This is a big, big face in a remote location. Gerry Roach describes the northwest face of Apache as "steep, broken, and uninteresting." Maybe so in summer, but in the spring, with lots of snow cover and some ice, it becomes a major alpine route. We picked out the line of least resistance leading to the summit. We started with a 750-foot gully (containing two of the route's three cruxes), then some steep rock (5.7) and easy mixed ground leading to a long traverse to the right (south) to skirt a blank headwall. After turning a prominent "see-through" buttress, we climbed steep snow and easy ice bulges to rock ledges about 100 feet below the summit. We measured 2,000 vertical feet from the start of roped climbing to the summit. We did 10 pitches with a 70-meter rope, plus a total of about 750 feet of simulclimbing, including one 500- or 600-foot "lead."
Has this face been climbed? We saw no evidence of prior passage. In most places it would have been climbed long ago, but it's so hard to reach in the right season that we might have gotten lucky.
The grade of this one may not be all that high, but it adds up to a tough and highly rewarding day. Three stars for continuously interesting climbing, moderately hard but well-protected cruxes, and an incredibly beautiful setting.
A look at the photo will show other potential lines, given better conditions. A cold snap in early May might be very good. Maybe ski in from the west, camp, climb a route, and descend via Fair Glacier? Or maybe a cold spell after a late October or early November storm.
Location
When this route is in season, it's very hard to reach. We approached from the east. From the gate on the Brainard Lake Road, we biked to the Long Lake trailhead, then walked to Isabelle Glacier. We climbed one of the Southwest Couloirs on Shoshoni to reach the plateau west of Shoshoni, at about 12,800'. From there, we headed northwest to a steep couloir and descended about 2,000 vertical feet to a camp at Triangle Lake, just east of Lone Eagle Peak (about 10,800 feet). The route starts about half a mile away.
Protection
Single set of nuts and cams, four pitons, two ice screws, many slings and quickdraws. We used it all.
I personally know that the NW face was climbed 2 times in the '70s and once in the '90s. Did they/we take your exact route?....most probably not (I remember 3rd classing some stuff that was a little hairier than I counted on). Cool route, bring your brain bucket. The route we took was 5.5 at the hardest and seemed to follow a more direct line up, to the climbers left of your line, maybe I'm confused as to which way is NW?
The more I look at it, I think we followed ramps back and forth, generally up the left hand side of your route picture.
By Allen Hill From: Glenelk, Colorado Jun 20, 2008
My brother and I also climbed this face in the summer of '79. I was scared shitless as was the norm following him around. We took a route to the right.
Scott and Allen, thanks for filling in some history on this face. Your comments about scary third-classing reinforce my feeling that the best time to climb these big Indian Peaks faces is in the winter and spring, when snow covers most of the loose rock and the alpine ambiance makes the whole enterprise seem more attractive!
I wish your notes had come sooner. After posting this ascent here, I waited nearly a year for feedback and then submitted a report to the 2008 AAJ claiming the "probable first ascent" of the face. Should have known that nearly everything good in our local mountains got done by the '70s hard-core.
Hey Dougald, your particular line may have been an FA, especially for the time of year that you did it. Anyway, doesn't matter to me, I'm pretty sure that someone was up there before I was, it's not the kind of face where there are obvious asthetic lines to choose from.
Apache Peak
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