Mount Waddington, Mountain summit in Coast Range, British Columbia, Canada.
Mount Waddington is the highest peak in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, rising 4,019 meters above sea level. The summit sits in a remote alpine zone surrounded by glaciers, steep ridges, and jagged rock formations typical of coastal mountain terrain.
Fritz Wiessner and William House achieved the first recorded ascent in 1936 after numerous failed attempts by earlier parties. The mountain had remained unknown to mountaineers for decades before this successful expedition revealed its location and possibility of being climbed.
The peak was originally called Mystery Mountain by early explorers who struggled to locate it precisely in the remote wilderness. Local Indigenous peoples had long known of this summit and its place in their landscape traditions.
Climbing is only possible during the brief summer season from July through early September when conditions allow safe access. Helicopter services from Tatla Lake reach the mountain base and are essential for starting the approach, as ground access through the wilderness is difficult and time-consuming.
The northeast face rises nearly 800 meters as a vertical wall of rock, snow, and ice requiring advanced mountaineering skills and specialized techniques. This sheer aspect creates a testing route that only experienced climbers attempt, making it one of the more difficult alpine objectives in the region.
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