Mount Lawrence Grassi

Mount Lawrence Grassi is the tallest peak of the Ehagay Nakoda massif, a multi-peaked mountain located immediately south of the town of Canmore just east of the Spray Lakes road in Alberta's Canadian Rockies. The mountain sports two other subsidiary peaks with commemorative names: Ha Ling Peak on the northwestern end, and Miners Peak southeastern of Ha Ling Peak. Another peak on the mountain is named Ship's Prow, which is on the Southeastern end of the mountain. The mountain is separated from Mount Rundle by Whiteman's Gap, and is separated to the South from The Three Sisters by Three Sisters Pass.

Mount Lawrence Grassi
Mount Lawrence Grassi from Ha Ling Peak, September 2009
Highest point
Elevation	2,685 m (8,809 ft) [1]
Prominence	396 m (1,299 ft) [2]
Coordinates	51°03′11.9″N 115°23′30.1″W [2]
Geography
Mount Lawrence Grassi Alberta, Canada
Parent range	Canadian Rockies
Topo map	NTS 82O/03
Climbing
Easiest route	moderate scramble[1]

The peak is named for Lawrence Grassi (1890–1980), an Italian miner who emigrated to Canada in 1912. After working with the Canadian Pacific Railway for several years he worked in the Canmore coal mines. Grassi also became a well-respected climbing guide as well as building many trails in the area including one to the Grassi Lakes which also bear his name.[1]

Name Change

Ehagay Nakoda was formerly named Mount Lawrence Grassi, but the name was changed along with renaming Ha Ling Peak. In 1998, the name of the massif was changed to Ehagay Nakoda, meaning "The last Nakoda" ("The last human being"), which is derived from a Stoney Nakoda origin story about the mountain's creation. This traditional story told of a Nakoda who was transformed into a mountain by Iktomni (the Trickster, or the Old Man) so that they would remain on this Earth long after human beings cease to inhabit it. The story was submitted by a local Stoney Nakoda Edler, Peter Lazarus Wesley, for the renaming of Chinaman's Peak, but the decision was made to rename the entire massif while also changing the name of Chinaman's Peak to Ha Ling Peak. To respect the history of Lawrence Grassi and the former name of the mountain, the tallest peak was named Mount Lawrence Grassi.[3][4][5][6]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Lawrence Grassi is located in a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[7] Temperatures can drop below -20 C with wind chill factors below -30 C.

References

1. "Mount Lawrence Grassi". PeakFinder. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
2. "Mount Lawrence Grassi". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
3. Ward, Meghan J. (Winter 2012). "What's in a Name? A Reminder of Things Past". Highline Magazine. 4 (1): 27–29. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
4. Daffern, Gillean (2011). Popular Day Hikes 1: Kananaskis Country. Rocky Mountain Books Ltd. ISBN 9781897522714.
5. Kelland, Ron. "Stories from the Land: Indigenous Place Names in Canada". RETROactive. Historic Resources Management Branch of Alberta, Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
6. "News In Brief". Alberta Sweetgrass. 5 (11). Aboriginal Multi-Media Society. 1998. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
7. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L. & McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN 1027-5606.

Mount Lawrence Grassi with Ha Ling Peak (right)