jesse

I think we arrived at the parking area about seven hours after leaving the summit. You then have to get back to your car, and the previous posts describe that well. We didn't have a shuttle, and car traffic is pretty minimal on the dirt portions. Be prepared to feel harshly punished by the time you get done(probably from dehydration more than anything, as Forest says, VERY dry on the west side). I slept on the little wooden frame at the parking area.

Climbed Slesse NE Butt on 8/15-16 from the buttress toe with buddy from SLC. We scrambled up the broken terrain to the slabs below the E pocket glacer, and safely to the buttress. Twenty minutes later, as we racked up, some ice calved off and littered the area with ice chunks. Both north and east side pocket glaciers are still there and dislodging lots of ice. The first three pitches of "da toe" provided the most difficult climbing of the entire route. A section of nice simul-climbing led to a section of bush-pulling. We missed the 5.7 bypass, and proceeded to the mid-height area, where the rock became steeper and juggy. A few strenuous pitches led to our bivy. Here, a critter chewed on my chums so that the shades fell out the next day, and chewed on Aaron's pack too. Bitch. We finished the route the next morning direct to the summit. Better climbing up there. The descent involves staying alert for another hour or two while finding the rappels and gully connections. Then we trudged down and down and down. Those hosers up there set up their trails kinda funny... We limped into the parking area at dark. I slept on that little wooden frame thingy, which was sweet. Use the Crossover descent, wherever that is, if you have the interest and patience and stamina. We hadn't set up any kind of shuttle. But some other climbers loaned us their bikes after deciding to jump into a helicopter that landed there. Thanks fellas and good luck!

Word, Any VERY recent beta on the condition of this classique? Pocket glacier? Snowpatches left on route? Crossover descent? Buttress toe? Gracias, Jesse

Word, Anybody got beta on this? Is rock any better than Serpentine Arete?

2:00 PM is too late to leave the false summit. I skied this line in similar weather (it was 98 when we got to back to Hood River). We began skiing at 11:00 AM and had a good combination of edgeable presoftened corn at the top and still supportable turns near the bottom. Remember it is a 5000 foot run, so you've got to dial your conditions for the whole thing. Only if you are afraid of falling and sliding to your death should you wait so long the that the snow becomes soft enough to rule out such slides.

Lundberg brand brown rice syrup is great. $4 for a jar, that fills up your standard REI squeeze tube 2.5 times. That's cheap energy. Same stuff as Clif Shot without their extra ingreds, but good still. I really do think that these kinds of energy foods (BRS or Gu) are like an IV drip of energy. Every time I am working very hard, and sit down for a break and have some, I get up and feel much stronger. Good times!

Hey, I have been thinking about skiing this route also. But sorry, I don't have any more information about it than you. I'll pay attention to this thread.

Just wanted to express my interest in ski mountaineering partners. I have done extensive front and backcountry skiing, and a good amount of mountaineering too. New to Portland and want to get out. I'm a nice guy too.