Howser Spire
Encyclopedia
Howser Spire or Howser Spire Massif, is a group of three distinct granite
peaks, and the highest mountain
of the Canadian Bugaboo Spires
. The mountain is located at the southwest corner of the Vowell Glacier, within the Bugaboo mountain range in the Purcell Mountains
, a subrange of British Columbia
's Columbia Mountains
,
The highest of the three spires is the North Tower at 3412 metres (11,194.2 ft), the Central Tower the lowest, and the South Tower being slightly lower than the North at 3292 metres (10,800.5 ft).
Howser Spire is named after the town of Howser on Duncan Lake and Howser Creek.
The first ascent of the North Tower was made in August, 1916 by Conrad Kain
, Albert MacCarthy, E. MacCarthy, J. Vincent and Henry Frind.
The East Ridge route is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
and considered a classic around the world.
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
peaks, and the highest mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
of the Canadian Bugaboo Spires
The Bugaboos
The Bugaboos are a mountain range in the Purcell Mountains of eastern British Columbia, Canada. The granite spires of the group are a popular mountaineering destination. The Bugaboos are protected within Bugaboo Provincial Park.-Geography:...
. The mountain is located at the southwest corner of the Vowell Glacier, within the Bugaboo mountain range in the Purcell Mountains
Purcell Mountains
The Purcell Mountains are a mountain range in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. They are a subrange of the Columbia Mountains, which includes the Selkirk, Monashee, and Cariboo Mountains. They are located on the west side of the Rocky Mountain Trench in the area of the Columbia Valley, and on...
, a subrange of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
's Columbia Mountains
Columbia Mountains
The Columbia Mountains are a group of mountain ranges located in southeastern British Columbia, and partially in Montana, Idaho and Washington. The mountain range covers 135,952 km² . The range is bounded by the Rocky Mountain Trench on the east, and the Kootenay River on the south; their...
,
The highest of the three spires is the North Tower at 3412 metres (11,194.2 ft), the Central Tower the lowest, and the South Tower being slightly lower than the North at 3292 metres (10,800.5 ft).
Howser Spire is named after the town of Howser on Duncan Lake and Howser Creek.
The first ascent of the North Tower was made in August, 1916 by Conrad Kain
Conrad Kain
Conrad Kain was an Austrian mountain guide who guided extensively in Europe, Canada, and New Zealand, and was responsible for the first ascents of more than 60 routes in British Columbia...
, Albert MacCarthy, E. MacCarthy, J. Vincent and Henry Frind.
The East Ridge route is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
Fifty Classic Climbs of North America
Fifty Classic Climbs Of North America is a climbing guidebook and history written by Steve Roper and Allen Steck. It is considered a definitive piece of climbing literature, known to many climbers as simply "The Book", and has served as an inspiration for more recent climbing books, such as Mark...
and considered a classic around the world.
Nearby
- Brenta Spire
- Bugaboo SpireBugaboo SpirePerhaps the most impressive peak in the Bugaboos, Bugaboo Spire sits between the Vowell and Crescent glaciers, just under 2 km West of the ACC's Conrad Kain hut...
(3204 m) - Conrad Kain hutConrad Kain hutThe Conrad Kain hut is an alpine hut located in Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada. Coordinates: NAD27 11U 516700 5620754...
- Crescent Towers
- Hound's Tooth
- Marmolata Spire
- Pigeon SpirePigeon SpirePigeon Spire is a peak in the Purcell Mountains of the Columbia Mountains in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It may be one of the most climbed of the spires in The Bugaboos owing to its relatively low prominence from the Vowell Glacier and the existence of an easy route . It is not uncommon...
(3156 m) - Snowpatch SpireSnowpatch SpireWith its first ascent in 1940, Snowpatch Spire mountain peak was the last of the Bugaboo Spires to be climbed. It is located South-West of the Conrad Kain hut, across the Crescent Glacier.-Routes:* Wildflowers* Kraus McCarthy* Sunshine...
(3084 m)