De La Beche is set on the crest or Main Divide of the Southern Alps and is situated on the boundary shared by the West Coast and Canterbury Regions of South Island.

[4] This peak is located 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of Aoraki / Mount Cook and set on the boundary shared by Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park and Westland Tai Poutini National Park.

Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,450 metres (4,757 feet) above the Tasman Glacier in three kilometres.

The mountain's toponym was applied by Julius von Haast to honour Henry De la Beche (1796–1855), an English geologist and the first director of the Geological Survey of Great Britain, who helped pioneer early geological survey methods.

[4] The first ascent was made in February 1894 by Tom Fyfe and George Graham via De La Beche Ridge.