TR Slesse Mountain NE Buttress

[Otto]

After parking a car on each side of Slesse Mountain, my partner Jake and I got three hours of sleep and started out at 1:30am on Saturday, 7/19/03. We were hoping to make it to the summit that day, and since we wanted to do the complete Northeast Buttress route from the buttress toe, we knew it would be a long day. The climb went well, though we didn't make it to the summit the first day. We made it to the good ledge below the final headwall, and it was the only place on the route with snow on it. So we had a great evening of rest and melting snow and drinking, drinking, drinking.

 

We had to rope up and climb a pitch just to get up to the slabs below the infamous pocket glacier, since there was ice and snow all over the short wall below. We crossed under the pocket glacier at about 6:00am and started up the buttress toe at 6:30. About four hours later a large chunk of the glacier fell off and rumbled down the slabs, a sheet of white death about 50 yards wide over our approach route.

 

We were surprised how many dirty, bushy 4th and low 5th class pitches there were in the middle of the route. We kept misjudging where we were trying to match up with features on the topo. But we didn't go far off-route and by the time we got to the crux 5.9 cracks leading to the overhangs we knew we were on. However, I made it tough by trying to go around the overhangs on the right; they looked scary to me. I did some mid-ten face climbing instead. Found some bail-out booty right where it was hardest, and came away with a nice new Wild Country no. 2 Friend. I got to the bivy ledge at 6:30pm, out of water and thirsty, looking at that beautiful pile of snow.

 

Things had been going so well, I suppose it was fitting that some anxiety should creep in. During the night the stars were blotted out and a light rain fell for a short while. We awoke at 4:30am on Sunday to find the sky overcast and mist streaming past the North wall on a breeze from the South. We couldn't see far in that direction, so we didn't know how bad this weather might get. We climbed up into occaisional rain spurts, feeling committed with retreat cut off by the horrible icefall at the bottom of our route. If we tried to descend the buttress, we would have to cross under the glacier late in the day. Fortunately, the weather gradually cleared, and by the time we made the summit the sun welcomed us in full.

 

The descent was quite direct, just following the line of rap anchors all the way down the standard big rotten gully. It's much easier than bothering with the original route, where you have to find a place to climb up and to the right. Then we contoured way over to the right and picked up a trail to the Knoll. Then the foot-beating began, the incredibly steep Slesse Mountain Trail. Jake said he found it odd to be wishing for a switchback. That trail is steep, unrelenting, and a long way down.

 

It's good to be back down. I'm still drinking a lot of water, the scratches from the Magic Carpet are healing, and my foot swelling is going down.

[chucK]

Wow Otto! Nice, well written, report of what sounds like a fantastic trip. Sounds like one of those trips where, upon looking back on it, it seems like you were always in control. But while on the climb you were continually wondering whether you could pull it off. Those are the best. As JoshK would say, "that is the whole point of climbing".

 

Oh, and thanks for the update on your current condition.

[JoshK]

chucK said:

Wow Otto! Nice, well written, report of what sounds like a fantastic trip. Sounds like one of those trips where, upon looking back on it, it seems like you were always in control. But while on the climb you were continually wondering whether you could pull it off. Those are the best. As JoshK would say, "that is the whole point of climbing".

 

Oh, and thanks for the update on your current condition.

 

Sweet! I'm being quoted out of context now! My fame is spreading!

[Alpine_Tom]

JoshK said:

Sweet! I'm being quoted out of context now! My fame is spreading!

As JoshK would say, "that's the whole point of posting!"