Mount Blackburn Climbing

At 16,390ft, Mount Blackburn is the crown jewel of the Wrangell Mountains. The peak is heavily guarded by large icefalls and heavily crevassed glaciers, along with its’ height, the peak is a magnet for adverse weather.

Mount Blackburn has colorful history. The "first ascent" of the east peak or Kennedy Peak, which is a few hundred feet shorter than the west peak, was first climbed in 1912 by an expedition led by Dora Keen. Dora Keen and party used dog sleds to travel 30 miles up the Kennicott Glacier from the copper mine of Kennicott. They ascended the south central icefall over the course of 30 days, to accomplish one of the greatest mountaineering objectives in that era. At the time of Dora Keens ascent, the true summit elevation of Mount Blackburn was unknown. The routes out of the Kennicott Glacier are no longer doable due to climate change. When glaciers melt and the thickness decreases, the ice is more effected by the terrain in which it runs over, causing very broken up icefalls and glaciers.