Mount Dickey is a peak on the west side of the
Ruth Gorge in the Central
Alaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 600-mile-long (950 km) mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest endSources differ as to the exact delineation of the Alaska Range. ThBoar ...
of mountains, 12 miles (19 km) southeast of
Denali
Denali (; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. With a topographic prominence of and a topographic isolation of , Denali is the th ...
and 4 miles (6 km) southwest of
The Moose's Tooth
The Moose's Tooth (or simply Moose's Tooth, Mooses Tooth) is a rock peak on the east side of the Ruth Glacier, Ruth Gorge in the Central Alaska Range, 15 miles (24 km) southeast of Denali. Despite its relatively low elevation, it is a diffic ...
. Despite its relatively low elevation, it is notable for its east face, which has around a vertical mile (1600 m) of sheer granite—it achieves this vertical gain in less than half a mile (800m) horizontal distance. This is one of the tallest rock walls in the world, and the face has seen many world-class climbs.
Mount Dickey was first climbed on April 19, 1955 by David Fisher and the famous explorer, climber and cartographer
Bradford Washburn
Henry Bradford Washburn Jr. (June 7, 1910 – January 10, 2007) was an American explorer, mountaineer, photographer, and cartographer. He established the Boston Museum of Science, served as its director from 1939–1980, and from 1985 until his ...
, via the West Face, which is still the most popular route today. The route begins at a point in the Ruth Gorge southeast of the peak, ascends west under the formidable south face, then turns north and then east to ascend the south side of the gently sloping West Face. This route is relatively straightforward and short for an Alaskan climb (Alaska Grade 1). It is also the most common descent route for those who have climbed the extremely technical routes on the East Face.
Roger Cowles and Brian Okonek made the first winter ascent of Mount Dickey in February 1979.
The first route on the east side of the mountain was climbed in July 1974, by author-mountaineer
David Roberts, photographer-mountaineer
Galen Rowell
Galen Avery Rowell (August 23, 1940 – August 11, 2002) was a wilderness photographer, adventure photojournalist and mountaineer. Born in Oakland, California, he became a full-time photographer in 1972.
Early life and education
Rowell was intr ...
, and Ed Ward. Their 5,100 foot (1,554 m) route climbed a pillar on the southeast face; most of their ascent was accomplished over four days. Perhaps the most famous other route on the mountain is the "Wine Bottle Route" on the right side of the east face, climbed in 1988 by Thomas Bonapace and Andreas Orgler. This is an exceptionally technical and long route, 5250 feet (1600 m) high. Other similarly challenging routes have been climbed on the mountain since.
Climate
Based on the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Mt. Dickey is located in a
subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.
Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for climbing or viewing.
Gallery
File:Mt. Dickey.jpg
File:Mount Dickey from Ruth Glacier.jpg, Mt. Dickey from Ruth Glacier
File:Ruth-gorge.jpg, Left to right: Mt. Johnson, Mount Wake, Mt. Bradley, and Mt. Dickey from the east side of Ruth Gorge
File:Peaks of the Alaska Range (1).jpg, Dickey (center) from Parks Highway. (Hunter left, Huntington right)
See also
*
List of mountain peaks of Alaska
This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaksThis article defines a significant summit as a summit with at least of topographic prominence, and a major summit as a susexxleast of topographic prominence. All summits ...
*
Geology of Alaska
The geology of Alaska includes Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks formed in offshore terranes and added to the western margin of North America from the Paleozoic through modern times. The region was submerged for much of the Paleozoic and M ...
Sources
*''
American Alpine Journal
The ''American Alpine Journal'' is an annual magazine published by the American Alpine Club. Its mission is "to document and communicate mountain exploration." The headquarters is in Golden, Colorado.
Subtitled as a compilation of "The World's M ...
'', 1975, 1980, 1989, 2003.
References
{{reflist
External links
Mount Dickey on Topozone* Mount Dickey weather
Mountain Forecast* Flying through 747 Pass around Mount Dickey
YouTube
Mountains of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
Dickey, Mount
Denali National Park and Preserve
Dickey