Skiing Iceberg Notch

Adrien in the gut of it.

After skiing Hood and Baker over 3 days, Adrien and I were halfway through our July ski trip. We headed back to my neck of the woods to get some late-season turns in Glacier National Park, with a few select lines in mind. After being told about a week prior that Iceberg Notch “didn’t look skiable,” I let my curiosity get the best of me and headed out to Many Glacier to take a crack at it anyways.

We woke up in Kalispell early on the morning of July 9th, and started the long haul over to the east side. The Going to the Sun Road hadn't opened yet, so we were relegated to taking the long way around the park. After finally arriving to Many Glacier just after sunrise, Adrien and I threw our skis and boots on our bags and started hightailing it to Iceberg Lake.

Adrien watches intently as the Iceberg Lake cirque rises into view.

How the famous “icebergs” are formed.

Once at the bottom of the line, we transitioned to boots and crampons. The snow climbing was excellent, and the sun cups provided good ledges to rest on. A second ice axe would have been nice. Adrien and I solo’ed up the firm summer snow, switching who led the charge every 500 feet or so. Eventually, we topped out on a moat just a few hundred feet short of the notch summit. We were in a pretty precarious spot, and we could only transition one at a time. If I’m being honest, I was too gripped to take many pictures during the transition.

Looking down Iceberg Notch

I could tell Adrien and I were a little uneasy looking down Iceberg Notch. The drop-in was steep, and not very hop-turn-able. Rocks littered the line, caught in the sun cups scattering the snow. I dropped in, and sideslipped a little ways down, ice axe firmly planted. Eventually, I built up enough confidence to start linking hop turns. It required delicate maneuvering to stay above the 10-foot-deep runnel on the skier’s left side of the line. The skiing was steep, and never really let up till the bottom. As I got closer to the bottom, I could hear cheers from below. A sizable crowd had formed on the shore of Iceberg Lake, cheering us on.

The crowd gathered on the shore of Iceberg Lake. How many people can you count?

After I made it to the bottom of the line, it was Adrien’s turn to ski. I watched him carefully pick his way down, following my tracks between the runnel and the rocks. He looked so small up there, with the 2000 foot walls of the Iceberg Lake cirque rising up so abruptly. Adrien eventually picked his way down to me. We were both relieved to be on flatter ground again.

Adrien making his last few turns at the bottom of the Notch.

The entire hike back was filled with questions like, “Did you ski THE glacier?” “What are those skis for?” “You’re telling me there’s snow in July?” Sometimes I’d give a funny answer. Carrying skis on one of Glacier’s more popular trails in July is a surefire way to get strange looks.

The Iceberg Notch, après-ski.

Following Adrien through fields of beargrass back to Many Glacier.