Ice Mountain

Route: Refrigerator Couloir
Posted On: 7/23/2023, By: Jhorne6
Info: Thanks to prior reports providing great beta I can confirm that the Fridge is in very good condition. Perfect neve from apron to the top. I would estimate it will be in this condition for another week or two. Great climb on a great peak. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 7/18/2023, By: bsiegs
Info: A couple avoidable snowfields as you make your way up to the Ice/NA saddle. Alternative is mix of fun boulder hopping and not so fun scree/dirt. The Ice Mtn ridge is almost entirely dry but does have a fair bit of loose rock. I felt the climbing was more class 4, but I suppose one could probably keep it to class 3 with some more intentional route finding. Glissaded the main snowfield back down for a break from the rocks. Still, lots of cuts today from slipping on scree and bushwhacking above the creek. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 7/16/2023, By: pbergmaier
Info: The North Apostle / Ice Mountain standard route is 99% free of snow. We summited (in order) North Apostle, Ice, and West Apostle. We only had to cross one short 25-ft patch of bulletproof snow (which will probably be gone in a week or two) in the upper basin below Refrigerator Couloir. Speaking of which, from below it appeared that Refrigerator was still quite in. We brought ice axe and crampons but never used either. The class 3 section near the top of Ice is spicy and loose as heck. After Ice, we made the journey over to West Apostle via Roach's description. Do not attempt if you're not prepared. Lots of routefinding (stay as high as possible on the way from the gully over to the saddle), but only one very short 5-ft snow crossing going up to West Apostle that I'm sure could be avoided. If you go from West Apostle down to Lake Ann (or vice versa), you're probably a glutton for punishment. That being said, there's still a short 15-ft strip of snow that the "trail" crosses around 12,700'. 

Route: Refrigerator Couloir
Posted On: 7/16/2023, By: pbergmaier
Info: Climbed the standard route up Ice but got a good view up Refrigerator along the way from the basin below. The couloir was still quite filled in with ski tracks maybe a week old. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 7/10/2023, By: cloudkicker
Info: I did not climb, but got some pics from the Sheep Rock Mtn area and also from the CDT. Lots of snow still on the mountain, and it looks (from a distance) like the Refrigerator Couloir is still in. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 6/25/2023, By: osprey
Info: Instead of trying to cross the steam in the usual place where the trail leads down to the stream above timberline, I stayed on the west side of the stream until it emerged from beneath the snow which made an easy crossing. Immediately after crossing the stream I entered a gully which curved around to the south leading directly to the Pencil Couloir. This Couloir provides the most direct but difficult path to the upper basin. An alternative way to the high basin is on a less steep slope to the right of the Couloir and is how I descended. The top of the Refrigerator Couloir is guarded by a huge, overhanging cornice. I crawled under the cornice on all fours scraping my helmet on the underside of the cornice. Snow ends a short distance after the cornice and the final climb to the summit is a rock scramble. Snow Couloir climbs can vary considerably in difficulty based on weather conditions and both the Pencil and Refrigerator Couloirs had were steep with very hard snow and I considered both couloirs to be serious climbs. 

Route: Refrigerator Couloir
Posted On: 6/19/2023, By: slawrence2011
Info: Finally skied the fridge clean after taking a couple whips last season at the exact same week with much less snow and less freeze. Started from the lower lake Ann TH at 4. Trail is melted for the most part until you start climbing into apostle basin, more and more sloppy snow patches in the trees, with good postholes through them, but they are deep and abundant, slowing progress. The bigger thing slowing my progress were all the low height trees blocking my skis on my pack. Shortly above the basin, continuous snow, I elected to climb the pencil chute, and there was a very nice boot track all the way from leaving the basin to the summit, given how deep it was, they must have downclimbed. This allowed me to climb to right below the fridge couloir in hiking boots before switching to crampons. Even though the freeze was solid due to clear skies, snow was punchy at times on the apron. I followed tracks which helped. There was no choke crux that I saw. Where it was 1.5 - 2 ski widths last season, it was about 3-4 ski lengths today, and very short. The snow surface was not very flat though, minor sun cups, and some boot packs. Summited around 10, I never like the mixed scrambling to the summit, but there was a good track, and a short crux with thin snow through a steep rock section. Waited at the summit for 30 minutes before dropping in at 11 to near perfect conditions, a little hard, but the edge had been taken off the sun cups. The best skiing of the day was from the apron to the lake, totally smooth corn. Pencil chute was very bootpacked, though wide enough to ski the whole way, I side slipped a couple steep off camber sections. Stayed on the east side of the basin and skied to the head of the basin. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 9/25/2022, By: cj85
Info: The approach up to the saddle is dry. However, some snow covers the north side of the ridge and the crux of the route. Micro spikes were handy. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 9/18/2022, By: VeraUndertow
Info: Hiked North Apostle and traversed to Ice, then stayed ridge proper as much as possible to West Apostle and then over to Lake Ann Pass today. The only real snow that impacted my climb was the steep class 3 section right before the summit of Ice. I stayed climbers right in the gully on a class 4 section that was dry. Micro spikes might be useful if it turns to ice in the next few days. Otherwise the route was still in summer conditions. The ridge to West Apostle is spicy as advertised, I wish I had taken detailed notes but I was able to stay ridge proper or bipass every obstacle on the south side of the ridge without loosing to much elevation and it was a fun route finding challenge on solid rock. Took 9.5 hours round trip from Winfield parking lot. About 3.5 hours to the saddle of N Apostle and Ice, then 20 minutes up N Apostle, 30 minutes over to Ice, 1.25 hrs to the saddle of ice/west and another 30 up West and then 1.25 to lake Ann Pass and 2.5 hours back with some jogging down the beautiful CDT. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 7/24/2022, By: kyrawhitworth
Info: Huron parking lot was packed as usual. Had a bit of trouble bushwhacking to get above tree line in the basin but after that the route was cairned until the gully leading up to the saddle. The gully was very loose and very tedious. Ascent of North from saddle is quick. Best part of the day was heading up from the saddle to Ice (fun scenery and good climbing). Descending the gully from the saddle was awful. Other groups opted to head over to West and we had greatly wished we had done so too but we did not have good route info between Ice and West. We would recommend researching beta on all three as a combo (N—>Ice—>W). 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 7/13/2022, By: Marklim80401
Info: Ice mountain is clear of all snow on upper route. Went up today standard route on ice mountain. Didn't have to touch snow all route! Beautiful day! 

Route: Refrigerator Couloir
Posted On: 6/18/2022, By: slawrence2011
Info: Dry until past apostle basin, then minor snowfields getting up to the Tarn, pretty consistent snow above that. Fridge is totally in, though was very cohesionless snow in places when we started booting around 9-10 ish. I thought the class 2 to the summit from the top was more frightening than climbing the couloir, but I just dislike that loose talus, especially in ski boots. Dropped in shortly before 11, way too late. I had a great ski in the top half, then the snow started to be way too cohesionless. My first fall was right above the choke, didn't see it coming but I had my thin skis, and they just sank. Managed to self arrest shortly below choke. I hiked back up and got my other ski that popped, sidestepped through the choke to be conservative, and on my first turn below the choke, fell again, exact same situation. Was really hard to arrest that one, when I finally managed to flip my skis below me, the snow was so cohesionless, I barely managed to stop myself before running into some rock on the side. Rest of the descent was fun. Right below the tarn, there was a little col that was in and I saw tracks. I skied it, but at the bottom the snow ran out, and it was a waterfall that had to be downclimbed. Worth it! Linked a couple short snowfields below that, but that was basically the end. My partners had time to hit N on the way down as well before weather came in. 

Route: Apostles Traverse
Posted On: 9/9/2021, By: Eli Watson
Info: Apostles Traverse: N Apostle via SW Ridge > Ice Mtn via NE Ridge > "W Apostle" via SW Face from Winfield 2WD TH. 16.6 mi, 5300' 9:52 Car-to-Car Slightly smokey today. Entire route is still dry. "W Apostle" summit register is missing end cap, paper, and pencil. 

Route: Ice Cubed traverse
Posted On: 8/14/2021, By: Snow_Dog_frassati
Info: Totally summer conditions - all couloirs are empty rock fall prone. A few notes since there isn't as much beta on this as the standard route on Ice: The southwest face of Ice was challenging but the most important feature is a cairn at 13,400 that as of 8/13/21 indicates where to leave the couloir and being traversing. We tried exiting too high and found only cliffs. Be very careful of dropping below this elevation as the couloir appers to cliff out as does the entire sw face. Expect the traverse to take time - We are pretty fast hikers and it took us over an hour and half to get to West Apostle from Ice. There's pretty consistent exposure, but nothing too insane on the SW face. The crux gully on the standard route was the most exposed portion of the day. Overall do your homework but it was a great day! 

Route: Fridge
Posted On: 7/3/2021, By: Skimo95
Info: Fridge be on its last limb cuz. Loop with Napostle 9.6mi 3,760' Easy route for a double centennial