St. Boris Peak

St. Boris Peak (Bulgarian: връх Св. Борис, romanized: vrah Sv. Boris, IPA: [ˈvrɤx svɛˈti boˈris]) is an ice-covered mountain rising to 1,700 m in Friesland Ridge, Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. It is the first or second highest peak of both the mountains and the island along with Mount Friesland (1,700.2 m). The two are connected by a short saddle of elevation 1,649 m dominated by ‘The Synagogue’, a sharp-peaked rock-cored ice formation abutting upon the central summit of St. Boris Peak. The peak is also connected to Simeon Peak by Paril Saddle, and surmounts Huntress Glacier to the northwest and west, and Macy Glacier to the southeast.

The peak's central summit is rising to 1,685 m, while its highest point ‘The Synagogue’ rises to 1,699 or 1,700 m. The local ice relief is subject to change; according to a Bulgarian GPS survey by D. Boyanov and N. Petkov the elevation of Mt. Friesland was 1,693 m in December 2016, making St. Boris Peak the summit of both Tangra Mountains and the island in that season. According to the American high accuracy Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA), Mount Friesland is 8 m (26 ft) higher than the central summit of St. Boris Peak and 14 m (46 ft) higher than ‘The Synagogue’. However, according to the 2022 later edition of REMA Mount Friesland is 4 m (13 ft) higher than the central summit of St. Boris Peak and 7 m (23 ft) lower than ‘The Synagogue’.

The peak was first ascended and GPS surveyed by the Bulgarians D. Boyanov and N. Petkov from Camp Academia area via Mount Friesland on 22 December 2016. A different route was followed by the same climbers and N. Hazarbasanov on 15 January 2017, namely from Nesebar Gap via upper Huntress Glacier and Academia Peak.

The feature is named after Czar St. Boris I of Bulgaria, 852-889 AD.