fossil mountain ice cave

Fossil Mountain Ice Cave, also known as Darby Ice Cave, Darby Canyon Caves or Wind Cave, is roughly 3 miles long and contains a spectacular, though challenging, through-trip. There is a good quality survey and map of the cave, but the original surveyors have decided to not distribute the map in an attempt to reduce impact to the cave and hopefully discourage inexperienced and unprepared explorers from visiting. The cave has a unique combination of attributes that results in the need for frequent rescues. Almost all of these rescues could be prevented by being properly prepared and following the guidance below. If you aren’t 100% sure of your team’s ability to do this trip safely then please don’t go. For information about the cave, or general safe and low impact caving practices, please contact a local grotto (caving club) of the National Speleological Society. If you’re still considering visiting this cave here is a list of things to consider first:

Preparation

  • Do not attempt this trip without a trip leader who has been to the cave before. There are logistics required to prepare the exit, but more importantly the cave has some tricky route-finding areas. There are at least two tight crawls where the route through is not at all obvious, and there are a few complex junction areas where the correct route is not intuitive. You need a team member that knows these areas because once you’ve pulled your rope down the first rappel, you have no option but to travel out the bottom, and you don’t want to bet on your ability to route-find through a cave you’ve never seen before. The cave is cold and wet so getting lost often results in hypothermia and the need for a rescue.

  • Establish a reliable surface watch before entering the cave. Give them clear instructions about where you are going, when you expect to return, and who to call if you don't contact them by a pre-determined time.

  • There is cell-phone service at SR33, but not at the trailhead or at the cave.

  • The trailhead starts at 7,060 feet elevation. The hike is 2.6 miles with an elevation gain of 1,400 feet to reach the lower Wind Cave entrance,

  • Before attempting a through-trip you must send a team in the lower Wind Cave entrance to both check that the area beyond Windy Squeeze is free of ice, but also to rig a 30-40-foot rope at the final climb-up. The hike up to the entrance is an additional 400-foot elevation gain. Windy Squeeze is about 500 feet from the large entrance. There’s a bit of hands-and-knees crawling on breakdown and another 700 feet of cave from Windy Squeeze to the anchor for the 20-foot climb-up. Leave a note on your rope so it doesn’t get removed (something to the effect of “Please do not remove this rope or we will die!!! Cave through-trip in progress.”). The most common cause of rescues is being trapped at the bottom because the final climb wasn’t pre-rigged, or the exit crawl was blocked by an ice plug. In most years the ice has melted by early July, but this must be verified.

gear requirements

  • Clothing: synthetic cave suit (nylon or PVC) and expedition-weight thermals (no cotton), neoprene or thick wool socks, waterproof gauntlet gloves and liners, balaclava, spare expedition-weight top. You will get wet to the waist in an alpine stream/lake. You are in the water long enough to numb your feet and legs… and that’s if you know what you’re doing and where you’re going.

  • Knee and elbow pads. There are several crawls as low as 10-12 inches.

  • Cave pack. You need something to be able to carry food, water, spare clothing, rescue and first-aid supplies, spare lights and batteries, and rigging gear.

  • Boots and Ice Traction: good supportive boots for the hike and caving. Some bring two pairs because one will get wet in the cave. You must have something for traction on ice. Micro-Spikes are ideal, basic light crampons are acceptable, Yaktrax do not work. The floor is covered in ice for the Ice Cave entrance and first 3 rappels. Ice traction is critical to prevent slipping over the edge of some of these rappels.

  • UIAA helmet, helmet-mounted headlamp, spare lights and batteries.

  • Vertical Gear: caving harness, descender (bobbin, micro-rack), lightweight ascending system (Frog, Texas). Understand how to use this gear.

  • Rope: 30-40-foot rope for pre-rigging the exit climb, 140-foot rope (minimum) for the pull-down rappels. Knowledge for how to rig a biner-block and how to safely manage pull-down rappels.

  • Food and water for a 12-24-hour trip. There is water in the cave beyond the R2CP Room. This should be treated. If carrying all your water, then 3 liters should be sufficient.

  • Warming Gear: stove and trash-bag, or candle and space-blanket, i.e. something to be able to stay warm in 34-38F temperatures if lost or stranded.