Tathagata Tower

Tathagata Tower
Highest point
Elevation2,590 m (8,500 ft)
Prominence70 m (230 ft)
Parent peakMount Sir James MacBrien
Coordinates62°07′03″N 127°41′58″W / 62.1175°N 127.6995°W / 62.1175; -127.6995
Geography
Country
Canada
Territory
Northwest Territories
Parent rangeMackenzie Mountains
Topo mapNTS 95L4 Mount Sir James MacBrien
Climbing
First ascentJuly 16, 1960, William J. Buckingham and party
Easiest routeNorth Ridge

Tathagata Tower is a peak in the Cirque of the Unclimbables, Northwest Territories, Canada. The peak is on a ridge one kilometer to the southwest of Mount Sir James MacBrien, its parent, and has an elevation of 2590 meters.

Climbing history

On July 16th, 1960 members of the Bill Buckingham party completed a first ascent of Tathagata Tower as part of their expedition to the Cirque of the Unclimbables. On the morning of the 16th, the party logged a first ascent of the nearby Parrot Beak Peak and, from the summit, observed two other spires to the south that appeared climbable - Tathagata Tower and Lotus Flower Tower. The group attempted Tathagata first and ascended via the North Ridge, consisting of a combination of challenging crack and face climbing pitches. Upon reaching the summit, the team descended via the South Ridge and proceeded to Lotus Flower Tower.

In July of 1977, the peak was climbed for the second time by Renzo Lorenzi and his party via the east face.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tathagata Tower". Bivouac.com. Retrieved August 26, 2026.
  2. ↑ Buckingham, William J. (1961). "The Logan Mountains, 1960". American Alpine Journal.
  3. ↑ Lorenzi, Renzo (1977). "North America, Canada, Northwest Territories—Logan Mountains, Bustle Tower, Southeast Face, Mount Sir Harrison Smith, North Buttress, Tathagata Tower, East Face, Crescent Peak, South Ridge, Logan Mountains, 1977". American Alpine Journal.