TR: Ice Mountain, Refrigerator Couloir, 7.15.05

[iskibc]

TR: Ice Mountain, Refrigerator Couloir, 7.15.05
SheRa, iskibc
Ice Mountain (13,951’) Sawatch Range


*Photo taken from summitpost, showing the line from a distance.

“Zaaaaaaaaapppp!!!, a bolt of lightning cuts the sky in half and makes its resting place atop the ridge above. Lungs screaming for oxygen as I sprint down a field of large and very loose boulders at 11,600’. The darkness of the approaching storm swallowed more and more of the surrounding hills and valleys as we desperately sprinted for safety. Each echoing boom of thunder ricocheted off the rotting walls of sedimentary rock in the Three Apostles basin like a large canon going off in a small room.

“Now where and the hell is that final patch of snow down to tree line” I asked myself as another piercing bolt of lightning followed by a deep boom crashed down from the sky above. My thoughts weren’t making any sense since I had not slept in a day, so each movement and task seemed more and more difficult as time ticked. From above everything looked interconnected and simple. Not so much the case, as I slipped on a toppling boulder and my skis and poles flew in every which direction. I quickly gathered my gear and made another sprint for the next horizon. Drenched in sweat and damn near hyperventilating from pushing the body to its max, I was relieved to see the snowfield only a couple hundred yards down slope. Another lightning strike on the ridge and a crackle of thunder followed by a fierce gust of wind made me think twice about going for the snow slope just yet. I ducked in a small boulder shelter for a couple of minutes to catch my breath and check out the sky above. The darkness had overcome the basin we were in, and the sound of thunder was getting louder and louder.

It’s amazing how quickly this storm built over the area. Within 10 minutes a calm blue sky was erased by black thunderheads and fierce winds and lightning. Shortly after a series of booms and strikes, I emerged from the boulder and made a run for the snow patch. I don’t really remember clicking into my skis, but within a couple of seconds I was straight lining down the slope towards the willows and trees. The abrasions on my forearms and hands from falling on the loose boulders above were stinging in the wind as I bombed down the snowfield and skidded into the grassy exit. I kicked my skis off, threw ‘em over the shoulder and made another sprint for lower ground. I made it down to the stream and face planted in the middle of it as an ear piercing crack of thunder rattled the mountainside. I don’t really remember tripping or anything in the stream, but somehow I ended up face first in the shallow rushing water. A little relieved by the cool water, yet pissed about falling on my face, I quickly gathered my gear and ran for the trees. I hurried down the trail a ways until I found a well sheltered spot. I sat there for a few minutes and watched the storm circulate around the basin and then exit to the south and east several minutes later. Relieved, drenched, and exhausted, I took my boots off, and threw my tennis shoes on, stripped my jacket, helmet, and gloves, and continued down the trail. It took us 4 or so hours to reach the summit, but only an hour and a half to make it back down to the trailhead.

Clouds coming and going with Huron Peak in the background:



Piss warm beers waited in the truck as I threw my gear in the back and cracked open a warm one within seconds. SheRa came down the trail about 2 beers later and looked like she had been in battle. We drove down the 4X4 road and checked out the ghost town of Winfield:



SheRa knocking to see if anyone's home:



Sleep deprivation, a tough peak, and some interesting weather made for some tired souls at the end of the day. Once again, the mountains demanded the respect and once again respect was served up. Electrical storms scare me more than anything related to the sport, so today was another one of those hair raising days for the books. And so here’s the story…….

Midnight, still no sleep, I decided to take a shower and hit the long road ahead. I love driving in the middle of the night. There’s nobody on the roads and the nighttime darkness forces the mind to think and focus. Did I mention there’s no traffic at this time of night?

I met up with a sleepy and dazed SheRa at the 7-11 in Scummit County. Loaded up her truck and began the second part of the trip towards the central Sawatch Range of Colorado. We arrived at the old mining town of Winfield around 3:45 AM and continued along the dirt road to the trailhead.

The first 1/3 of the hike is a near-zero elevation gain walk along some really lush meadows and thin forest. Since the overall climb is just under 4 miles each way and right around 3,400’ in elevation gain, I got a little concerned since we had already hiked over 2 miles and hadn’t gained much elevation. The hike into the basin is amazing, especially during a beautiful morning light.

The Three Apostles (North Apostle, Ice Mountain, and West Apostle) make up a very rugged and steep section of the otherwise mellow Central Sawatch Range. These peaks are by far the most rotted and dangerous mountains in Colorado.

North Apostle from Ice Mountain:



There are no easy routes up the Three Apostles, as their ridges are narrow and exposed, and the faces are steep and rotten. Ice Mountain is made up of the same sedimentary purplish rock as the Maroon Bells and Castle group in the neighboring Elk Range.

The Refrigerator couloir is typically a climber’s route, but with its steepness and aesthetic nature I couldn’t pass this one up. We made it above tree line and into the Apostle basin just as the sun began to peak over the eastern horizon.

Sun creeping into the basin:



The hiking is very easy up until this point, and then quickly gets steep and difficult. At first glance it looked as though we could ski all the way back to the lower stream crossing just above tree line, which would make it a nice 2,000’+ descent. Little did we know there was a good sized break in the snow on the other side of the small ridge separating Ice from West Apostle.

[iskibc]

The climb up the couloir was a blast. Classic is the word as it’s steep, straight, and long.

View of the valley below from the first third of the couloir:



This deeply etched snow-filled chute is notoriously known for non-stop rock missiles falling from above, and a nice 65 degree finish at the top. The climb was perfect. No rock fall, perfect weather, and excellent snow climbing conditions. The final pitch was steep, but nothing what all guidebooks had played it up to be.

SheRa kicking in for the final push:



almost there:



SheRa making it up the last pitch to the airy and exposed summit:



We hung out at the summit for some time and took in the great views of the Collegiate Peaks and Elks to the North. We started skiing at 11 AM and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Absolutely amazing weather.

Getting ready to drop in:



And going for it:



over-the-top view:





SheRa:







Nearing the exit and choke:



Below the choke:





We got in a good 1,200’ of skiing before the clouds started to roll in like a freight train. And so the adventure begins here……..”Zaaaaaaapppppppp!!!!!!……”

[Z]

sweeeeeeeet!

well done, glad you guys came out okay. lightning is damn scary.

[skier666]

This shot is very nice.....good story as well....!!!

[PNWbrit]

this one is money

[KillingCokes]

Awesome!!!!!
How long do you think it's gonna hold? How steep at the crux? And how big are your smiles right now? Do you think it will hold till the 1st weekend in august?

[funkendrenchman]

Rad TR...did you guys think about doing the narrower one on the right. Does the one going diagonally across the main face run out of snow at the end? Cause that one looks pretty cool as well.

edit- Just saw that photo was from the Summit Post... not as much snow as is that pic eh?

[Dside11-11]

YeeHa!

Killer trip, awesome read! Overhead shot is super cool. Never a dull moment that day. SheRa - way to make pink look badass.

[Mountain Freak]

Nice TR. Looked like there were a bunch of holes and suncups in the coolie? Way to hit it. 11 AM seems like a good time to hit that thing. I boarded off the NW Coolie on Torreys Saturday and jumped in too early. it was a hard packed toe edge ride the whole way down.

[shera]

YeeHa!

Killer trip, awesome read! Overhead shot is super cool. Never a dull moment that day. SheRa - way to make pink look badass.

Zank you, dahling. Zeh shirt, she matches my skis, no?

Ok, I've made an important decision based on this trip. Whippet for me, not an ice axe. Drove me nuts trying to hike up the less steep apron and use the axe. I want my poles!

Dave and lightening. Everybody's got their demons.

Thanks for making me such a nice bootpack, Dave. Never have I sprinted so fast up a coulie and I was truly ready to puke at the top. How could I forget how freaking fast you move? And your skiing, it's getting to be surgical - a real pleasure to watch.

Very fine day. And many thanks to Fritz for inspiring us to ski this line. It did not suck.

Hey, if anybody wants to get out tomorrow or Wednesday and ski off Rollins, I'd like to get out there. Otherwise I think I'll go hiking in the Gore again...

Will you guys please send some supportive thoughts Brett's way? He took his dog to Wyoming and he got bad, bad heat exhaustion in 100 degree temps. Might not make it through - the vet said the prognosis was very poor. I love that dog. Brett REALLY loves that dog.

[Artie Fufkin]

Great TR, that looked sweet.

[Elkhound Odin]

Did anyone else notice Shera looking a bit too prissy in the coordinated pink outfit?

[Trackhead]

Ok, I've made an important decision based on this trip. Whippet for me, not an ice axe. Drove me nuts trying to hike up the less steep apron and use the axe. I want my poles!

Now you're talking. Then you can shorten them down to their shortest length and have the advantage on the up. Plus you will have four wheel drive, not three wheel drive.

Nice shots and killer line.

[baseWeldr]

killin it! super nice TR with sick pics... stuck inside the midwest with the mountain blues again...

[Xover]

great tr
watch out for that lighting on Wheeler also

[iceman]

Cool report. Pretty wild that 1500 people lived in that town at one point, too.

Sorry to hear about Brett's dog, hope it pulls through okay.

[Foggy_Goggles]

Such a cool area that sees relatively little traffic. You guys probably had no idea that your drive up followed one on the coolest creeks in Colorado. The upper gorge on Clear Creek of the Arkansas is some kick in the ass class V.

[Barnballs]

Another great T/R.

[Squirrel99]

Great read! (and nice pics, too!)

[72Twenty]

BC, your TR photos seem to make my desktop every week! Sweet TR!

[FigureEleven]

nice trip!

[Trackhead]

Has the sliver of snow (top left to lower right) cutting across the face been skied? That looks fun.

[Dside11-11]

Has the sliver of snow (top left to lower right) cutting across the face been skied? That looks fun.

Looks like one for the likes of Erik Roner. CLOSEOUT!!!

[iskibc]

Has the sliver of snow (top left to lower right) cutting across the face been skied? That looks fun.

I'm pretty sure that line has never been skied, or even climbed for that matter. That face is super steep and filled with crumbly rock, so most people stick to the ridges to avoid the rockfall dangers. I was eyeing the line next to it on the way up, but now the one you pointed out is making me think a little bit. Conditions would have to be perfect.

1. The line would probably go all the way between March-early May. Any later, and there will be some spotty rotten snow to deal with, along with lot's of falling rock.

2. The exposure from the top of that line would make 99.8% of the population cringe and urinate their pants That entire summit ridge is no more than a couple of feet wide, with some large drops in just about every direction.

3. Pro, ropes, and such would definitely be needed.

4. The approach under winter conditions could be very dangerous due to the trail crossing many active avalanche paths.

5. Weather would have to be perfect.


Damn, now you got me all excited.


Foggy,

FWIW, the river was looking good for running on the way out. It was flowing pretty good. Way out of my league, but would be fun to watch from the sidelines.

KillingCokes,

It will probably still be good by the first of August. It will shorten and more and more rock craters will form, but it will still be skiable from the top. There are some great lines coming off the West Apostle and the lake Ann basin to the west-northwest.


Thanks to everyone else for the kind comments. I know this place can get real stinky and bitter in the summer months. I'm ready for the snow to fly. Won't be long.

[Z]

I'm ready for the snow to fly. Won't be long.

You promise? Im starting to develop a nasty twitch.