Mount Fairweather

Mount Fairweather
Mount Fairweather (left) with Mount Quincy Adams (right) from the Pacific Ocean, 2001.
Highest point
Elevation4,671 m (15,325 ft)
NAVD88
Prominence3,951 m (12,963 ft)
Ranked 26th
Isolation200 km (120 mi)
Listing
Coordinates58°54′23″N 137°31′36″W / 58.90639°N 137.52667°W / 58.90639; -137.52667
Geography
Mount Fairweather is located in Alaska
Mount Fairweather
Mount Fairweather
Location within Alaska
Mount Fairweather is located in British Columbia
Mount Fairweather
Mount Fairweather
Location within British Columbia
Interactive map of Mount Fairweather
LocationGlacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska / Stikine Region, British Columbia
Parent rangeFairweather Range
Topo mapNTS 114I13
Climbing
First ascentJune 8, 1931 by Allen Carpé and Terris Moore
Easiest routeglacier/snow/ice climb

Mount Fairweather is a mountain located 20 km (12 mi) east of the Pacific Ocean on the Canada–United States border. With an elevation of 4,653 metres (15,266 ft), it is the tallest mountain in British Columbia and the seventh-tallest mountain in both Alaska and the United States.

Fairweather is part of the Saint Elias Mountains and mostly lies within Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, though the summit borders Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. After a failed attempt in 1926, Fairweather was first climbed in 1931 by Allen Carpé and Terris Moore.

Naming

The name for the mountain came from Captain James Cook, on May 3, 1778 apparently for the unusually good weather encountered at the time.

The mountain has also gained several names from different languages:

Geography

Mount Fairweather is located right above Glacier Bay in the Fairweather Range of the Saint Elias Mountains. Mount Fairweather also marks the northwest extremity of the Alaska Panhandle.

Like many peaks in the St. Elias Mountains, Mount Fairweather has great vertical relief due to its dramatic rise from Glacier Bay. However, due to often inclement weather in the area, this effect is usually obscured with the clouds which often hides the summit from view.

Weather

Despite its name, Mount Fairweather has generally harsh weather conditions, especially in the winter months, affected by intense North Pacific low pressure systems arriving from the Gulf of Alaska. It receives over 100 inches (250 cm) of precipitation each year (mostly snow) and sees temperatures of around −50 °F (−46 °C).[citation needed]

Climbing history

No documented attempt at climbing the mountain had been successful until 1931.

First documented ascent

After failing to reach the summit in 1926 due to terrain difficulty on their chosen route, Allen Carpe, W.S. Ladd, Andy Taylor returned in 1931 along with a new member Terris Moore. In early April the group began their approach by boat but stormy weather delayed them rounding Cape Fairweather until April 17. They reached Lituya Bay and unloaded their supplies on the beach. Backtracking 21 kilometres (13 mi) along the coast, they made their way to the Fairweather Glacier. From base camp in a spot they called Paradise Valley, they decided to attempt the mountain from the south rather than via the west ridge. Due to deep snow, they realized that skis and snowshoes would be of great help so Carpe and Moore made the 80 km (50 mi) round trip to fetch them from Lituya Bay.

They ascended the glacier from base camp and set up camp at 1,520 m (4,987 ft) on the mountain's south face. On May 25, they established high camp at 2,740 m (8,990 ft) after making significant progress up a ridge on a rare day of good weather. However, the weather turned and they were forced to descend after an overnight coating of snow. After waiting out the snowstorm for six days at lower camp, they made their way back up to high camp on June 2. They left for the summit at 1:30 am on June 3 and having reached the southeast shoulder by mid-morning, they were feeling so confident that they left the willow wands behind. However, higher altitude and the weeks of hard effort slowed their progress and then the weather changed. By 1 pm not far from the summit, they decided to retreat and had to descend without the wands to guide them. They managed to reach the tents by 4 pm. Ladd and Taylor volunteered to descend due to dwindling supplies at high camp with the hope that Carpe and Moore would be able to make another attempt in good weather. The storm raged for four days before it finally cleared in the evening on June 7. At 10 pm, Carpe and Moore set out for the summit and with no further difficulties made it to the top.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Officially gazetted as Fairweather Mountain in Canada, also designated as Boundary Peak 164 or US/Canada Boundary Point #164.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mount Fairweather, Alaska-British Columbia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Fairweather Mountain". BC Geographical Names. Government of British Columbia – B.C. Geographical Names Office (BCGNO). Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Fairweather Mountain". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Mount Fairweather-Northeast Peak, British Columbia". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Scott, Chic (2000). Pushing the Limits, The Story of Canadian Mountaineering. Calgary, AB, Canada: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 130–131. ISBN 0-921102-59-3.
  6. 1 2 3 "Mount Fairweather". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 9, 2004.
  7. ↑ Terris Moore, "Mount Fairweather, Correction", American Alpine Journal 1982, p. 139. He cites Cook and King Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, Volume II, Admiralty, London, 1784, p. 345.
  8. 1 2 3 Metcalf, Peter (1974). "The Southwest Ridge of Fairweather". American Alpine Journal. 19 (48). New York, NY, USA: American Alpine Club: 19–22. ISBN 978-0-930410-71-1. Retrieved January 7, 2018.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)
  9. ↑ Gove, Walter; Adkins, Loren (1969). "The West Ridge of Mount Fairweather". American Alpine Journal. 16 (43). Philadelphia, PA, USA: American Alpine Club: 390. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
  10. ↑ "AAC Publications - United States, Alaska, Mount Fairweather, East-Southeast Ridge and "Sabine"". publications.americanalpineclub.org. Retrieved May 11, 2026.

Further reading