The Lotus Flower Tower is a peak in the Cirque of the Unclimbables

Cirque of the Unclimbables

Cirque of the Unclimbables, located inside the Nahanni National Park Reserve, in the Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately west of Yellowknife, is a cluster of peaks and walls in the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region.-Description:...

, Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is located on the ridge one km southwest of Mount Sir James MacBrien

Mount Sir James MacBrien

Mount Sir James MacBrien is a peak in the Fort Smith Region of Canada's Northwest Territories. The second highest peak in the Mackenzie Mountains, it is named after Major-General Sir James Howden MacBrien who was the head of the Canadian Militia in the mid 1920s....

, and though it is not prominent in relation to surrounding peaks, it is noted for its sheer rock walls which are home to classic alpine rock climbs

Rock climbing

Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...

.

The first ascent was made by William J. Buckingham and party on July 16, 1960, via a traverse from "Tathagata Tower" along the ridge which connects Lotus Flower Tower to Mount Sir James MacBrien. The peak's second ascent and first ascent of the sheer 2200 foot southeast face was made in 1968 by Harthon "Sandy" Bill, Tom Frost

Tom Frost

Tom Frost is a rock climber from California, best known for big wall climbing first ascents in Yosemite Valley. He is also a photographer and climbing equipment manufacturer.-Rock climbing and mountaineering:...

, and James McCarthy.

The first free ascent of the McCarthy-Frost-Bill route was completed by Steve Levin, Mark Robinson and Sandy Stewart in 1977.

The striking route was recognized as one of the 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 has been called "one of the most aesthetically beautiful rock faces in the world".