Ptarmigan Peak (Alaska)

Ptarmigan Peak
Highest point
Elevation4,839 ft (1,475 m)[1]
Coordinates61°03′35″N 149°36′10″W / 61.05972°N 149.60278°W / 61.05972; -149.60278[1]
Geography
Parent rangeChugach Mountains

Ptarmigan Peak is a 4,839-foot (1,475 m) mountain in the Chugach Mountains near Anchorage, Alaska. Its north face is extremely steep and is sometimes attempted by mountaineers.[2] Hikers generally reach the mountain's summit from the less steep southern side, often via the west ridge that begins at Ptarmigan Pass.[2][3] In winter, ski mountaineering is also possible on the mountain.[4]

In 1997, 14 members of a mountaineering expedition from the University of Alaska Anchorage (two instructors and twelve students) fell 1,000 feet down the mountain's north face.[5] Two people died, and 11 more were seriously injured.[5]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ptarmigan Peak (Alaska)
  2. ^ a b Shane Shepherd& Owen Wozniak. 50 Hikes in Alaska's Chugach State Park. The Mountaineers Books (2001), p. 138.
  3. ^ Woelber, Paxson. "Ptarmigan Peak". Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  4. ^ Louis W. Dawson. Wild Snow. The Mountaineers Books (1998), p. 101.
  5. ^ a b American Alpine Club. Accidents in North American Mountaineering 1998. The Mountaineers Books (1998), p. 23.