- Date: May 30, 2023
- Distance: 12.29 miles round trip
- Elevation gain: 4,674′
- Trailhead: Winfield
An aesthetic and intimidating couloir, the refrigerator cuts down the north face of Ice mountain in the Sawatch range. The group of peaks in this area–Mt. Huron and the Apostles to name a few– create dramatic and rugged ski lines, beckoning us back for more.
After quite a few skis just the two of us, Mark and I were excited to get out with out good friend Parker for the first time this season. We decided to meet early so that we had good lighting for Parker to take photos and plenty of time to make it to the top of the route before the snow started to warm.
By 4 am we were hiking along the snow covered 4×4 road that leads up to Lake Ann and the apostles. When we branched off onto the trail were surprised to find the summer trail corridor easy to follow even snowed in as it was. Before long, we broke tree line and could see our route to the base of Ice Mountain. We dawned crampons to traverse the basin below our line and then started gaining elevation quickly at the apron at the bottom of the Refrigerator couloir. I led the climb as we hiked up increasingly steep snow: a good overnight freeze made for relatively quick moving as we kicked steps into the hard snow. At the top of the couloir, we enjoyed views in all directions, spotting cottonwood pass to our south and Hope pass to our North.
The entrance to the couloir was guarded by a cornice save for a ski width wall of snow that had been significantly chopped up as we climbed over it. Given the spicy entrance, Mark and Parker chose to hike down below the cornice to a transition platform that a previous group had cut out. I side slipped down the first few yards with my axe out, then put it away when I regrouped with Mark and Parker.
The refrigerator lived up to its name, rock bands and an almost direct north face kept the snow surface cold and hard; we made careful turns all the way down, surprised by how unrelentingly steep the couloir felt.
Below the couloir, the warming spring snow became grippy and fast, we opened up our turns and enjoyed some fun alpine turns on the way out. Below tree line, we found much better conditions than we expected as the snowpack continued to support our weight despite the warming temperatures. Eventually, however, it was time to repack the skis and hike the last few miles of mud back to our car.
Delighted to have skied an aesthetic and fun line in such good conditions, we chatted for a while as we ate some food and changed into dry clothes. As the excitement of the day wore off, we felt the fatigue from the missed hours of sleep set in and headed off our separate ways.