Mount Foraker

The sixth highest peak in North America. Like Denali and Mount Hunter, it has a north and south summit, separated by a half-mile-wide plateau. The smaller, seldom climbed South Summit is 16,812 feet high. The mountain stands ten miles west of Mount Hunter and fifteen miles southwest of Denali.

The original Tanaina name for the mountain was SULTANA, which meant "woman" or "wife" of Denali. In 1899, the mountain was renamed Mount Foraker, after Joseph B. Foraker, a senator from Ohio.

The average number of climbers each year has been under 50, as on Mount Hunter, or one thirtieth of the traffic on Denali. However, the failure rate on this peak is much higher than on it's neighbors. The easily approached Southeast Ridge accounts for most of the attempts on Mount Foraker, but the Sultana Ridge is a safer, easier climb. There are many routes that have not been ascended alpine style, but they all involve either long approaches, or long and committing ridge climbs.

First Accent: Charles Houston, Chychele Waterston , and Dr. T.G. Brown; August 1934.