Mount Orville

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Mount Orville
Mount Orville - Alaska.JPG
Highest point
Elevation 10,495 ft (3,199 m) [1]
Prominence 1,795 ft (547 m) [1]
Parent peak Mount Wilbur [2]
Isolation 1.65 mi (2.66 km) [2]
Coordinates 58°44′10″N137°16′20″W / 58.73611°N 137.27222°W / 58.73611; -137.27222 [1]
Geography
Relief map of USA Alaska.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Mount Orville
Location in Alaska
Mount Orville
Interactive map of Mount Orville
CountryUnited States
State Alaska
Census Area Hoonah–Angoon
Protected area Glacier Bay National Park
Parent range Fairweather Range
Saint Elias Mountains
Topo map USGS Mount Fairweather C-4
Climbing
First ascent 1995 by Steve Carroll, Philip Kauffman, and Patrick Simmons
Easiest route snow/ice climb

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. The mountain's name was proposed to the National Park Service by Senator Ernest Gruening in 1961 to honor Orville Wright (1871–1948) who, with his brother Wilbur, invented the airplane, a form of transportation which contributed to the development of Alaska. [3] The toponym was officially adopted in 1962 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. [3]

Contents

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 summit was achieved in April 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. [4] [5] [6] The Park Service reported a successful summit in 2006 via the South Ridge, but no details were available. [7]

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. [8]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Orville is located in a tundra climate zone, with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers. [9] Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Saint Elias Mountains (orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below 0 °F with wind chill factors below −10 °F.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Mount Orville". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Orville, Mount - 10,495' AK". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. 1 2 "Mount Orville". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  4. ↑ Zitner, Aaron (April 29, 1995). "Dream Climb Ends in Death". The Boston Globe.
  5. ↑ Accident on Mount Orville, bivouac.com
  6. ↑ "Avalanche, Alaska, Glacier Bay National Park, Mount Orville". American Alpine Journal . American Alpine Club. 1996. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Mount Orville". National Park Service. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Florian Hill – Der Mythos Mount Orville". NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN   1027-5606.
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