MARCH, 2006 NEWSLETTER

Peakfinder Updates

A number of excellent photos by Vern De Wit have been added to the website over the past month. Many of them are of peaks in the Skoki area. Select the mountains in this area by clicking on "Skoki" after selecting "Peaks by Hiking Area." We've added Vern's photos of Mount Victoria  and Mount Temple from Pika Peak to the site as well. We now have eleven shots of Mount Victoria and fifteen of Mount Temple from a variety of angles, in various seasons, etc. Thanks Vern for sharing these photos with the mountain community through Peakfinder.

Google Earth now has high resolution photos in the area Mount Hector and Goodsir Towers. Thanks to Marta Wojnarowska, Peakfinder is being integrated with "Google Earth" and this provides an almost incredible way to look at the Canadian Rockies. We are just beginning with this but there is one temporary file available through Peakfinder that will lead you to Mount Hector and to the Goodsirs. Google Earth presents a view of satellite photos that are draped over topography for the entire world. The angle of view may be adjusted as can the point of view. The resolution of the photos varies -it's best over big cities - but take a look at the area in the vicinity of Mount Hector and the Goodsirs in the Rockies. To me it's almost unbelievable.

Watch for more Google Earth options available through Peakfinder that will be available soon.

The slideshow section is updated from time to time. Last month many of the photos in the Peaks of Waterton show were updated with better quality images. As well there is now a photo tour of the Rockies seen by driving up the Bow Valley on Highways #1 and #93.

Check out the monthly panorama on the site. Previously they were photos from "50 Roadside Panoramas in the Canadian Rockies. Now we're using new colour photos from different locations.
As all the photos available on Peakfinder, sometimes errors are made in their captions. Several Peakfinder users have located errors and advised us so that they can be corrected. Please let us know if you find an error.
If you have a favourite mountain photo or any information about the peaks of the Canadian Rockies that you would like included in Peakfinder please contact <dave@peakfinder.com>.

Please note that all of the previous newsletters have been archived and are available on the site. If you're interested in esoteric lists, unusual mountain names, etcetera, browse through the earlier issues. 


March's Unusual Canadian Rockies Name

CONDOR PEAK
 Condors are large, extremely rare vultures. The two species are the California condor and the Andean condor. The Andean condor, native to western and southern South America, is the world's heaviest flying bird of prey, averaging 9 to 11.25 kg in weight. It reaches a length of 1.4 m, has a wingspan of 3 m, and is mostly black. The California condor is slightly smaller and is dark grayish brown, with an orange head. Condors have never been seen in the Canadian Rockies. Richard W. Cautley named Condor Peak in 1920 to honour HMS Condor, a Royal Navy gunboat which saw action during the bombardment of Alexandria in 1882.

Enter "Condor Peak" to learn more about the mountain. 

Look who's honoured in the Canadian Rockies

KING ALBERT
Although there are numerous mountains in the Canadian Rockies named after British royalty, Mount King Albert honours a popular and progressive king of Belgium. King Albert was killed in a climbing accident in 1934.

For information about King Albert enter the mountain's name in the appropriate search box on the main page.

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