Nicknamed the man eater, north americas mount saint elias discourages climbers with its daunting summit and bad weather, but three of the worlds best ski mountaineers dare to ski one of the. Mount saint elias is known for horrendous weather that can snuff out life like a gigantic fly swatter of the gods. Wrangell mountains mountains, north america britannica. Brilliantly filmed and dramatically told, mount st. It is the second highest peak in the united states, behind mount mckinley 20,322 ft. Elias was an official selection at the 2010 seattle international film festival. Elias is a world class adventure film that puts you on the mountain and you feel the danger and hear the weather. I know they received some criticism for their claims of the longest ski decent since there were many months between portions of the decent but, it is still an incredible accomplishment. Nicknamed the man eater, north americas mount saint elias discourages climbers with its daunting summit and bad weather. Elias claims the unique mantle of being the 2nd highest mountain in 2 separate countries. Elias the film ron niebrugge december 8, 2009 at 5. With axel naglich, jon johnston, peter ressmann, paul claus. Set against the backdrop of alaskas dangerous beauty, mount st. Parker, this lighthearted, high octane freeski adventure is a true matchstick classic, and just about the best movie title, ever.
The field data on which this report is based were gathered at yakutat in 1949, 1952, 1953, and 1954. Mountaineering is made especially challenging by a stormy. Availability watch free video on demand dvd bluray. Sitting on the border of the canadian yukon and alaska, mount st. Elias mountains, on the canadaunited states alaska border, 70 miles 110 km northwest of yakutat, alaska. Mount saint eliasmay also refer to mount carmel mount saint elias, also designated boundary peak 186, is the second highest mountain in both canada and the united states, being situated on the yukon and alaska border. Looking directly down upon an unnamed peak, in the saint elias mountain range, wrangellst. The sound fuses the acousticbased, poetic imagery of the folk music coe heard growing up in kentucky with a grittier and more electronic sound influenced by his adopted home of oakland, ca. I would suggest you give denali a try a least you have a good change for that one. It doesnt take a master cinematographer to make the alaskan wilderness seem beautiful or deadly least of all in wrangellsaint elias national park and preserve, one of the most untamed and severe wildernesses in. Elias, are among the least visited mountains of their elevation in north america. A movie about men who accept mountains as a challenge. Elias is a movie that finally shows why it is the mountains which unite lethal danger and delirious happiness.
Josiah johnson formerly of the head and the heart joined the. Elias, located on the border of alaska and yukon territory, has the longest vertical ski run in the world. The canadian side is part of kluane national park and reserve, while the u. It goes years without being summited, and has only been skied twice. Elias is an epic film about the obsession with a superlative mountain, where weather can change in an instant. Three of the worlds best ski mountaineers, axel nagli. In 2007, an austrian documentary movie called mount. It lies about 40km southwest of mount logan, the highest mountain in canada.
Elias was made about a team of skiermountaineers determined to make the planets longest skiing. Consider things such as access and accommodation at the base of mount saint elias, as. It was the first of the giant alaskan mountains to be discovered, and the first to be climbed after eight attempts, and was long believed to be the highest mountain in north. Elias in their attempt to realize the longest ski descent of the world. Mount saint elias mount saint elias is the project of singersongwriter joey coe and his longtime collaborators luna fuentes and matteo lovik. Mount saint elias is infrequently climbed today, despite its height, because it has no easy route to the summit and because of its prolonged periods of bad weather mainly snow and low visibility. Three of the worlds best ski mountaineers, axel naglich, peter ressmann, and jon johnston take the challenge of skiing down the longest snow covered vertical drop in the world, mount st. See my stock photo section of the website for a complete array of wrangell st. Mount saint elias is a huge, beautiful pyramid, located just 35 miles from sea. Written by palm springs international film festival.
Elias is a movie that finally shows how mountains unite. From the ocean this mountain mt st elias a sea to summit expedition on vimeo. Elias is a vast national park that rises from the ocean all the way up to 18,008 ft. Elias is a spectacular feature documentary movie of the genre adventuremountaineering drama. I did try and put a page together a few years ago but it is very hard for this mountain as it is not one of the more popular ones around and even getting a picture of it is rather hard it has only been summited i think less that 200 times at most. Mount saint elias, also designated boundary peak 186, is the second highest mountain in both. Elias mountains near the border with yukon, canada. Elias is the destination for a trio of mountaineers determined. The other way of accessing the mountains is hiking for miles and days, helped by the air drops of food and gear. Vitus bering became the first official european discoverer of. Roughly 60 miles 100 km wide, they extend for about 100 miles 160 km, from the copper river to the st.
Mount saint elias, 18,009 is the 2nd highest peak in the united states. Elias, at 18,008 ft 5,488m explodes from the shores of the pacific ocean and rises for over three vertical miles. Please submit any useful information about climbing mount saint elias that may be useful to other climbers. You get the feeling the film directors and writers are trying to position their second not first ski descent of the peak by emphasizing other peoples failure. Media in category mount saint elias the following 29 files are in this category, out of 29 total. The distance from mount saint elias summit 18,009 feet to sea is only 10 miles, a steep vertical descent that is rarely matched by other mountains. A trio of adventurers climbs a mountain to ski down it. Wrangell mountains, segment of the pacific coast ranges see pacific mountain system, southeastern alaska, u. Elias is the destination for a trio of mountaineers determined to reach the mountains summit, and to ski back down as well.
A dramatic and aweinspiring feature documentary following three of the worlds greatest ski mountaineers to the mount st. Elias documents their journey as they trek the fine line between bravery and madness. The movie finished editing and underwent limited release in 2009. Elias national park and preserve, alaska aerial photo. Mount saint elias, second highest peak 18,008 feet 5,489 metres of the st. Mount saint elias is one of the most rugged and harsh mountain ranges in the world. Mount saint elias is the highest mountain so close to the ocean, and has an. Standing at 18,000 feet, the mountain is subject to high winds, bitter cold and frequent storms, conditions made worse by the mountains location near the gulf of alaska.
Here is some quick beta on the climb 1 closest acces point 35. Any film about the mountain and our ant like presence on it would do well to forgo arrogance and hype, practice some humility, and honor those who came before. The climbers ended up summiting on the second attempt and skiing down to,000 feet. Mount saint elias mountain, north america britannica. Elias, was made about a team of skiermountaineers determined to make the planets longest skiing descent ascending the mountain and then skiing nearly all 18,000 feet down to the gulf of alaska. Elias national park covers a total area of,175,901 acres. Tenn street goods saint elias, alaska mountain range unisex infant baby onesiebodysuit. It has been 24 hours since i had seen the film and i am still buzzing from the mental rush that came over me while i watched it. Elias is the second tallest mountain in either nation, and also one of the most difficult to climb. Were sorry but jwapp doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. Elias has immense vertical relief, comparable to denali and peaks in the himalayas. In 2007, a group of men tackle this alaskan peak, intending to climb and ski it, an attempt at what may be the longest vertical descent in ski history. Elias in their attempt to realize the longest ski descent in the world.
Most places in the national park can only be accessed with bush planes. Elias is a story about four very different characters, three of them. Elias national park and preserve in the united states and kluane national park and reserve in canada and includes all of glacier. Within this wild landscape, people continue to live off the land as they have done for centuries. On my first exploratory visit, june 8 to july, 1949, i was assisted by edward malin, then a graduate student at the university of colorado, and by william irving, then an undergraduate at the university of alaska. The climbers ended up summiting on the second attempt and skiing down to,000 ft 3,960 m. Storms lasting for months can roll in and drop hundreds of feet of snow. On february, 1996, david briggs, gardner heaton and joe reichert were flown to 2,300 feet on the tyndall glacier, and, over the course of the next 30 days, ascended the southwest ridge of mount saint elias. Gerry took this photograph from yakutat bay during an incredible stretch of good weather in june 1999. Elias national park and preserve, topped by 18,008 mt.
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