Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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62.96080°N / 151.3981°W |
Elevation:
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17400 ft / 5304 m |
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Overview
Mount Foraker, or Sultana as it is known by the Athabascans, stands proudly as Denali's wife. At 17,400 feet it is the sixth highest mountain in North America. Sultana was renamed in honor of Ohio senator Joseph Foraker in 1899 by Joseph Herron. Like Denali, Mount Foraker has a north and south summit at 17,400 ft. (5304m) and 16,810 ft. (5124m) respectively.
The first ascent occured in August of 1934 by Charles S. Houston, Dr. T. Graham Brown, and Chychele Waterston via the Northwest Ridge. Houston developed an interest in Foraker in the early 1930s and by the winter of 1933 was aggressively planning for his 1934 ascent. His team established a series of seven camps and summited on the 17th of August.
In the summer of 1977, George Lowe and Michael Kennedy made the first ascent of Foraker's Infinite Spur - one of the great alpine test pieces that the Alaska Range offers. And a route that remained unrepeated until Nelson's second ascent in 1988 with the late Mark Bebie. The third ascent was made in July of 2000 by Barry Blanchard and Carl Tobin. The pair shaved four days off of the original ascent. The route involves 9,000 feet of difficult climbing to Foraker's lofty 17,000 foot summit. In 2001, while continuing to make single push rapid ascents, Steve House and Rolando Garibotti completed the Infinite Spur in a blistering 25 hours. They bettered Blanchard's efforts by six days.
In mid May of 2006 Sue Nott and Karen McNeill disappeared while attempting the Infinite Spur. During search and rescue efforts footprints were found less than 1000 feet below the summit but ended abruptly. On the 11th of June search efforts were suspended.
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Getting There
Fly from Talkeetna to the Kalhitna Glacier. For a complete listing of bush plane services, see the National Park Service website. Cost of the flight is about $400 to $450 round trip. The views on the flight in are spectacular. Skiing from Kalhitna to Foraker is the way to go.
Information on various Air Taxi companies:
AIR TAXI OPERATORS
Doug Geeting Aviation
P.O. Box 42
Talkeetna, AK 99676
Phone: (907) 733-2366
Fax: (907) 733-1000
E-mail: airtours@alaska.net
www.talkeetnaalaska.com
1-800-770-2366
K-2 Aviation
P.O. Box 545
Talkeetna, AK 99676
Toll Free: (800) 764-2291
Phone: (907) 733-2291
Fax: (907) 733-1221
E-mail: info@flyk2.com
www.flyk2.com
Talkeetna Air Taxi
P.O. Box 73
Talkeetna, AK 99676
Phone: (907) 733-2218
Fax: (907) 733-1434
E-mail: info@talkeetnaair.com
www.talkeetnaair.com
1-800-533-2219
Hudson Air Service
P.O. Box 648
Talkeetna, AK 99676
Toll Free: (800) 478-2321
Phone: (907) 733-2321
Fax: (907) 733-2333
E-mail: hudson@mtaonline.net
www.alaskan.com/hudsonair
Fly Denali
PO Box 1152
Talkeetna AK, 99676
Phone: 907-733-7768
Toll Free: (866) 733-7768
Fax: 907-733-7767
E-mail: flydenali@yahoo.com
www.flydenali.com
Red Tape
A 60-day preregistration period is required to climb Mount Foraker. Your expedition must submit a registration form to the Talkeetna Ranger Station 60 days prior to your climb date. The leader of your expedition is responsible for compiling the registration forms and deposits for all expedition members and submitting them in one packet to the Talkeetna Ranger Station. Current cost for permits is $200.
Mountaineers that have climbed Mt. McKinley or Mt. Foraker since 1995 can request a "seven-day rule" exemption to the 60-day pre-registration period and instead register only 7 days in advance of the climb. Individuals seeking registration under the "seven-day rule" must be on record at the Talkeetna Ranger Station as climbing in or after 1995. This rule is applied on an individual basis -- in order for the entire expedition to be eligible for the seven-day exemption, all members must qualify.
The National Park Service website is accessible here:
National Park Service Registration and Mount Foraker Information
Click on the Mountaineering link and further links to registration are on the webpage.
When To Climb
Mid-May through Mid-July; June is usually best.
Mountain Conditions
Weather information and climbing statistics for Denali National Park can be found through the following weblink:
National Park Service Information
If you click on the Mountaineering link there is a link to Weather Conditions and Climbing Statistics
Miscellaneous Info
The Talkeetna Ranger Station is staffed daily from April through September and Monday through Friday during the winter months. Mountaineering rangers live in Talkeetna year-round.
The town of Talkeetna is located 114 road miles north of Anchorage on a highway that is well maintained year-round. Talkeetna has five inns, several bed and breakfasts and six restaurants. There are two campgrounds and two small stores. There is an ATM machine available for cash transactions. For more information about the town, contact:
Talkeetna Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 334
Talkeetna, Alaska 99676
Website:
www.talkeetnachamber.org
Guide Service Information
AUTHORIZED GUIDE SERVICES
Alaska Mountaineering School
P.O. Box 566, 3rd Street
Talkeetna, AK 99676
Phone: (907) 733-1016
Fax: (907) 733-1362
E-mail: info@climbalaska.org
www.climbalaska.org
Alpine Ascents International
121 Mercer St.
Seattle, WA
Phone: (206) 378-1927
Fax: (206) 378-1937
E-mail: climb@alpineascents.com
www.alpineascents.com
N.O.L.S.
P.O. Box 981
Palmer, AK 99645
Phone: (907) 745-4047
Fax: (907) 745-6069
E-mail: admissions@nols.edu
www.nols.edu
American Alpine Institute
1515 12th Street
Bellingham, WA 98825
Phone: (360) 671-1505
Fax: (360) 734-8890
E-mail: info@aai.cc
www.mtnguide.com
Mountain Trip International, LLC
P.O. Box 658
Ophir, Colorado 81426
Phone: (866)866-TRIP (8747)
Phone: (907)369-1153
Fax: (970) 728-3779
E-mail: info@mountaintrip.com
www.mountaintrip.com
MtTrip@aol.com
Rainier Mountaineering
P.O. Box Q
Ashford, WA 98304
Phone: (888) 892-5462
Fax: (360) 569-2982
E-mail: info@rmiguides.com
www.rmiguides.com
1 Trip Reports
doglotion - Sep 17, 2009 12:09 am - Hasn't voted
Archangel Ridge First Ski DescentThought Marcus' TR from their first ski descent of Archangel Ridge would be a cool addition to this page. Archangel Ridge First Descent
Flyingclimber - May 7, 2014 7:45 pm - Hasn't voted
Doug GeetingTO page author, Doug doesn't fly commercially anymore nor Hudson just to let you know. To get into the park, K2 Aviation, Talkeetna Air Taxi, Talkeetna Areo, and Sheldon Air are the ones. K2 is the best but I guess I'm bias since I fly for them. :-)
Bergshrund - Feb 12, 2023 4:25 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Doug GeetingCan you list currently (2023), who is left...after the Pandemic, to fly into Kahiltna Airport?