Mount Orville

Mount Orville is a high peak of the Fairweather Range, the southernmost part of the Saint Elias Mountains. It is included in Glacier Bay National Park. The peak is the lower of a pair of peaks, Mounts Wilbur and Orville, named after the Wright Brothers.

Mount Orville
Highest point
Elevation10,495 ft (3,199 m)[1]
Prominence1,795 ft (547 m)[1]
Coordinates58°44′10″N 137°16′20″W[1]
Geography
Parent rangeFairweather Range, Saint Elias Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Mount Fairweather C-4 Quadrangle
Climbing
First ascent1995 by Steve Carroll, Philip Kauffman and Patrick Simmons
Easiest routesnow/ice climb

Though not a particularly high peak in absolute terms, Mount Orville does stand quite high above local terrain, due to its proximity to the ocean: the summit is only 7.5 miles from tidewater at the head of Lituya Bay to the southwest.

Ascents

The first and only summit to date was achieved in 1995 by seasoned climbers Steven Carroll, Philip Kauffman, and Patrick Simmons. Despite the climbers' preparedness and experience, the climb was ill-fated. The three climbers were killed in an avalanche, on the descent, that was caused by unseasonable changes in weather conditions.[2][3]

In April 2012 professional mountaineer Florian Hill and Will Wacker attempted Mount Orville several times but had to cut off the expedition due bad weather.[4]

References
  1. "Mount Orville". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 14 Dec 2013.
  2. http://bivouac.com/TripPg.asp?TripId=5808
  3. "AAC Publications - Avalanche, Alaska, Glacier Bay National Park, Mount Orville".
  4. "Florian Hill – Der Mythos Mount Orville". NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
Mounts Orville and Wilbur seen from Johns Hopkins Inlet in Glacier Bay
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