Frostbite Ridge

This is a committing route in that it is a very long approach with lots of up and down that could difficult to retreat on. Total mileage (up Frostbite, down Cool Glacier) is slightly over 40 miles.

Based on the occasional washout of bridges/roads the best approach may vary year to year. Most parties will want to descend an easier route, with the Gerdine Ridge/Cool Glacier route being the standard route currently. If descending the standard (Cool Glacier) route, the North Fork Sauk Trail may be the best starting/ending point.

Take the North Fork Sauk Trail #649 to the PCT. Go north (left) on the PCT to Glacier Ridge. Approximately 19-20 miles from the trailhead, a small but obvious path leaves the PCT on Glacier Ridge appr. 0.7 miles after Glacier Creek. This trail departs the PCT just before the PCT goes around the bottom of the ridge.  The path leads to the crest of an alpine ridge, past some bivy sites to the lower slopes of the Ptarmigan Glacier. Traverse around the left (north) side of Kennedy Peak (48.132108 N, 121.12541 W).

Alternatively, depart the PCT just before crossing Glacier Creek, and ascend scree and bushy slopes to the peak of the old Kennedy Glacier moraine.  There are good bivy sites here around 6100 ft.  Drop down on the toe of the glacier and ascend the Kennedy Glacier, passing below the south side of Kennedy Peak.  This alternative route joins the "standard" route at the saddle above Kennedy Peak at around 8200 ft.

Continue to ascend on snow the Kennedy Glacier SE and the Frostbite Ridge will soon come into view (see photo).

Ascend the ridge on snow or loose rock. Most parties will probably desire protection on portions of the ridge. I found small to medium nuts useful for the belays. We found snow up to appr. 45 degrees on this section.

Pass through the rabbit ears notch at the very top of the ridge and descend class 3 rock for appr. 150 feet to a saddle. (Note: the rabbit ears will not look like rabbit ears until you are beyond and above them. The best way to find them is just realize that they are at the very top of the initial ridge. Cutting right through the rabbit ears notch will give you the view of the steep snow/ice climbing that comes next (see photo).

From the saddle, cross snow or loose rock along a ridge to the base of the low angle alpine ice face.  Ascend this face for 1-2 pitches until it begins to round off to a lower angle. Ascend the ridge to the crater rim and descend into the crater.  From the bottom, pick your path to the top. We took a ramp that started on the right and went up and left cutting directly up at the top.

Descent - Be sure to know the descent. The standard descent is the Gerdine Ridge/Cool Glacier. It may help to have certain locations such as Glacier Gap (48.080051 N, 121.108357 W) preprogrammed into your GPS. Peakbagger.com has GPS tracks of the descent route.

Hiking Strategy - we both packed as light as possible. Trail runners may be appropriate for the long sections of trail hiking, carrying lightweight climbing boots for the technical sections.

Most parties will take 2-3 days.

Rope, pickets and ice screws. (Optional: small to medium nuts)

Route may be snow in the early season, expect more ice later in the year.

Route may have a couple pitches of low angle alpine ice, but is mostly hiking and some scrambling; select axes/tools appropriately.