title: Mount Sir Donald
text: # Mount Sir Donald
  
  Mount Sir Donald is a 3,284-metre (10,774-foot) mountain summit located in the Rogers Pass area of Glacier National Park in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Its good rock quality and classic Matterhorn shape make it popular for alpine rock climbers, and the Northwest Arete route is included in the popular book Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.
  
  It was originally named Syndicate Peak in honor of the group who arranged the finances for the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, but was later renamed after Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, head of the syndicate.
  
  The first ascent was made in 1890 by Emil Huber and Carl Sulzer of Switzerland and porter Harry Cooper. As of the 1910s, an average of three or four ascents per year were being made.
  
  ## Climate
  
  Based on the Köppen climate classification, the mountain has a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains west into the Illecillewaet River, or east into the Beaver River.
  
  