The topography of Mt. Cook is not uncommon among other mountains of the world, with the exception of the location, and is similar to the mountains of the northwest corner of the U.S. like Mt. Hood, Mt. Baker, or Mt. Rainier.  Unlike the North American coast which is next to the Pacific plate boundary, the Southern Alps and the Islands of New Zealand are straddling the Pacific and Australia-Indian plates.  The islands are the result of this converging boundary caused by uplift some 25 million years ago and the plates under the south island have been sliding past each other like a transform fault ever since (Strahler and Strahler 2006).   This is completely different from the north island where the plates are subducting. The Southern Alps are actually on a major fault line known as the Alpine Fault.  According to Mcguire, Burton, Kilburn, and Willets, the Alpine fault line runs through the Southern Alps in what is known as a reverse fault (2004).  A reverse fault refers to one side riding up over the other.  The alpine fault is somewhat similar to the San Andreas fault in southern California but is less likely to cause an earthquake.  Typically fault lines are also breeding grounds for volcanic activity such as Mt. Rainier however; there is little threat of volcanic activity in the Southern Alps.  Nevertheless, the northern island does have some threats of earthquake activity.

 Mt. Cook is located south of the equator, or in the Southern Hemisphere, which causes its seasonal patterns to occur opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere.  This means that Mt. Cook's summer occurs while the Northern Hemisphere is experiencing winter and vice versa.  The hottest months of the year for the island of New Zealand are January and February and the coldest months of the year are June and July.  Due to its location in the Southern Temperate Zone (STZ), south of the tropics, New Zealand experiences all four seasons and they are generally mild.  However, according to McGuire et al, New Zealand is in a zone that regularly experiences extratropical (winter) and tropical storms (2004).  New Zealand is also an area of high volcanic activity though mostly on the northern island and little risk exists in the Southern Alps.

Mt Cook is in many ways unique but is also very typical topographically.  The valleys and arêtes have been carved out by the recession of the many glaciers since the last ice age.  Tradewinds known as the roaring forties also continue to shape the landscape of the mountain.  Much of the mountain consists of rugged terrain and steep snow and ice faces.  Many attempts have been made to reach the summit and only few have been successful.