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The Yukon - Mt. Logan
Mt. Logan is situated in the remote
St. Elias Range of North Western Canada in the Yukon Territory.
It is the crown jewel of Kluane National Park and is a UNESCO
World Heritage Site. Logan is the highest point in Canada, and
though second in North America only to Mount McKinley, is described
as a more spectacular mountain without the crowds. The Logan massif
rises about 3,000 m from the surrounding glaciers and has the
largest base circumference of any mountain on Earth. A glaciated
plateau, about 20 km long and 5 km wide covers the top of the
massif, and due to active tectonic uplifting, Mt. Logan is actually
still rising in elevation.
Due to its proximity to the Gulf of Alaska, severe snow storms
can hit the upper part of the mountain any time of the year. Temperatures
are extremely cold on and near Mount Logan. On May 26, 1991 a
record -77.5 °C (-106.6 °F) was observed, making it the
coldest recorded temperature outside of Antarctica. (It is not
counted as the coldest temperature in North America since it was
recorded at a very high altitude.)
Mt.
Logan
5,959 metres
19,551 feet |
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· Mt. Logan was first climbed on June 23, 1925 by
A.H. MacCarthy, H.F. Lambart, A. Carpe, W.W.
Foster, N. Read and A. Taylor |
History |
By anyone’s standards the scale of the Logan Massif
is truly awe-inspiring. Many experienced Himalayan climbers
have said that they always thought they had seen truly gigantic
peaks in their lives until they had their first glimpse
of Logan. It absolutely soars some 3000 m higher than the
surrounding glaciers and peaks and many people remark how
it completely occupies the horizon even from a great distance.
Logan is the largest ice sheet not part of an ice cap in
the world, it has about a dozen peaks that rise from its
summit plateau which itself is about 20 km long and 5 km
wide and totally dominates the top of the massif. To top
this off many of the peaks have their own sub-peaks, and
there are dozens of ridgelines, many of which have never
been climbed or even attempted. It is the "largest"
mountain in the world.
Located in the St. Elias Mountains in the Yukon, at 5,959
metres, Mount Logan is second only to Mount McKinley (6,194
metres) in Alaska, the highest elevation in North America.
In 1890, I.C. Russell of the U.S. Geological Survey, while
undertaking a survey in the St. Elias Mountains, named Mount
Logan for Sir William Edmond Logan (1798-1875). Born in
Montréal and educated in Scotland, Logan founded
the Geological Survey of Canada in 1842.
The St. Elias Mountains were named in the late 1800s after
Mount St. Elias. Its name was derived from Alaska's Cape
St. Elias, which, in turn, had been named by the Danish
explorer Vitus Bering on St. Elias Day in 1741. Mount St.
Elias is on the western boundary of Canada and, at 5,489
metres, is our second-highest mountain. In fact, the next
sixteen highest mountains in Canada are all in the St. Elias
Mountains, and all but one are in the Yukon. Fairweather
Mountain (at 4,663 metres, the eighth-highest in Canada)
straddles the B.C.-Alaska boundary. It was named by Capt.
James Cook during his historic voyage along the west coast
in 1778.
Measured by its base circumference, it is the most massive
mountain in the world. It is twenty-five miles long and
rises more than two miles above its surrounding. The mountain
was named after Sir William Logan, founder of the Geological
Survey of Canada.
History
of Sir William Edmond Logan
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Routes |
All expeditions planning to climb Mount Logan in the
Kluane National Park & Reserve are required to have
an Icefields
Permit. All climbers must submit an application
to participate in the expedition. All persons intending
to guide an Expedition must obtain a license
by requesting the Kluane National Park & Reserve Guide
License Package. An Aircraft
landing permit is required to land on Mount Logan and
must be obtained by the Expedition.
Through Canada
Fly out of Silver City on Kluane Lake, north of Haines Junction.
Both helicopters and light fixed-wing aircraft on ski-wheels
are normally available in the Yukon at Haines Junction,
Kluane National Park & Reserve Lake and Burwash Landing.
East Ridge
Fly onto Hubbard Glacier. The East Ridge is the best alpine
climb: 4,000 meters (12,000 feet) up a superb narrow ridge.
Perfect camp spots show themselves every 300 meters or so.
The ridge is never too technical but always interesting.
Kings Trench
Fly onto Quintino Sella Glacier. The King's Trench Route
ascends the west side of the mountain and is non-technical:
most of the climb is made on skis up a large glacier system.
This was the first-ascent route in 1925, which was a major
tour-de-force for its time due to how far the climbers
had to travel before even reaching the peak.
From Whitehorse fly out of Kluane Lake to Charter from Kluane
Lake to Quintino Sella Glacier.
Camp 1 |
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9,000 ft - King's Trench
Quintino-Stella Glacier |
Camp 2 |
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11,000 ft - King's Trench Camp |
Camp 3 |
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13,500 ft - King Col |
Camp 4 |
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16,000 ft - Football Field |
Camp 5 |
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17,000 ft - Windy Camp going up
Ion Col |
Camp 6 |
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17,600 ft - Plateau Camp to Summit |
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