| Mount Fairweather | |
| Other Name: | Tsalxhaan |
| Elevation System: | NAVD88 |
| Elevation: | 4671 m (15,325 ft) |
| Prominence: | 3946 m (12,995 ft) |
| Isolation: | 200 km (124.4 mi) |
| Location: | Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska / Stikine Region, British Columbia |
| Range: | Fairweather Range |
| Map: | USA Alaska#Canada British Columbia |
| Label Position: | left#right |
| Coordinates: | 58.9064°N -137.5267°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [1] |
| First Ascent: | June 8, 1931 by Allen Carpé and Terris Moore |
| Easiest Route: | glacier/snow/ice climb |
Mount Fairweather (or Tsalxaan in the Tlingit language[2]) is 200NaN0 east of the Pacific Ocean on the Canada–United States border between Alaska and western British Columbia and has an elevation of 4653m (15,266feet). Most of the mountain lies within Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in the City and Borough of Yakutat, Alaska, though the summit borders Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park, British Columbia. Tsalxaan is officially gazetted as Fairweather Mountain in Canada[1] but referred to as Mount Fairweather, and is the highest mountain in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is also designated as Boundary Peak 164 or as US/Canada Boundary Point #164.[3]
It is said this mountain and Yaas'éit'aa Shaa (Mt. St. Elias) were originally next to each other but had an argument and separated. Their children, the mountains in between the two peaks, are called Tsalxaan Yatx'i (Children of Tsalxaan.)
The colonial name for the mountain came from Captain James Cook,[4] on May 3, 1778 apparently for the unusually good weather encountered at the time. The name has been translated into many languages. It was called "Mt. Beautemps" by La Perouse (1786, atlas), "Mte. Buen-tiempo" by Galiano (1802, map 3), "Gor[a]-Khoroshy-pogody" on Russian Hydrographic Dept. Chart 1378 in 1847, and "G[ora] Fayerveder" by Captain Tebenkov (1852, map 7), Imperial Russian Navy. It was called "Schönwetterberg" by Constantin Grewingk in 1850 and "Schönwetter Berg" by Justus Perthes in 1882.[5]
Fairweather was first climbed in 1931 by Allen Carpé and Terris Moore.[5]
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 poor weather in the area, this effect is usually obscured with the clouds which often hides the summit from view.
Despite its name, Mount Fairweather has generally harsh weather conditions. It receives over 100 inches (254 cm) of precipitation each year (mostly snow) and sees temperatures of around -50F.
No documented attempt at climbing the mountain had been successful until 1931.
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 21km (13miles) 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 80km (50miles) round trip to fetch them from Lituya Bay.
They ascended the glacier from base camp and setup camp at 15200NaN0 on the mountain's south face. On May 25, they established high camp at 27400NaN0 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.