Mount McKinley

Mount McKinley

McKinley is the highest mountain in North America, located within the Alaska Range. The area falls within Denali National Park. The peak is 6,194 meters high, with a relative elevation (excess above the base of the mountain) of 6,118 meters, placing Mount McKinley in 3rd place behind Everest and Aconcagua in this parameter.

• Origin of the name
• First mentions of McKinley
• Climatic features of the mountain
• History of the summit’s conquest
• Memo to climbers

The Athabascan tribesmen who have long inhabited the territory at the foot of the mountain called it Denali, which translates to “Great”. During the Russian colonization of Alaska, the name Big Mountain was common. The modern name was invented by a local gold seeker William Dickey, who in 1896 told all the inhabitants of the planet about the existence of this grandiose creation of nature. He suggested using the name of the American president William McKinley, who ruled at the time.

First mentions of McKinley

Europeans first mention McKinley in the late 18th century. English navigator George Vancouver reported the high mountains in Alaska in his records. In 1839, the famous Russian traveler and geographer Ferdinand von Wrangel marked the peak on a map. A few years later, the Alaskan explorer Lavrentiy Zagoskin undertook a thorough study of the area. He described his impressions in various publications.

Climatic features of the mountain

The year 2002 was marked by the ascent of Russian traveler Matvey Shparo’s expedition, which included disabled people. On June 13, 2014, Spaniard Kilian Jornet Burgada set a record for the speed of climbing to the summit, his final result was 11 hours and 40 minutes. 7 months later, American climber Lonnie Dupre conquered the summit alone for the first time in winter.

Memo to climbers