University Peak (Alaska)


University Peak is a high peak in the Saint Elias Mountains of Alaska. It is one of the twenty highest peaks in Alaska , and one of the fifty highest peaks in the United States. It can be considered a southern outlier of the large massif of Mount Bona. However, it is a much steeper peak than Bona, and presents significant climbing challenges of its own.
The peak was named by Terris Moore during the first ascent of Mount Bona; the name refers to the University of Alaska.

Climbing

The first ascent of University Peak was in 1955, via the North Ridge. The leader was Kieth Hart, University of Alaska. The party consisted of Gibson Reynolds, Columbia University, Leon Blumer, Sydney, Australia, Tim Kelley, University of Washington, Sheldon Brooks, Pacific Lutheran College and Norman Sanders, University of Alaska. The climbers started at the foot of the Hawkins Glacier, and negotiated a difficult icefall to gain a basin at around elevation, on the west side of the North Ridge. This is still the recommended easiest route, but now one can fly into the basin to avoid the icefall. This route is rated Alaska Grade 2+.
A much harder route was climbed on the East Face of the peak in 1997, by Carlos Buhler and Charlie Sassara.
This East Face route, named "Third Semester", involves 8,500 feet of 50-80 degree snow, ice and rock capped with a 300-foot vertical ice cliff. The descent is via the North Ridge. The first ascent party, Charles Sassara and Carlos Buhler, took 6 days to complete the traverse, including 2 days of storm that prevented movement.

Geology

University Peak consists mainly of an eroded subvolcanic granodioritic intrusion that formed approximately 8.4 million years ago.