Mount Saint Elias

Mount Saint Elias, rising 18,008 feet on the Yukon-Alaska border near the Pacific, is the second-highest peak in both Canada and the United States and stands within major protected areas on each side of the border. Long known in Tlingit tradition and important to the Kwaashkʼiḵwáan clan, it also figures in Indigenous stories linking it with Mount Fairweather. Europeans first saw it in 1741 during Vitus Bering’s expedition, and its English name is associated with that voyage. Its immense rise from near sea level, severe weather, technical terrain, and remoteness have made climbing difficult, with relatively few ascents despite its prominence.

Yakutat, Alaska · United States