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North America

General

The highest mountains of North America are located in the far north in Alaska and neighboring Yukon territory of Canada. Alaska range in general and Denali in particular, has one of the worst weather in the world as it locates at the collision front between warm damp Pacific air and the cold interior. The area is comprised of several mountain ranges. Furthest to the north lie Brooks Range. Aleutian range on the peninsula intruding far to the Bering Sea is notorious of it's horrendous weather, even on the Alaskan standards. Alaska range is located in the central part of Alaska. It is dominated by Denali (or Mount McKinley) with it's height of 6194m. Mount Hunter, Mount Foraker and Mount Huntington, all of which are famous among the climbers, are also located in the Alaska range. Chugach, Wrangel and St.Elias ranges are located to the south and east of Alaska Range. The most popular climbs are found in Alaska range.

The Rocky Mountains, or shorter "Rockies" are a vast mountain system in Western North America, extending from Canada to New Mexico. There are over twenty principle ranges that comprise the Rockies. Best known of them among climbers are Canadian Rockies, Colorado Rockies and Tetons in Wyoming. The highest peaks of the range are located in Colorado, with Mount Elbert (4401m) being the highest. The highest peak in Canadian Rockies is Mount Robson (3954m). There are several national parks of both sides of the border.

The Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwestern United States is best known for its massive snow-capped volcanoes. Often they rise in isolation, separated by great intervening plateaus. Mostly there's at least one relatively easy route to the summit. However, the highest, Mount Rainier (4392m), provides challenges even on its easiest routes.

The Sierra Nevada range in eastern California has several peaks over 4000m culminating at Mount Whitney 4417m. Furthermore, High Sierra has classic snow/ice routes on North palisade, Polemonium Peak and Mount Mendell. However, the best known part of the Sierra Nevada is the Yosemite Valley, that is home to legendary big-wall on the sheer granite walls of El Capitan and Half Dome. Besides the big walls, the valley also has range of classic alpine rock climbs.

Other well known alpine destinations of the continent include the famous granite spires of Bugaboos in British Columbia, Waddington range in Canadian Coast Range, Mount Washington and Mount Katahdin in New England, Baffin island in NE of Canada and Shiprock in New Mexico.

Mexico's volcanoes offer an exciting trip for climbers seeking the challenges of climbing at moderate altitude amidst an interesting cultural backdrop. Highest mountain is Pico De Orizaba (also known as Citlateptl) at 5611m.

Besides the aforementioned mountain areas, there are plenty of other areas having high quality ice and rock climbing.

• Bonington, Chris & Salkeld, Audrey: World Mountaineering - The World's Greatest Mountains by the Worlds Greatest Mountaineers. Miller's Publications, 2006. Isbn: 1845331427.
• Kroese, Mark: Fifty Favorite Climbs - The Ultimate North American Tick List, 1st edition. Mountaineers Books, 2001. Isbn: 9780898867282.
• Radehose, Eckehard: Traumberge Amerikas. Von Alaska bis Feuerland.. Bergverlag Rother, 2002. Isbn: 9783763330065.
• Roper, Steve & Steck, Allen: Fifty Classic Climbs of North America. Sierra Club Books, 1996. Isbn: 9780871568847.
• Waterman, Jonathan: High Alaska - A Historical Guide to Denali Mount Foraker and Mount Hunter. American Alpine Club, 1989. Isbn: 9780930410414.

• Bivouac.com. Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia.
• Fifty Classic Climbs Of North America. At SummitPost.
• Mountain Project. Beyond the Guidebook - The Premier Resource for the Climbing and Mountaineering Community. Load of info about US climbing areas (some info about few other areas well).
• North American Classic climbs. At Los Alamos Mountaineers.
• Steck and Roper's 50 Classic Climbs. List of routes included in Steve Roper and Allen Steck's "Fifty Classic Climbs of North America" (1979, ISBN: 0-87156-884-5).

Alaska & St. Elias

The highest mountains of North America are located in the far north in Alaska and neighboring Yukon territory of Canada. The area is comprised of several mountain ranges:

• Furthest to the north lie vast Brooks Range where highest peaks rise to ~9,000'.
• 1500-mile long Aleutian range on the peninsula intruding far to the Bering Sea is notorious of it's horrendous weather, even on the Alaskan standards. Some of the peaks on Aleutian are volcanic and are part of the POcean's Ring of Fire. Highest volcano is Redoubt (3108m
• Alaskan Range form a large arch in the central Alaska, to the north of Aleutian, Chugach, Wrangel and St. Elias ranges. Central part of the range is home to highest peaks in Alaska. It is dominated by Denali (or Mount McKinley) with it's height of 6194m. Mount Hunter, Mount Foraker and Mount Huntington, all of which are famous among the climbers, are also located in the Alaska range. The most popular climbs are found in Alaska range.
• Chugach, Wrangel, St.Elias, Fairweather and Coast Ranges form a long chain of mountains running along the coast of Alaska Gulf and reaching far into Canadian territory.

Alaska range in general and Denali in particular, has one of the worst weather in the world as it locates at the collision front between warm damp Pacific air and the cold interior. Because of harsh weather and remoteness, climbing on Alaskan mountains is more serious than similar routes would be in more accessible ranges (this phenomenom is sometimes referred to as Alaskan factor). Alaskan mountains are excessively glaciated, so most climbing is on snow or ice. The rock quality is generally poor. Access to climbs can be very long. However, airplanes are often used which make otherwise extremely tedious approaches a breeze. Normal climbing season starts in late April. Weather is still extremely cold as temperatures can drop to -40°C in may. June and July have warmer temperatures but then the there's a risk of storms lasting for days.

Besides alpine ascents, Alaska has also plenty of good water ice climbing, especially close Valdez in Keystone Canyon. The first major climb of the areas was the classic Keystone Green Steps (5 pitches (200m) III-IV/WI5).

• United States Geologigal Survey: 63148-F8-SI-250 (Denali National Park and Preserve). United States Geologigal Survey.

• Secor, R. J.: Denali Climbing Guide, 1st edition. Stackpole Books, 1998. Isbn: 9780811727174.
• Wood, Michael & Coombs, Colby: Alaska: A Climbing Guide - A Climbing Guide. Mountaineers Books, 2002. Isbn: 0-89886-724-X.

• Alaska climbing concepts. Information about the pecularities of Alaskan climbing. By Alaska Alpine Club .

Alaska Range

Alaskan Range form a large arch in the central Alaska, to the north of Aleutian, Chugach, Wrangel and St. Elias ranges. Central part of the range is home to highest peaks in Alaska. It is dominated by Denali (or Mount McKinley) with it's height of 6194m. The ranges consists of several subgroups:

• Revelation Mountains
• Kichatna Mountains. Very rugged and steep range, although the peaks are not very high (below 9,000'). The area has lots of steep rock routes on granite spires.
• Central Alaska Range. Home to all the highest peaks and most popular climbs.
• Eastern Alaska Range. Best known peak inn the area is Mount Deborah.
• Delta Mountains

West Buttress is the easiest and most popular route on Denali, while West Rib and Cassin Ridge are more difficult classics. Sultana Ridge and Infinite Spur on Mount Foraker and West Ridge and Moonflower Buttress on Mount Hunter are other classics on big peaks. Other destinations well known among the climbers are Mount Huntington and Ruth Gogge.

Climbs are typically access from Anchorage and Talkeetna on the south side on the range. Approaches are often done using planes, with

• Denali National Park
• Alaska range

• Alaska Range. Area page page. At SummitPost.
• Mountaineering in Denali National Park and Preserve. Denali.

Central Alaska Range

St. Elias Mountains

St.Elias range lies partially on Canadian side of the border. It hosts a the greatest concentration of high peak in the North-America, topped by Mount Logan (5959m), the second highest summit of the continent. On the coastal area to the south and east of St. Elias range lie Fairweather and Coast ranges.

Access is from Whitehorse in Yukon territory or from Yakutat. From there to Klue National park. June and July are most popular months for climbing. Earlier in the season temperatures are even colder.

• Mount Logan (5959m)
• Mount St. Elias (5488m)
• Mount Alvestone (4439m)
• Mount Kennedy (4234m)
• University Peak (14800ft)

Coast Range

British Columbia's Coast range originate on the north side of the Fraser River Valley (near Vancouver B.C.) and runs almost a thousand miles along the coast of western Canada to end in the Yukon Territories. The most famous part of the range is Waddington Range, consisting of Mount Waddington and surrounding peaks. Another famous peak in Coast Range is Devil's Thumb located far north in Yukon.

Best conditions for alpine climbing in Waddington area are found in July and August but the weather is unpredictable and glacier travel troublesome. May and September usually have better weather.

• Serl, Don: The Waddington Guide - Alpine Climbs in one of the World's Great Ranges. Elaho, 2003. Isbn: 09682472-5-3.

• map of Waddington range
• map of Waddington range
• map of Waddington range

• Waddington Range. Area page. At Bivouac.com.

Columbia Mountains

Columbia Mountains are located close to Rocky mountains in in western part of US and Canada being located in the US states of Idaho and Washington and southeastern part of Canadian British Columbia. The area consists of several smaller groups,

• Selkirk Mountains
• Monashee Mountains
• Purcell Mountains
• Cariboo Mountains

• Chris; Piche, Marc Atkinson: The Bugaboos Guide - Rock and Alpine Climbs in the Bugaboo Spires and Vowells. Elaho Publishing Corporation, 2003. Isbn: 9780973303513.
• Edwards, J. Gordon: Climber's Guide to Glacier National Park (Regional Rock Climbing Series), 2nd edition. Falcon, 1991. Isbn: 9780878421770.
• Green, Randall & Bensen, Joe: Bugaboo Rock - A Climbing Guide, 2nd edition. Mountaineers Books, 2003. Isbn: 9780898867954.

• Cariboo Mountains. Area page. At Bivouac.com.
• Columbia Mountains. Area page. At Bivouac.com.
• Monashee Mountains. Area page. At Bivouac.com.
• Purcell Mountains. Area page. At Bivouac.com.
• Selkirk Mountains. Area page. At Bivouac.com.
• Selkirk Range. Area page. At SummitPost.
• The Selkirks. Area page. At Mountain Project.

Purcell Range

Separated from Rockies by 600-mile-long Rocky Mountain Trench.

Glacier National Park

• Edwards, J. Gordon: Climber's Guide to Glacier National Park (Regional Rock Climbing Series), 2nd edition. Falcon, 1991. Isbn: 9780878421770.

• Overview map of Glacier national park

• Purcell Mountains. Area page. At Bivouac.com.

Bugaboos

Bugaboos, located in Bugaboos Provincial Park in the core of Purcell Mountains, is considered to be the premiere destination for alpine rock climbing in Canada and one of the top places in whole North America.

Main convenient center for the area is Brisco. Conrad Kain hut provides convenient accommodation in the range. Climbing season lasts from early June to mid September with July and August considered the best months.

The reason for Bugaboos' (or the Bugs') fame are the granite towers. Probably the best known climbs, NE Ridge of Bugaboo Spire and Choinard-Beckey on Howser Tower are listed among "50 Classic Climbs of North America". Most classic climbs of the Bugs are:

• Bugaboo Spire, NE Ridge
• Bugaboo Spire, Kain route
• South Howser Tower, West face, "Chouinard-Beckey"
• Pigeon Spire, West Ridge

• Chris; Piche, Marc Atkinson: The Bugaboos Guide - Rock and Alpine Climbs in the Bugaboo Spires and Vowells. Elaho Publishing Corporation, 2003. Isbn: 9780973303513.
• Green, Randall & Bensen, Joe: Bugaboo Rock - A Climbing Guide, 2nd edition. Mountaineers Books, 2003. Isbn: 9780898867954.

• Bugaboos. Area page. At OnTop Mountaineering.
• Bugaboos. Information about classics. At OnTop Mountaineering.
• Route Synopsis – Bugaboo / Vowell Area. At ColWest.
• The Bugaboo Mountains. Trip Report. By Robert Meshew, Mark Pratt, Michael Stanton on 2003-08.
• The Bugaboos. Area page. At Mountain Project.
• The Bugaboos. Area page. At ClimbAndMore.com.

Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains, or shorter "Rockies" are a vast mountain system in Western North America, extending from Canada to New Mexico. There are over twenty principle ranges that comprise the Rockies. Best known of them among climbers are Canadian Rockies, Colorado Rockies and Tetons in Wyoming. The highest peaks of the range are located in Colorado, with Mount Elbert (4401m) being the highest. The highest peak in Canadian Rockies is Mount Robson (3954m). There are several national parks of both sides of the border.

• Rocky Mountains. Area page. At Bivouac.com.

Canadian Rockies

Rugged, remote, and heavily glaciated Rockies are Canada's most well known mountains. They are also the highest mountains in Canada south of Yukon. The Canadian Rockies run along the British Columbia-Alberta border, mainly on Alberta side, from the Northwest Territories through into the US. They are located to the east (inland) of Canadian Coast Range and Columbian mountains. <<more>> .

Colorado Rockies

The highest mountains in the Rockies are found in Colorado, there are 54 summits over 14 000 feet (4267m) and more than a thousand over 10 000 feet (3048m). Most mountains have easy routes up rounded flanks, and more difficult climbs up steep rock faces. Some small glaciers exist, and snow covers the mountains from December through May, with some snow patches remaining through most of the year. The mountains are more accessible during the summer, but severe afternoon thunderstorms are common.

Colorado has world class water ice climbs in the Boulder area as well as Vail, Aspen, Summit County, and Ouray.

• Borneman, Walter R. & Lampert, Lyndon J.: A Climbing Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners - Twentieth Anniversary Edition. Pruett Publishing Company, 1994. Isbn: 0-87108-850-9.
• Gillett, Bernard: Rocky Mountain National Park - High Peaks: The Climber's Guide, 1st edition. Earthbound Sports, 2001. Isbn: 9780964369856.
• Gillett, Bernard: Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park Valley: The Climber's Guide, 1st edition. Earthbound Sports, 2001. Isbn: 9780964369849.

• Favorite Routes: Alpine. At Neptune Mountaineering.
• Ten Classic Climbs in Rocky Mountain National Park. By John Bicknell .

Tetons

Located in Wyoming, approximately 50 miles south of Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park hosts one of the most spectacular mountain ranges in the lower 48. The Grand Teton (4197m) towers above the other peaks of the range. Other popular peaks include Mount Moran (3842m), Middle Teton, Mount Teewinot (3757m), Baxter's Pinnacle, Symmetree Spire and the Snaz.

The climbing season in the Tetons goes from around the end of June to the middle of September. The main center of the area is Jackson.

Tetons offer fine alpine climbing, mostly on rock but there are also several rock and mixed routes. Classics include the Owen-Spalding, Exum Ridge and and North Ridge on Grand Teton. There are also classic ice climbs. Gullies offer the most reliable ice climbing often with hard snow in early summer and white or black ice in late summer and autumn. Most of these gullies range in steepness between 40 and 60 degrees and thus in winter, are usually filled with snow. The most famous of them being Black Ice Couloir and Enclosure Couloir on Grand Teton, Glacier Route and Northwest Couloir of Middle Teton and north couloir of Buck Mountain. Ice fall climbing can be found in Death Canyon (Tetons), Torrey Canyon in the Wind Rivers and Lake Louise Area.

• Ortenburger, Leigh N. & Jackson, Reynold G.: A Climber's Guide to the Teton Range, Third Edition edition. Mountaineers Books, 1996. Isbn: 9780898864809.
• Rossiter, Richard: Teton Classics, 2nd - 50 Selected Climbs in Grand Teton National Park, 2nd edition. Falcon, 1994. Isbn: 9780934641715.

• Grand Teton National Park

• Teton range. Area page. At SummitPost.

Cascades

The Cascade Range in the Pacific Northwestern United States running from British Columbia to Northern California. The area is best known for its massive snow-capped volcanoes. Often they rise in isolation, separated by great intervening plateaus. Cascades are heavily glaciated, the highest, Mount Rainier (4392m) being more glaciated than any other peak in the contiguous United States. There are also many non-volcanic mountains in the range, most notably in the North Cascades of Washington, a 150-mile stretch of mountains south of the Canadian border. These peaks are smaller, seldom over 10,000 feet, but among them are hundreds of sharp rock peaks whose base to summit height often exceeds that of the higher peaks of the Sierra Nevada or Colorado Rockies.

Besides Rainier, Mount Shuksan (2782m), Mount Baker (3285m), Mount Stuart (2870m), Mount Adams (3742m) and Forbidden Peak (2687m) are other peaks popular among the climbers. On the volcanoes the rock on the mountains tends to be friable, so most climbs are glacier climbs. Mostly there's at least one relatively easy route to the summit. North Cascades receive heavy snowfall and have extensive glaciers, offering the high quality ice and snow climbing.

• Beckey, Fred: Cascade Alpine Guide - Climbing and High Routes: Vol 1- Columbia River to Stevens Pass (3rd Ed.). Mountaineers Books, 2000. Isbn: 0898865778.
• Fairley, Bruce: Guide to Climbing and Hiking in Southwestern British Columbia. Gordon Soules Book Publishers, 1986. Isbn: 9780919574991.
• McLane, Kevin: Alpine Select - Climbs in Southwest British Columbia & Northern Washington. Elaho Publishing, 2001. Isbn: 9780968247273.
• Nelson, Jim & Potterfield, Peter: Selected Climbs in the Cascades. Mountaineers Books, 1993. Isbn: 9780898863686.
• Nelson, Jim & Potterfield, Peter: Selected Climbs in the Cascades - Alpine Routes, Sport Climbs, & Crag Climbs. Mountaineers Books, 2000. Isbn: 9780898865615.
• Smoot, Jeffrey L.: Climbing the Cascade Volcanoes, 2nd, 1st edition. Falcon, 1999. Isbn: 9781560448891.
• Smoot, Jeffrey L.: Climbing Washington's Mountains (Climbing Mountains Series), 1st edition. Falcon, 2002. Isbn: 9780762710867.

• ClimbingWashington.com. Site th However, this site contains also much more information, including feature articles, trip reports, news, descriptions and photos of classic climbs, and links to other climbing websites and resources. Excellent. At was initially conceived as an extension of Jeff Smoot’s climbing guidebooks, as a means of circulating new route information, corrections, and conditions, and it will definitely serve that purpose in the future.

North Cascades

North Cascades form a 150-mile stretch of mountains south of the Canadian border. The area consist of few dormant volcanoes and many non-volcanic mountains. The area contains North Cascades National Park and several National Wilderness Areas, the Ross Lake National Recreation Area and the Chelan Lake National Recreation Area. These peaks are smaller than high peaks further south, seldom over 10,000 feet, but among them are hundreds of sharp rock peaks whose base to summit height often exceeds that of the higher peaks of the Sierra Nevada or Colorado Rockies. These mountains receive heavy snowfall and have extensive glaciers, offering the high quality ice and snow climbing.

Rock and weather conditions are both severe in the North Cascades. Precipitation levels are heavy, particularly during the winter months. "Variable conditions" also include glorious weather for lengthy periods, usually in late summer. Usually the combination of weather and snow conditions is at its best between may and august.

The North Cascades defining features are Mount Baker (3285m), the highest point of the North Cascades. Other highlights include Mount Shuksan (2782m), Liberty Bell, Mont Mqaude, Forbidden Peak and Glacier Peak (10,541') lovingly referred to as the "hidden giant" of the North Cascades, is the most remote of the volcanoes in this range, and is Washington's fifth highest peak.

• Beckey, Fred: Cascade Alpine Guide - Climbing and High Routes : Rainy Pass to Fraser River (Cascade Alpine Guide; Climbing and High Routes). Mountaineers Books, 1995. Isbn: 0898864232.
• Beckey, Fred: Cascade Alpine Guide - Climbing and High Routes, Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass (Cascade Alpine Gde). Mountaineers Books, 2003. Isbn: 0898868386.
• Martin, James: North Cascades Crest - Notes and Images from America's Alps. Sasquatch Books, 1999. Isbn: 1570611408.