Although modest in elevation, relief is significant since the western aspect of the mountain rises up from tidewater of Prince William Sound in approximately six miles.

The mountain received its descriptive name in 1898 from Captain William R. Abercrombie, who led an 1898 expedition seeking a route from coastal Alaska to the Klondike.

[4] Based on the Köppen climate classification, East Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.

[5] Weather fronts 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.

Winter temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C.