3525m (11565ft.)
Located at the head of Goodsir Creek between the Ice River and Goodsir Creek. Ottertail Range, Yoho Park, Major headwater Columbia River.
Latitude 51; 12; 35 Longitude 116; 24; 25, Topo map 82N/01
Can be seen from Highway 93S
Named by James Hector in 1859. Goodsir, John and H.D.S.( John was Professor of Anatomy at Edinburgh University where Hector studied. H.D.S. was surgeon with last Franklin Exp. The mountain has two towers so Hector may have felt it appropriate to name the mountain after two brothers.) Official name.
First ascended in 1909 by A. Eggers, J.P. Forde, P.D. McTavish, guided by Edward Feuz sr.. Journal reference CAJ 2-63; 22-95.
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| Photo: Goodsirs Towers (North Tower) from the south (courtesy Alan Kane) More photos |
Other Information
Looking northeast up the Kootenay River Valley to Goodsir Towers from Highway #93(S) near Kootenay CrossingMount Goodsir or The Goodsirs is made up of the two Goodsir Towers (Goodsir Towers (North Tower) and Goodsir Towers (South Tower))and Sentry Peak.
"The giant twin towers of Mount Goodsir can be seen and easily identified throughout the southern Rockies and even from the Columbia Mountains. The northeast faces are great vertical escarpments while the south and west sides are more gentle." -courtesy Chic Scott
Of the Goodsirs, James Outram wrote, "From almost every mountain top and some honoured few of the lesser and more accessible altitudes within an immense area of the Rocky Mountains and Selkirk Range, the triple mass of Mount Goodsir is a marked feature of the landscape, towering aloft a thousand feet above the tallest of its immediate neighbours, striking in form and most impressive in its stately grandeur."
The distant view of The Goodsirs from Highway #93(S) is one of the most spectacular in the Canadian Rockies. From near Kootenay Crossing one can look up the Kootenay Valley some 44 km to the towers at the head of Moose Creek. The Goodsir Towers are the highest peaks in Yoho National Park.
The story of the first ascents of the Goodsir Towers may be found in, "Yoho -A History and Celebration of Yoho National Park" by R.W. Sandford (Page 82).
John Goodsir (1814-1867) was a Scottish anatomist and surgeon and professor of anatomy at the University of Edinburgh. He was one of the first who researched cell life.
Harry Goodsir, from Anstruther in Fife, was the medical officer on the infamous Franklin expedition to find the North-West passage. The expedition, under the command of Sir John Franklin, consisted of 129 men, aboard two ships, the Erebus and the Terror, which carried enough provisions for 3 years. They set out on 19 May 1845 and were last seen just over two months later in Baffin Bay. All aboard perished.
| South Tower, South-West Ridge ( Normal Route) III 5.4 A long approach to a straightforward climb that consists mostly of steep hiking. The ridge is mostly a scramble with two sections of narrow ridge near the summit that make things entertaining. To complete the route in a long day car-to-car is quite a feat but it has been done. Most people will chose a more leisurely approach and bivi somewhere on the way in and complete the trip the following day. Dougherty, Selected Alpine Climbs page 154
North Tower, South Face III 5.4
South Tower, North Face VI 5.7 |