Mira Face, Mount Saint Elias
Rising more than 18,000 feet above the ocean, Mt. St. Elias is one of the most challenging ski descents anywhere. Those who try are more likely to fail than succeed. // [o] @codytownsend
Elevation: 18009’ 5489m
Aspect: South off summit and East on Mira Face
Vertical: 4400’ on Mira Face, 11000’ to glacier camp
Coordinates: 60°17’36”N 140°55’46”W
First descent: Ward, Bracken, Glick 2000
“The weather is always a force to be reckoned with on Saint Elias.” (FCSDofNA)
“Although Reinhold Messner said ‘There are no more great first ascents,’ I think there’s a lot of great stuff to do—including a lot of great firsts. ”
Mt. St. Elias is a mythical, foreboding peak that jumps straight out of the ocean, 18,008 feet into the sky. It's renowned for violent storms that come straight off the northern pacific and slam into its icy steeps. It is unknown how many people have ever stood on the summit, but it is known that most people that try, fail.