Ice Age Alley

Ice Age Alley is the nineteenth level of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Donkey Kong Country, and twentieth in the Game Boy Advance remake. It is also the third level of the Gorilla Glacier area, and the fourth in the remake. This level takes place during a snowstorm that recently happened in Snow Barrel Blast that dies down as the level progresses and stops at the end.

In this snowy level, the Kongs must trudge up the area in a violent snow storm, making it hard to see at the start and gets easier to see later on. As the two monkeys travel, they have to swing on ropes and jump on bouncy tires to get over wide and dangerous pits. To make things harder, the Kongs encounter Kritters, Klaptraps, Manky Kongs and even Neckies, who get in their way no matter what the conditions are in the level. Luckily, Expresso appears in this chilly area, and he can help the Kongs fly over pits and even reach a few Bonus Levels with his flutter abilities.

In the Game Boy Advance remake of Donkey Kong Country, this level switched positions with Croctopus Chase, making it the fourth level of the Gorilla Glacier.

Level Layout
The level begins on a flat piece of land. If the Kongs travels backwards onto a raised piece of ground from here, they can find a Mini Necky, the first DK Barrel in the level, and a secret area with an Animal Crate on it. The crate contains Expresso. The letter K and a tire, used to help the heroes jump back up to the main path, are also present here. If the primates travel east along the main path, they can find a hill leading up to an alcove with another Mini Necky in it. They can swing over the space in the ground with the use of a nearby rope. After traveling up another hill and passing a lone Kritter, the Kongs reach a wide gap with a rope swinging above it. With the assistance of a Necky that they can bounce on, they can cross the gap and land on a raised piece of land.

A flat pathway is located at a lower elevation ahead of this area, and a few Neckies soar above it. After the heroes pass a Mini Necky and climb over a hill at the end of the flat surface, they encounter an abyss with another rope hanging over it. They can swing over the abyss onto a curved piece of land with a Mini Necky and a DK Barrel on top of it. A steep hill follows, but there are two deep gaps along it that the heroes can fall through. A Klaptrap marches along the platform floating between the two gaps. Three ropes swing over a abyss nearby. When the gap is crossed, the duo approaches a small gap with the letter O in it. A Mini Necky attacks from a higher piece of land on the other side of the small pit. Another abyss is present ahead with an Auto Fire Barrel near the end of it. A Star Barrel floats above it, which can be reached with the use of a rope.

The Auto Fire Barrel immediately blasts the heroes onto a flat, solid surface with a gap ahead of it. A platform supporting a Klaptrap and a DK Barrel can be found above the dangerous pit. The Kongs can find a slippery hill ahead of them that they must slide down as a Manky Kong hurls barrels at them. Once they reach the bottom of the hill, they can find another large gap ahead of them. A platform with a tire on it is placed in the center of the abyss, and two ropes surround it. With the aid of the ropes, the heroes can cross and land on a slanted platform. Another slanted platform floats in an abyss. The slanted area continues on the opposite side of the pit. Once at the top of the hill, the heroes can find a flat ledge below them with a Steel Keg resting on it. Two snowy platforms supporting Klaptraps are in a gap ahead. The letter N is located on a hidden platform near here. A DK Barrel wobbles in a flat pathway after the two platforms. If the primates climb to a top of the hill that follows this barrel, they encounter a Manky Kong, who tries to hit them with barrels. A gap with a rope dangling above it follows with a Necky at the end of it.

A trio of slippery platforms with the letter G near them are also ahead. After passing the three platforms, Donkey and Diddy Kong make their way onto a solid piece of land with a sign on it, indicating that they are almost done with the level. As they continue through the level, they tread up a steep hill with a pair of gaps in it. A Manky Kong throws barrels at the heroes as they climb the lower part of the slope. A slanted pathway leading downwards can be found from the top of this hill, which a Klaptrap walks along. At the bottom of the hill, a gap can be found with a Banana Bunch in it. Once the gap is crossed, the primates can find the entrance to an igloo next to an exit sign. If they enter the igloo, the level is completed.

K-O-N-G Letters

 * K: The Kongs can find the letter K in an area behind the starting point of the level.
 * O: Shortly before the Star Barrel, the heroes cross a wide abyss with three ropes. The letter O is in a gap after this. A super-jump must be used to grab it.
 * N: The letter N is next to the second Bonus Barrel in the level.
 * G: Just before the sign that indicates that the heroes are almost done with the level, the letter G can be found above a few slippery platforms.

Bonus Levels

 * Near the beginning of the level, the Kongs jump off a small ledge near a few Neckies. As they are in the air, they must land on the Neckies and make their way to a small platform with a barrel on it. If they go into the barrel they are shot into a Bonus Level, where they must shoot through several barrels in order to collect many bananas. Once the Kongs are done, they can break a crate with Expresso inside of it and exit through a passage to the right.
 * In order for the Kongs to find the second Bonus Level, they must find Expresso (either at the beginning of the level or at the end of the first bonus level) and ride on him and pass the Star Barrel. They should make it to an area where they see a Steel Keg next to a ledge. There, they have to jump up and flutter with Expresso to reach a small, hidden platform with a barrel on it. When they get in the barrel, they are taken to the Bonus Level, where they must hit three barrels, all with changing images of variously-colored Extra Life Balloons, so that each picture on them matches. When this is done, they are awarded with one of the three kinds of balloons, if they can make all of the images match. They leave the Bonus Level afterwards.

Photograph (Game Boy Advance version only)

 * Shortly after the Kongs pass the Star Barrel, they come up to a wide abyss that must be crossed using two ropes. Once they cross it, they head up a slope with two gaps in it. A camera icon is at the bottom of the second pit that the primates can grab to earn a photograph, found on the eleventh page of their scrapbook, of themselves in a snowy landscape. After grabbing the icon, they are shoot out of the pit through a hidden Auto Fire Barrel.