TR: Vesper North Face

[mtngrrrl]

After drooling over the photos, we finally got around to Vesper. True to previous reports, route finding can be confusing, but it's a very pleasant climb.

 

Headlee Pass looks like a pretty place to camp if you want to do the route in two days at a liesurely pace. Once above the pass, we picked a notch to descend across the glacier to the climb's base. Dunno if it was the "right" notch, but it worked. The glacier/snow slope was moderately steep, with some crevasses at the bottom. Crampons came in handy for a fast and confident crossing. We tried followed Nelson's description, but in retrospect, I think we started waaaaay climber's left of his line in the photo. It looked like the "largest depression" to me! Crossing the moat was fine, but choose your spot judiciously.

 

First pitch went fine, a tad burly with dry moss. Angled up a series of ledges headed right. I could tell someone had climbed it at some point because they had gardened just the same spots I needed for my hands, but probably a long time ago. Second pitch, about the same. We kept angling right to make sure we would hit the slabs.

 

Leading through the heather was a blast. Time to brush up on those simul-climbing skills here. Near the top of the first heather pitch, I looked up into the steep north face. My partner hollered that our slab was way more right, and a lot easier. (Oh, happy day.)

 

After another wandering heather pitch, we traversed the lower portion of the slabs to get to the open book. Here we finally clued into some simul-climbing. Duh. It was great to be back on clean rock, eventually falling in behind the two parties above us on the slabby corner. By the way, these belays are hot in full summer sun. Bring your sunblock. These last two pitches were stellar. The corner crack takes enough gear and the stances are comfortable. Topped out to a festive welcome brigade of mosquitos and horse flies.

 

All in all, a fun moderate climb. Took us 7 pitches, but next time I would simul-climb a lot of it. Lesson learned. I never felt sketched, and gear went were I needed it.

 

[erik]

[Rodchester]

 

and

 

[slothrop]

Nice job! I climbed it in September, when finding a way to cross the moat dictated where we started up the rock (way right of where you were). Our way started with 20 feet of hand crack, but petered out into gullies and unprotectable bulges of granite and heather.

 

That slab is so cool!