Atwell Peak, Volcanic summit in Garibaldi Provincial Park, Canada
Atwell Peak is a 2,655-metre volcanic summit on the southern edge of Mount Garibaldi in British Columbia. It has three ridges—north, east and south—and its west face drops steeply into the Cheekye River. The peak was a source of many pyroclastic flows during Garibaldi's development.
Atwell Peak formed during a period of volcanic activity between 510,000 and 220,000 years ago and was the source of many pyroclastic flows as Mount Garibaldi developed. The first recorded ascent was made in 1911 by A. Armistead, B. Darling, J. Davies, F. Hewton and A. Morkill. The peak is named after Atwell Duncan Francis Joseph King (1877–1947), who led the 1907 expedition that made the first ascent of Mount Garibaldi.
Local climbers and hiking groups regularly pursue routes on this summit as a test of skill and endurance. The mountain holds value within British Columbia's mountaineering community for its technical challenges.
The peak is usually climbed in winter or early spring, when the loose rock is frozen; the north ridge is the shortest route to the summit. The east ridge meets the north ridge about 100 horizontal metres north of the summit. All ridges are sharp and heavily corniced in winter and spring, and the northeast face holds many bergschrunds.
Two small pocket glaciers sit on the east side of the mountain, changing gradually over time. The Diamond Glacier to the southeast and Bishop Glacier to the northeast reveal how glaciation shapes the landscape here.
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