You've probably driven by this hulking mountain many times if you frequent the Denali National Park area. It's unmistakable. If you are driving up from the south, it is, by far, the most prominent mountain you will see. It is significantly steeper (3,700ft in a little over a mile, steeper than Mt Hood or Mt Rainier in the lower 48) than the surrounding mountains. It's visible for miles as you approach Cantwell. The Parks Highway scrapes right up against it. Think I'm exaggerating? In the winter, its avalanches can cause closures of the highway! I had stared at this peak numerous times before I even know its name. (It's notoriously difficult to get any information about the names of peaks in Alaska) In fact, I'm not even sure if "Panorama Peak" is correct, it might be "Panorama Mountain". But, we humans love alliteration, so I'm going with Panorama Peak. I've attempted to climb this peak twice: 1st attempt: January 2016, it was -17F. We started too late and didn't have enough light to finish. On the way down I crushed the bone in my finger tip when my hand was pinched between my ice axe and a rock. Oops. 2nd attempt: April 2016, massive rock fall on the route. It felt like we were in Saving Private Ryan, the only thing missing was tinnitus and black & white vision. Place was a shooting gallery! We bailed only a couple 100 ft up. Yesterday, we were successful! We started up at 5am and were back at the car around 12:30pm. We rode a nice snaking snow couloir all the way to the summit ridge. Ice axe and crampons were very necessary. We brought a rope but never found conditions burly enough to use it. The summit area was very multi-ridged and complex. Very fun climb! As we were making our way down to the lower parts of the mountain the rockfall began again, we were glad we started so early. When this thing starts to heat up, the rocks start to fall! I've heard that people do this in the summer, as a hike. I wouldn't recommend it. Climbing up the loose scree would be very frustrating and you could potentially kill or seriously injured anyone lower on the mountain. I wouldn't recommend attempting this mountain after April. In the winter, I wouldn't attempt unless you have a decent understanding of avalanche conditions. Speaking of the winter, this is a popular destination for ski and snowboard mountaineers who bravely whiz down the various faces and couloirs. As for me? Nope. read more

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