Chugach Mountains

The Chugach Range forms a 300-mile crescent located just outside the town of Valdez, Alaska, east of Anchorage and west of the Wrangell Mountains. The climate of the Chugach crest is strongly influenced by its position so near the coast, and more snow falls here than in any other location in the world, over 600 annual inches. The mountains are thickly forested with Western Hemlock and Sitka Spruce. The peaks in the western half of the range originally attracted little attention from mountaineers because of their relatively low elevations, averaging less than 7,000 feet. Because of their nearness to populated areas, however, their popularity has increased in recent times. Since 1991, the World Extreme Skiing Championships have been held in the range, an annual Spring event in which skiers challenge the steep, rugged, undeveloped slopes.

The highest peaks of the Chugach are located in the central to west-central portions of the range, which extends to the Tana River, Tana Glacier, and the Bering Glacier. The highest of these is Mount Marcus Baker (13,176 ft./4016 m).