) northwest of Golden and 30 km (19 mi) north of Glacier National Park. Houdini Needles is glaciated with the Gothics Glacier to the south of the peaks. Precipitation runoff and glacial meltwater from the mountain drains to Kinbasket Lake via Smith Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,560 metres (5,418 ft) above Smith Creek in 3 km (1.9 mi).

History

The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on March 4, 1965, by the Geographical Names Board of Canada.[2] The mountain was named by William Lowell Putnam III who explained "When we first saw them from the Echo Glacier they looked so impressive and impossible that we decided only Houdini could get them...."[3] Putnam, along with Andrew Kauffman, Benjamin Ferris and Henry Pinkham, were the members of the party who made the first ascent of the peaks in 1948.[1][4]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Houdini Needles is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[5] Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports the Gothics Glacier on the south side of the peaks.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Glen W. Boles, William Lowell Putnam, Roger W. Laurilla (2006), "Canadian Mountain Place Names", Rocky Mountain Books, ISBN 9781894765794, p. 125.
  2. 1 2 3 "Houdini Needles". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  3. 1 2 3 "Houdini Needles". BC Geographical Names. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
  4. ↑ William Lowell Putnam, A Climber's Guide to the Interior Ranges of British Columbia – north, American Alpine Club and the Alpine Club of Canada, 1975, p. 87.
  5. ↑ 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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