Ptarmigan Peak (Alaska)
Encyclopedia
Ptarmigan Peak is a 4880 feet (1,487 m) mountain in the Chugach Mountains
near Anchorage, Alaska
. Its north face is extremely steep and is sometimes attempted by mountaineers. Hikers generally reach the mountain's summit from the less steep southern side. In winter, ski mountaineering is also possible on the mountain.
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. Two people died, and 11 more were seriously injured.
Chugach Mountains
The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about 500 km long, running generally east-west. Its highest point is Mount Marcus Baker, at , but most of its...
near Anchorage, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Its north face is extremely steep and is sometimes attempted by mountaineers. Hikers generally reach the mountain's summit from the less steep southern side. In winter, ski mountaineering is also possible on the mountain.
In 1997, 14 members of a mountaineering expedition from the University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Alaska Anchorage
The University of Alaska Anchorage is the largest school of the University of Alaska System, with about 16,500 students, about 14,000 of whom attend classes at Goose Lake, its main campus in Anchorage....
(two instructors and twelve students) fell 1,000 feet down the mountain's north face. Two people died, and 11 more were seriously injured.