• High Adventures in Alaska's Greater Ranges

Significant Climbing

Central Alaska Range

Eastern Alaska Range

Wrangell Mountains

St. Elias Mountains

Neacola Mountains

 

Most of the climbing attention in Alaska (an area nearly ⅓ the size of the continental U.S.) is paid to Denali, North America’s highest peak, and its surrounding area. This is merely one mountain among thousands within the state. Alaska is home to several of the world’s greatest mountain ranges and each deserves its own unique and appropriate profile.

Alaska’s history is steeped in adventure. As alpinists and historians, we are committed to highlighting many of the significant climbing ascents across the state and discussing their place within mountaineering history. The following section emphasizes those of the eastern Alaska Range. First ascensionists in this area include everyone from the indomitable Fred Beckey to Colin Haley to hardened local climbers. For those who are willing to venture outward this range is the gift that keeps on giving.

North Face of Mt. Moffit. Image by Alexander Hansen

North Face of Mt. Moffit. Image by Alex Joseph Hansen

 

The highest peak within the eastern Alaska Range is Mount Hayes at 13,832’. Mt. Hayes has three major glaciers that trend from its eastern (Trident), western (Hayes) and southern (Susitna) aspects.

Other notable peaks include Mount Moffit (13,020’), Mount Deborah (12,339’), Mount Hess (11,940’), and McGinnis Peak (11,400’). Moffit has one main glacier system, the Trident Glacier, that forms to its north. Deborah is surrounded by three larger glacial systems including the Gillam to east-northeast-north, the Yanert to its east, and the West Fork to its south. Mount Hess shares both the Gillam Glacier (north-northeast) and the West Fork Glacier (south). McGinnis Peak sees the McGinnis Glacier to its east-northeast and the Black Rapids Glacier to its south.

Notable Ascents

Mt. Hayes

  1. First Ascent was on August 1, 1941, by Bradford Washburn, Barbara Washburn, Benjamin Ferris, Sterling Hendricks, Henry Hall, and William Shand via the North Ridge.

  2. In 1976 Dakers Gowans, Kieth Hansen, and Dave Davis climbed Hayes’ West Face.

  3. The Southwest Face of Hayes was climbed by Carl Tobin and Dave Cheesemond in May 1984.

  4. In 1989 John Bauman and Tom Walter ascended Hayes’ East Face. After descending, the duo skied out to the Black Rapids Roadhouse over three days.

  5. The Direct West Face of Mt. Hayes was climbed in spring 2011 by Sam Johnson and Ryan Hokanson.

  6. In April 2014 Sam Johnson soloed Hayes’ Southeast Face. Johnson's route was a variation to the 89’ Bauman-Walter route.

  7. Mount Hayes, Northeast Face to South Buttress, Thicker Than Thieves Alaska, Hayes Range (VanWiemeersch-Stuckey-Giraldo); 7,300’, VI 5.8 AI4 M5

Mt. Moffit

  1. William Shand Jr., Benjamin Ferris Jr., and Sterling Henricks made the first ascent of Mt. Moffit on August 12, 1942. Shand, Ferris, and Hendricks had each been on Mt. Hayes’ first ascent team the year prior.

  2. It was over 30 years before Moffit would see a second ascent. In 1975, M. Sallee and D. Buchanan would again climb to its summit.

  3. The North Face of Mt. Moffit is first climbed by Brian Teale and Harvey Miller in 1989.

  4. Colin Haley and Jed Brown climb the Entropy Wall (2,300m, VI 5.9, A2 WI4+) on Moffit’s North Face from July 10 - 13, 2006.

  5. In October 2020, a team from Alaska Wilderness Project (Hansen-Lieber-Schmitz) made the first ascent of a route on Moffit’s northeast ridge, Longing for Light.

Alexander Hansen leads the first pitch on Longing for Light (AI5, X) on the northeast shoulder of Mt. Moffit. Image by Austin Schmitz.

Alex Joseph Hansen leads the first pitch on Longing for Light (AI5, X) on the northeast shoulder of Mt. Moffit. Image by Austin Schmitz.

Mt. Deborah

  1. Mt. Deborah was first climbed via the South Ridge in 1955  by Fred Beckey, Henry Meybohm, and Heinrich Harrer.

  2. Deborah’s West Face was climbed in May 1981 by Rex Simonson, Vern Tejas, Howell Powder, and Brian Cannard.

  3. In April of 2015 Will Sim and Jonathon Griffith established a new route connecting Deborah’s Northwest Face to Northwest Ridge; Bad To The Bone

Mt. Hess

  1. The first ascent of Mt. Hess was made in 1951 from an east-northeast aspect. On May 24th of that year, Alston Paige, Dick Holdren, Ed Huizer, Howard Bowman, and Elton Thayer stood on top of the prominent 11,940’ (3,640m) summit.

  2. The North Ridge was first climbed on May 23, 1976, by Steven Hackett and Thomas Hillis. Daniel L. Osborne was the third member on this expedition but did not reach the summit due to feeling unwell. The team approached via the Gillam Glacier.

  3. In May 1978 Mt. Hess is climbed via the Northeast Ridge (Buchannon-Tobin-Moore).

McGinnis Peak

  1. The first ascent of McGinnis was made on August 5th, 1964 by Larry Muir and Tom Knott via the West Ridge.

  2. The second ascent was made by the duo John Garson and James Brady via the knife-edge Northeast Ridge in June 1976.

  3. The Southeast Ridge was first climbed in May 1980 by Walter Palkovitch and Dan Gray.

  4. Roman Dial and Chuck Comstock climbed the infamous Cutthroat Couloir in March 1985.


Sources Cited

Washburn, Bradford. “The Ascent of Mount Hayes.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1942, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Davis, David. “West Face of Mount Hayes.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1977, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Cheesmond, David. “North America, United States, Alaska, Mount Hayes, Southwest Face.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1984, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Bauman, John. “North America, United States, Alaska, Mount Hayes, East Face.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1989, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Hokanson, Ryan. “Mt. Hayes, Direct West Face, Mt. Balchen, Northeast Buttress to Near Summit.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 2011, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

MacDonald, Dougald. “Mt. Hayes, Southeast Face, Variation and Solo Ascent.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 2014, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Giraldo, Jon. “Mt. Hayes, Northeast Face to South Buttress, Thicker Than Thieves.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 2015, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Irving, Kenneth C. “North America, United States, Alaska, Mount Moffit, Northwest Ridge, 1975.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1977, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Brown, Jed. “The Entropy Wall, A Direct Route Up Mt. Moffit’s North Face.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 2007, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Hansen, Alexander. “Peak 9,630’, DeWilde Style, Mt. Moffit, Longing for Light.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 2021, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Beckey, Fred. “Mt. Deborah and Mt. Hunter: First Ascents” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1955, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Cannard, Bryan. “North America, United States, Alaska, Mount Deborah, West Face.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1982, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Sim, Will. “Mt. Deborah, Northwest Face to Northwest Ridge, Bad to the Bone.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 2016, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Alston, Paige. “First Ascent of Mount Hess.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1952, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Osborne, Daniel L. “North Ridge of Mount Hess.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1952, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Brady, James A. “North America, United States, Alaska, Central Alaska Range, Deborah, Hayes, Hess and Other Peaks.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1978, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Goetze, Christopher. “North America, United States, Alaska, Hayes Group.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1965, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Garson, John. “North America, United States, Alaska, McGinnis Peak, Northeast Ridge, Alaska Range.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1977, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Palkovitch, Walter. “North America, United States, Alaska, McGinnis Peak, Southeast Ridge.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1981, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.

Dial, Roman. “North America, United States, Alaska, McGinnis Peak, East Face, Hayes Range.” Publications.americanalpineclub.org, American Alpine Club, 1986, https://publications.americanalpineclub.org.