Photo: Mount Bowlen (left) and Tonsa from Moraine Lake
Tonsa
- 3057 m (10,030ft)
- Naming History
- Hiking and Trails
51.2978N -116.200W
Located on the continental divide in the Valley of the Ten Peaks between Moraine Lake Valley and Tokumm Creek
Range: Ten Peaks
Province: Alberta/BC
Park: Banff/Kootenay
Headwater: Bow/Kootenay
Visible from Highway: 1
Located on the continental divide in the Valley of the Ten Peaks between Moraine Lake Valley and Tokumm Creek
Range: Ten Peaks
Province: Alberta/BC
Park: Banff/Kootenay
Headwater: Bow/Kootenay
Visible from Highway: 1
Year Named: 1894
Named by: Samuel E.S. Allen
Named for: "Tonsa" is the Stoney Indian word for the number four.
Named by: Samuel E.S. Allen
Named for: "Tonsa" is the Stoney Indian word for the number four.
Popular Hike: Lakes Louise/Moraine/O'Hara
Tonsa is one of only three of the "Ten Peaks" that has not been renamed. An ice-filled gully known to mountaineers as the 3-3.5 couloir lies between Tonsa and Mount Bowlen. In the past it was used by climbers to access the Neil colgan Hut. After some accidents on this route it is not longer recommended.
Photo: (l-r) Mount Bowlen, Tonsa, and Mount Perren from Moraine Lake (courtesy Bennett Wong)