On 5/25/20 I set out from Lake George Colorado with hopes of summiting Ice Mountain via the infamous refrigerator couloir. This route has been on my radar for a couple of years now. I had seen a fellow climber throw up a post on Facebook stating that the fridge was in good condition just a few days before I had planned to make a go at it. A quick check of the forecast showed a much better freeze on the day that I intended to do it. Things were starting to look pretty encouraging for me!

I pulled into the Lake Ann 4WD trailhead shortly before dark. Naturally, i was completely alone. I suppose that's nothing new for climbing centennials on a Tuesday in May. Since there was a solid freeze predicted, I figured that i could start at 5am without much issue. My biggest concern going into this one wasn't actually the couloir, but the route finding. Reading all of the testimonies from people who have climbed these peaks make the route finding sound like navigating the Cozumel jungles with a compass and a machete... This was not my experience. I actually found it quite easy to follow the best path through the forest. Perhaps this was due to my 5am start giving me light for the trek. I was also quite fortunate that the group before me broke through the sections of snow after the Apostle Basin turnoff. Coverage was mostly intermittent but sometimes DEEP. Deeper than i would have expected for the Sawatch considering how dry the range is. The cool temps helped to keep the snow nice and consolidated.

The basin came much sooner than i had expected. I deviated from the line Roach suggests and chose not to take the slopes on the north side of the basin. Instead i weaved my way through the snow on the west side of the basin. This proved to be quick and easy. I opted to take the entry couloir into the upper basin. I would suggest this as it makes for a great warm up for the challenge ahead. This is not mandatory and could be easily bypassed by taking Roach's suggested route.

The snow in the upper basin was cement. I took the crampons off for a short while but easily could have kept them on from under 12K all the way to summit and back below 12K. I continued to work my way towards the base of the couloir without any visual on it. You really don't get to preview this route until your right up on it. Conditions were analyzed at the bottom of the route and everything was seeming favorable. Operation refrigeration was a go! Very few photos were taken on my way up the route. Most of these were taken on the descent.

The climbing was actually easier than anticipated. The steepest part comes about 3/4 of the way up the route. The right side is slightly less steep than the left. I came here for steep snow, so i took the most vertical line i could find up the crux. Also, for anyone wondering, one ice axe served me fine here. I used the dagger position for most of the route, graduating to overhand swings for the steepest part.

Maybe the biggest surprise of the day was how difficult it was to traverse this section. The snow quality varied drastically up here. Bullet proof snow and punchy nasty snow were both encountered. This was a big part in my decision not to go for North Apostle. The presence of an SAR helicopter buzzing around a nearby basin also aided in that judgement call. Not sure if anything was going down or not, but that's still not something i like to see in the high country. Whenever I hit big routes solo i always try to be more conservative than usual.

The return back down the fridge was pretty straightforward, aside from the barrage of rockfall that is. I was about half way down the route when out of nowhere a grouping of small rocks dislodged on the path below me. I was about 30 to 40 feet above where the rocks came down. They were mostly softball size and probably avoidable. That still was enough of a warning for me to hurry up and be on my merry way. A one way ticket to send city was acquired, and a massive glissade down the remainder of the route ensued. The snow was still a little too hard for a comfortable glissade so i had to settle for an uncomfortable one. The rest of the day was carried out in cruise control. My preferred way to climb is to keep a serious pace on the way up and slow it down and saunter on my way out.

The way out through the forest was quite enjoyable. The trail is very flat from the Apostle basin turnoff all the way to the parking lot.Its a pretty optimal descent if you ask me. I always enjoy hiking through riparian areas. Fun fact, these areas comprise 2% of the state but sustain up to 98% of it's wildlife. Stolen info from a random sign in Breckenridge. On the drive out i picked up two road hikers from Kansas who were returning from their first successful 14er, Huron Peak! When i had a two wheel drive car many people stopped and offered to taxi me to upper trailheads. I try to pay it forward now that i have a Jeep Cherokee. Great day in the Sawatch's treasured peaks!