Mount Crillon

Mount Crillon is a high peak of the Fairweather Range, the southernmost part of the Saint Elias Mountains. It lies southeast of Mount Fairweather, in the promontory between the Gulf of Alaska and Glacier Bay. It is included in Glacier Bay National Park. The peak was named after Felix-Francois-Dorothee de Bretton, Comte de Crillon, by his friend, the French explorer Jean Francois de Galaup de la Perouse.

Mt. Crillon from the SW.
Mount Crillon
Mt. Crillon (left) and Mt. Bertha (right) seen from park headquarters
Highest point
Elevation12,726 ft (3,879 m) [1]
Prominence7,214 ft (2,199 m) [1]
Listing
  • North America prominent peak 68th
Coordinates58°39′46″N 137°10′19″W [1]
Geography
Mount Crillon
Alaska
LocationGlacier Bay National Park, Hoonah-Angoon Census Area, Alaska, U.S.
Parent rangeFairweather Range, Saint Elias Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Mount Fairweather C-4 Quadrangle
Climbing
First ascent1934 by Bradford Washburn, H. Adams Carter
Easiest routeWest ridge: glacier/snow/ice/rock climb (Alaska Grade 4)

Location

Mount Crillon lies about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Mount Fairweather. It is near the southern end of the Fairweather Range, with only one 10,000 foot (3,050m) peak, Mount La Perouse, lying south of it. It is 10 miles (16 km) due east of the head of Lituya Bay, a small inlet of the Gulf of Alaska, which is itself part of the Pacific Ocean. The North and South Crillon Glaciers flow west from the peak toward Lituya Bay. The La Perouse Glacier flows south from the peak. The north side of the peak forms the head of the southern branch of the Johns Hopkins Glacier, which empties into Johns Hopkins Inlet, off of Glacier Bay. To the east of the peak lies the large icefield which forms the head of the Brady Glacier, the southernmost of the large glaciers of the Saint Elias Mountains.

Features

Mount Crillon drops 9,000 feet (2,700 m) in less than 4 mi (6.4 km) on both its north and west faces. Due to its proximity to the ocean, it is often subject to harsh weather.

Climbing

Mount Crillon is not climbed frequently, since it is an extremely challenging climb for its elevation due to its isolation. The first ascent was in 1934, by explorer Bradford Washburn on his third attempt,[2] and longtime editor of the American Alpine Journal H. Adams Carter. They climbed via the East Ridge above the Plateau, reaching the summit on 19 July 1934.[3]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Crillon has a subarctic climate with cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.[4] Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. Precipitation runoff and meltwater from its glaciers drains into Glacier Bay and the Gulf of Alaska.

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See also

References
  1. "Mount Crillon". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 14 Dec 2013.
  2. Borneman, Walter R. (2003). Alaska : saga of a bold land (1st ed.). New York, NY: HarperCollins. p. 322. ISBN 0-06-050306-8.
  3. Washburn, Bradford (1995). "Mount Crillon - Sixty-One Years Ago". American Alpine Journal. Golden, CO, USA: American Alpine Club. 37 (69): 22–30. ISBN 0-930410-43-2.
  4. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L. & McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.

Sources

Michael Wood and Colby Coombs, Alaska: A Climbing Guide, The Mountaineers, 2001.

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