GUNUNG · Amerika Serikat

Mount Foraker

Sultana / Menlale

Mount Foraker dilihat dari Talkeetna, Alaska (Wikimedia Commons). Photo: source

Information

Elevation: 5.304 m
Country: Amerika Serikat (US)
Location / Range: Alaska Range (Pegunungan Alaska) — Taman Nasional Denali, ±23 km barat daya Denali, Alaska
Mountain type: Puncak bersalju & es (massif granit-metamorf, non-vulkanik)
Volcanic?: No (non-volcanic)
Coordinates: 62.9608, -151.3980
Difficulty: Sangat berat (ekspedisi alpine bersalju/es; terpencil, cuaca ekstrem, tingkat keberhasilan rendah)
Best Season: Pertengahan Mei–awal Juli (musim pendakian Alaska Range; sebelum salju terlalu mencair)
Permits & Rules: Registrasi pendakian & biaya taman ke NPS Denali National Park (sama seperti Denali); akses lewat penerbangan ski-plane ke Gletser Kahiltna dari Talkeetna
Hazards: Gletser retak (crevasse), punggung bukit berkornis & pisau (Sultana Ridge), badai & angin katabatik, suhu ekstrem, ketinggian, keterpencilan (evakuasi sulit)

Description

Mount Foraker (5,304 m) is the second-highest peak in the Alaska Range and the third-highest in the United States, standing just ~23 km southwest of Denali inside Denali National Park. The Koyukon peoples called it 'Sultana' (the woman) and 'Menlale' (Denali's wife), reflecting its place beside that dominant summit. Although its terrain is classed as 'basic' snow and ice, Foraker is rarely successfully climbed: the approach is remote, the weather ferocious, and the classic Sultana/Northeast Ridge forces climbers over Mount Crosson and along kilometres of corniced ridgeline before the final rise to the top. Ascents are typically two-to-three-week alpine-style expeditions begun with a ski-plane flight from Talkeetna onto the Kahiltna Glacier. The first ascent was made on 10 August 1934 by Charles Houston, T. Graham Brown and Chychele Waterston via the West Ridge. Very few climbers attempt it each year and success rates are low, making Foraker one of North America's most demanding big peaks.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Southeast Ridge (Talkeetna Ridge)

Alpine — teknis, berbahaya

1–2 minggu

Jalur lebih langsung ke puncak dari sisi tenggara namun dengan bahaya objektif (longsoran & seracs) lebih tinggi, sehingga lebih jarang dipilih dibanding Sultana Ridge.

Sultana Ridge / Northeast Ridge (jalur standar)

Alpine — sangat berat

2–3 minggu (ekspedisi)

Jalur pendakian paling umum namun panjang: menyeberangi Gletser Kahiltna, mendaki Mount Crosson (±3.900 m), melewati Point 12.472, lalu meniti Sultana Ridge yang berkornis ganda dan seperti pisau sepanjang beberapa kilometer sebelum tanjakan akhir ±1.500 m ke puncak. Bahaya objektif relatif lebih kecil daripada Southeast Ridge, tetapi komitmen waktu dan staminanya besar.

West Ridge (jalur pendakian pertama 1934)

Alpine — berat, terpencil

2–3 minggu

Rute pendakian pertama oleh Charles Houston, T. Graham Brown & Chychele Waterston pada 10 Agustus 1934. Panjang dan terpencil; kini jarang diulang.

Climbing Experiences

Mount Foraker is rarely climbed and has almost no popular summit vlogs — its record is mostly official expedition reports, national-park patrol notes, and accounts of rare ski descents. The sources below capture the reality of the long Sultana/Northeast Ridge over Mount Crosson, the low success rate, and attempts turned back by melting snow conditions.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.