Mount Elusive
Aerial view looking west with Mt. Elusive centered, Mt. Edison upper left, and Mt. Gilbert Lewis in upper right, with Columbia Glacier down in front
Highest point
Elevation11,465 ft (3,495 m)[1]
Prominence715 ft (218 m)[1]
Parent peakMount Gilbert Lewis (12,250 ft)[1]
Isolation1.78 mi (2.86 km)[1]
Coordinates61°25′41″N 147°07′36″W / 61.42806°N 147.12667°W / 61.42806; -147.12667[2]
Geography
Mount Elusive is located in Alaska
Mount Elusive
Mount Elusive
Location of Mount Elusive in Alaska
LocationChugach National Forest
Valdez-Cordova Borough
Alaska, United States
Parent rangeChugach Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Anchorage B-1
Climbing
First ascentJune 22, 1957[3]
Easiest routeSouth ridge

Mount Elusive is an 11,465-foot (3,495 m) elevation glaciated summit located 36 mi (58 km) northwest of Valdez in the Chugach Mountains of the U.S. state of Alaska. Set on land managed by Chugach National Forest, this remote peak is situated 3 mi (5 km) northeast of Mount Edison, 3 mi (5 km) southwest of Mount Valhalla, and 4.8 mi (8 km) north of Mount Einstein, near the head Columbia Glacier. It is part of the Dora Keen Range, which is a 25-miles-long divide separating Harvard Glacier from Yale Glacier.[2] The mountain was so named in 1957 by Lawrence E. Nielsen because of the peak's "elusive character in trying to locate its position on the map from aerial photos," and later officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in 1965.[4] Nielsen was leader of the Chugach Mountains Expedition which was sponsored by the Arctic Institute of North America. The first ascent of this mountain was made June 22, 1957, by Nielsen and expedition party via the south ridge.[2] He described the most distinguishing feature of this snow-covered mountain as being a spectacular north–south knife-edge summit ridge.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Elusive is located in a subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers.[5] Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Chugach Mountains (orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports the Harvard and Columbia Glaciers surrounding this mountain. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for climbing.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Elusive, Mount - 11,465' Alaska". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  2. 1 2 3 "Mount Elusive". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  3. ↑ American Alpine Journal, 1958, Vol 11, pg. 92
  4. ↑ Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, Donald J. Orth author, United States Government Printing Office (1967), page 312.
  5. ↑ 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.
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