Mount Defiant is an elevation glaciated summit located northwest of
Valdez in the
Chugach Mountains
The Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska are the northernmost of the several mountain ranges that make up the Pacific Coast Ranges of the western edge of North America. The range is about long and wide, and extends from the Knik and Turnagain ...
of the
U.S. state of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
. This remote mountain is situated east-northeast of
Columbia Peak
Columbia Peak is a mountain peak in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness in the U.S. state of Washington. Columbia Peak rises to . Together with Monte Cristo Peak and Kyes Peak it forms a basin that contains Columbia Glacier and Blanca Lake.
Cl ...
, south of
Mount Einstein, near the head of
Columbia Glacier's Second Branch, on land managed by
Chugach National Forest
The Chugach National Forest is a United States National Forest in south central Alaska. Covering portions of Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula and the Copper River Delta, it was formed in 1907 from part of a larger forest reserve. The Ch ...
. Mount Defiant was named in 1957 by members of the Chugach Mountains Expedition which was sponsored by the
Arctic Institute of North America, because the rugged ice-covered peak defied all their attempts to find a route to the summit.
[''Dictionary of Alaska Place Names'', Donald J. Orth author, United States Government Printing Office (1967), page 264.] The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1965 by the
U.S. Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...
.
Climate
Based on the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Mount Defiant is located in a
subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...
zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.
Weather systems coming off the
Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Chugach Mountains (
orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. This climate supports hanging glaciers on the slopes and the immense
Columbia Glacier surrounding this mountain. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for climbing or viewing.
See also
*
List of mountain peaks of Alaska
*
Geography of Alaska
References
{{reflist
Gallery
File:Columbia Glacier and Meares Glacier, Valley Glacier Head, August 24, 1964 (crop).jpg, Columbia Peak (centered) with Mt. Defiant to left, from NW
File:Columbia Peak bullseye.jpg, Columbia Peak and Mt. Defiant (centered) with Great Nunatak
Great Nunatak is a elevation summit located west of Valdez in the Chugach Mountains of the U.S. state of Alaska. This remote mountain is situated near the terminus of the Columbia Glacier, southeast of Columbia Peak, on land managed by Chuga ...
in lower right. (from south)
External links
* Weather
Mount Defiant
Defiant
Defiant
Defiant