Institute Peak

Institute Peak is an 8,022-foot mountain in Alaska’s Delta Mountains, about 18 miles north of Paxson, rising steeply above nearby glaciers and draining into tributaries of the Delta River. Its summit was first reached in 1954 by Phil Bettler, Keith Hart, George Swenson, Keaton Keller, and George Schaller, four of them from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which gave the mountain its name. A first winter ascent followed in February 1960 by Gene Wescott, Chuck Deehr, and Moonok Sunwoo. The name became official in 1969. The peak stands in a tundra climate whose cold winters, cool summers, and heavy precipitation sustain the surrounding glaciers.

Paxson, Alaska · United States