It is located on the Continental Divide, on the Alberta-British Columbia border, in both Banff National Park and Yoho National Park.

It lies at the eastern edge of the Wapta Icefield, and is part of the Waputik Mountains which are a sub-range of the Canadian Rockies.

It was named in 1916 by Arthur O. Wheeler; a particular gendarme on the mountain is said to resemble Santa Claus.

[4][1] The peak is composed of sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.

[7] Based on the Köppen climate classification, it is located in a subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.