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British Columbia - Fairweather Mountain

The highest mountain in British Columbia is Fairweather Mountain (4,663 metres) located at the southern end of the St. Elias Mountains, along the coast of the northern Alaska Panhandle. Fairweather straddles the international boundary between Canada/British Columbia and the United States/Alaska. The mountain was named in 1778 by Captain James Cook, apparently for the good weather encountered at the time.

Fairweather Mountain
4,663 metres
15,388 feet
Fairweather Mountain, BC
  · Approach is from the Grand Plateau Glacier


Altitude
4,663 m, 15,388 f
Location
58° 54’ 00” N – 137° 31’ 00” W
NTS Map
114 l/13 or I/14 Mount Root
Calendar
Best Climbing Months: April, May, June
National Park Service – climb and weather
Parks
Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park
Fast Facts
CAPITAL: Victoria, BC
PROVINCIAL FLOWER: Pacific Dogwood
PROVINCIAL BIRD: Stellar's Jay
PROVINCIAL TREE: Western Red Cedar

History

The mountain was named in 1778 by Captain James Cook, apparently for the good weather encountered at the time.

First ascent credited to Allen Carpé and Terris Moore 8 June 1931. Second ascent 26 June 1958, by an all-Canadian climbing party, to mark the centennial of the Crown Colony of British Columbia.

Fairweather Mountain, towering just fourteen miles from the Pacific Ocean, is the dominant peak in the Fairweather Range. The Fairweather Range is located at the southern end of the St. Elias Mountains, along the coast of the northern Alaska Panhandle. Bordered on the west by the spectacular Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers, and on the north by Glacier Bay, it is quite awesome for its vertical relief and incredible snow pack. The mountains rise almost three vertical miles directly out of the sea, with the 15,300 foot summit of Mount Fairweather only 24 miles from the coast. It is a broad mountain with a sharp icy summit, and contrary to the implications of its name, is subject to some of the world's worst weather. Its huge Fairweather Glacier flows beautifully from the mountain's southern flanks to the sea.

The best time to climb here is May through early July. The weather follows a maritime pattern, resulting in a healthy snow pack and warmer than average winter and early spring temperatures. Summer temps average 42 to 62 degrees, but tends to get stormy, and the wind and snow on the high peaks can be deadly. Its extreme relief and large annual snowfall makes it very glaciated and beautiful. The south face’s 10,000+ ft. relief is bisected by the Carpe' Ridge which is featured in Steve Roper's "50 Classic Climbs of North America".

We will fly into 8,000 ft above sea level on the Grand Plateau Glacier and spend a couple of days acclimatizing before moving up.

As an additional note it must be mentioned that while the majority of the mass of the peak resides within the state of Alaska, the summit itself belongs to British Columbia in Canada. The highest mountain entirely within British Columbia is Mount Waddington (4,016 metres) in the Coast Mountains. It was named in 1918 by the Geographic Board of Canada for Alfred Waddington who, from 1858 to 1872, encouraged the creation of a transcontinental route to the Pacific via Bute Inlet, the head of which is 60 kilometers south of the mountain.


View Map Fairweather Mountain Region
View map of Fairweather
Mountain
Fairweather Mountain, BC


Routes

Go to Whitehorse then to Silver City on Kluane Lake north of Haines Junction.

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Fly onto Grand Plateau Glacier at 8,000 feet.
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Ski ascent from 3,000 feet on the north side of the mountain up the Grand Plateau Glacier and the northwest ridge.