Ice Mountain

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 7/10/2018, By: desertdog
Info: Summer conditions, no snow at all. 45 minutes from the saddle to summit. Once on the ridge the route was easy to follow. It's easy to miss the right turn on the approach trail as there are some downed trees. 

Route: North to West traverse
Posted On: 7/2/2018, By: goingup
Info: There is still some snow (minimal) but I would just like to add this foot note since I will not be writing a trip report. In the two dozen or so trip reports I read on this traverse, every single one descends a gully off of Ice's SW face and then does a nightmare of a traverse to the saddle between Ice and West. My partner and I chose to take the west ridge of Ice directly to the saddle, no bypass - we never dropped more then 10 feet from ridge proper. It was very exposed class 3, 4, 5 on good and bad rock but I do believe if you are an experienced scrambler and route finder the ridge is a better alternative to the face. 

Route: Apostle Traverse
Posted On: 10/30/2017, By: JtheChemE
Info: West to North. Shoulder season to winter conditions throughout. Approach to W. free from meaningful snow to 12k. The SW aspect of Ice Mtn was in good shape. Deproach from Ice/N saddle full of ankle breaker trapdoor snow. Conditions difficult dropping off of Ice towards N. Apostle. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 7/17/2017, By: zdero1
Info: Very wet down low due to bushwhacking through wet willows, leaves. Hard to not submerge your feet near the stream crossings. In the choss gully, there are a few snowfields on the left you can traverse up. The ridge to both peaks is completely dry. Fun day, but a late summer/fall ascent may keep you more dry. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 5/30/2017, By: justiner
Info: Lots of snow up there, and lots of avalanche debris. Snow in the upper basin had a very strange consistency - top layer (~1") of icy snow, then sugar powder underneath. Plunge stepping down, I would sink from the top of my ankle to my knee ~ 9:00am (yikes...) Lots of wet slide avy debris going up to the N. Apostle/Ice Mountain Saddle - did not venture further. Many bootprints to the couloir on Ice (Refrig?) both up AND down, with marginally better snow conditions that way. Best way to approach climb is to take the creek itself, rather than dropping down and crossing it. No need - snow cover on the creek can support weight of boots/skis all the way to the lower basin. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 9/11/2016, By: mspalding
Info: The directions from 14ers.com are perfect. And you will find some helpful cairns on the rocks. You don't have to route up through the trees at the end of the basin. There are trails through the willows and you can rock hop along the edge of the giant rock glacier at the end of the basin instead. The GPX files are incorrect. There are 2 files, one shows part of the trail from Winfield and the other shows the trail to Ann Lake. Follow the signs to ensure you get on the correct trail. Also, a shout out to Keith and his twin - you guys burned that mountain! 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 6/20/2016, By: Shattuck311
Info: The approach to the saddle between N. Apostle & Ice was snow free until the trail ended. From there, the gully was holding a lot of snow to the saddle. Microspikes and an Ice Axe were useful in the morning. Once at the Saddle between N. Apostle & Ice, N. Apostle was mostly free of snow to the summit, and Ice was the same. Only a few snow patches to move around pretty easily. From Ice to South Apostle there were many snow fields to cross, and again, an Ice axe was very useful. The CDT from Lake Ann was still holding a lot of patchy snow in the woods. Bring the ice axe, helmet, and Microspikes. I had snowshoes, and they could have come in handy in the afternoon, but the post holing was always short lived so that I decided it would be quicker to struggle through than to take on and off snow shoes. Some might prefer having them though, especially if you descend by lake Ann from South Apostle. 

Route: Fridge
Posted On: 5/8/2016, By: yingyangsoup89
Info: Continuous snow from about 10.5k. Long approach bushwhacking in deep snow. Lots of postholing from Huron upper trailhead until reaching the basin where the moonlight stalker direct couloir begins. Snow in upper basin is super consolidated. Conditions in the couloir were prime and one of my best to date. The scramble from the top of the couloir is covered in snow and holds many loose boulders. The exposure makes it spicy. Get it. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 10/3/2015, By: tdawg012
Info: Snow free and quite pleasant. Same can be said for Huron and many of the northern collegiate range. I am sure that will be changing the next few days however.... 

Route: Refrigerator
Posted On: 7/13/2015, By: sdkeil
Info: The Refrigerator couloir was continuous from top to bottom. The snow on the apron was a little soft, but once in the couloir the snow was firm. The choke point had ice forming on the climbers left, but it was possible to avoid. The top of the couloir had some rotten snow on the right and some thin ice on the left, which made for few interesting moves. We descended the standard NE ridge. It was snow free, but a little wet and muddy in a few places. The rock was rotten as advertised and we had a few large pieces come loose. The approach was snow free and there were only a couple snow fields in the upper basin to navigate. 

Route: West Ridge Direct
Posted On: 7/13/2015, By: CarpeDM
Info: Route: to get to the Continental Divide, I ascended the rounded, grassy north-facing ridge just east of Lake Ann until steeper snow diverted me slightly east to a loose gulley for the final couple hundred feet. Then I followed the ridge over West Apostle and ridge direct up Ice. Once on the false summit, I had to descend a couple hundred feet to get across the prominent south-facing couloir to avoid a snow crossing. I descended via the Roach traverse across the SW slopes. Conditions: slightly soggy/muddy approach to Lake Ann - my feet got a little wet. Up to the ridge and beyond, there were a few minor snow fields to cross. I used my axe a few times for ~20-30 feet at a time, but wore only trail runners. The ridge direct route is a really fun scramble on good, stable rock. The return route over to the Ice/West saddle was loose crap - much less fun. The Apostle Couloir looked pretty continuous except that its melting out just at the very top. 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 7/4/2014, By: RyGuy
Info: Did not climb Ice, but took some highly zoomed in pictures of the upper route from Huron Peak on July 3rd,2014. Hopefully this will help you if you are interested in climbing the Apostles. I have a ton more pictures at 18MP resolution if desired. Just PM me. North and Ice: https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t31.0-8/10454112_10100113113277567_9091858472225036407_o.jpg West: https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t31.0-8/10535753_10100113113302517_2927306025553166453_o.jpg Close up of Ice and the Refridgerator Couloir: https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t31.0-8/10355563_10100113113352417_6369677809926660785_o.jpg 

Route: Refrigerator
Posted On: 6/25/2014, By: Tommy Dorr
Info: The Refrigerator Couloir is in great shape, though its melting out fast. Almost no postholing on the approach. No issues at TH. 

Route: Apostle Couloir
Posted On: 6/1/2014, By: CarpeDM
Info: Attempted Ice via the Apostle Couloir. Started from 4wd TH at 3:40am. Lots of water (and a little snow) on the trail up to the split for Lake Ann, then snow. Lots of postholing even with snowshoes. Creeks are raging and crossings are dicey. We had to build one crossing ourselves. Didn't hit the couloir proper until 9am. It was sometimes nearly bulletproof, sometimes punching through crust. Had a small rock or two whiz by us on the way up. Got to the saddle between Ice and West and decided to retreat. Probably could've gotten up Ice, but didn't like our descent options after having the snow bake for so long. Even going over West Apostle looked dicey. Pic1: North Apostle and Ice Mtn Pic2: Close-up of the base of the Refrigerator Pic3: The Apostle Couloir is on the left Pic4: The climb out of the saddle between West Apostle and Ice Mtn 

Route: Ice Northeast Ridge + North Apostle
Posted On: 7/11/2013, By: Dobsons
Info: Climbed the three apostles today. Great day out! No need for any snow equipment at all.