Finger Mountain Climbing

Finger Mountain is a relatively unexplored climbing area just south of the Arctic Circle. The climbing season is short and is generally best June-August. Due to the northern latitude of this area, 24 hour daylight is the norm during the climbing season. Bring a sleeping mask if that bothers you.
The area is situated on a vast expanse of tundra atop rolling hills and despite it’s name, there are no true mountains in the immediate vicinity. The tundra is studded with granitic tors/boulders. These rock formations were pushed up and out of the soil over time by a process called frost heaving as a result of annual freeze-thaw cycles. The rock is poor to excellent but, in general, seems to be perhaps the best rock in Interior Alaska with many routes requiring little to no cleaning. The granitic pluton from which these rocks were derived is referred to as the Kanuti Batholith. Like much of the granite in Interior Alaska, it is characterized by large feldspar phenocrysts. However this rock is differentiated from the rock found in places like Granite Tors and the Tanana River Bluffs in that the classic “kitty litter” texture is much less prolific.
Routes here are generally very short in length and the formations lend themselves to bouldering better than roped climbing. Nonetheless, there are many worthy trad and sport lines, both climbed and unclimbed to be found. For the full Finger Mountain experience one should bring boulder pads and a rope and rack. Perhaps the most redeeming quality of this climbing area though is the nonexistent approach by interior Alaska standards. Simply hop out of the car and you can be climbing within minutes, a far cry from granite tors. Even the further out formations are relatively easy to approach over dry tundra. Granite Tors has been called a “Sub-Arctic Joshua Tree” but Finger Mountain is probably more deserving of that title.