[TR] Vesper Peak - North Face 8/17/2006

[ericb]

Climb: Vesper Peak - North Face

 

Date of Climb: 8/17/2006

 

Trip Report:

Vesper Peak, North Face – August 17, 2006

 

Dave and I decided to play hookey Thursday from work and go climbing. The North Face of Vesper Peak has been on both of our lists for a long time, and the weather forecast couldn’t have been better. I picked him up at 3:45 AM in Snoqualmie, and we were on our way north up the Mountain Loop Highway.

 

We headed up the steep trail to Headlee Pass, and up to the notch east of Vesper Peak. After a bit of careful class 3 downclimbing we reached the glacier traverse, and begun discussing which option we would like to climb on the lower face. We roped up, donned ice-axe and crampons, and made the short glacier crossing only to discover that the moat was going to have more say on our climbing route than we were. What looked to be the easiest line (pictured in Nelson Vol II), would require a little “leap-o-faith”, with a mistake taking us into the abyss below the glacier. Nonetheless we contemplated it until Dave, probing for a belay anchor possibility punched through the snow with his ice axe ~ 10 feet from the edge. We very carefully retraced our steps, and were able to find a section 40 feet lower on the glacier where the glacier extended to the rock the rock below, protecting a slide under the glacier (climber nightmare material). It would still require downclimbing about 6 feet of vertical snow into the moat to reach rock. While the moat was less threatening here, the climb out was a series of solid but unprotectable downward sloping steps. Dave finally found a route out and up, but had to solo about 80 feet of unprotectable low 5th class before he reached a comfortable belay stance (no anchor).

 

I followed and then led the next pitch, loose unprotectable 3rd and 4th class where I finally found a flat spot with some cracks for an equalized anchor on the right wall (0.75 C4 + red tri-cam), with 20 feet to spare and brought Dave up. I then led the next pitch (still in the gulley) which became steep loose 5th class. Fortunately I was able to find a crack for a cam in the left wall, followed by a tree to sling, and then when the gully became choked with bushes, a nut in the right wall which protected a difficult and awkward move (5.7 ish) out of the gulley made much more difficult by rope drag. Once out of the gulley, I walked up easy terrain until I ran out of rope and set up a stance belay backed up by a long sling on a heather root I excavated, and brought Dave up. From the reports I’ve read, most exit the gulley either at or before our anchor station at the top of our second “pitch”, and this might be a better way to go. The top of the gulley got very steep, and I had to test every hold. I backed down from what would have been an easier exit on the left wall because both good looking hand-holds turned out to be dangerously loose. Sounds like the rock to the right of the gulley is similarly unprotectable, but of much higher quality, and there are some shrubs to sling.

 

Once Dave was up, we walked it up to a ledge at the base of the money pitches, and I happily handed over the lead, still a little rattled from my battle with the gulley. I built a pseudo anchor with a cam and pink tri-cam behind a thick flake, and Dave led a fun slab pitch with one OK cam about 100 feet up. Once we ran out of rope, we simulclimbed about 60 feet, until reaching a large ledge below the big dihedral. Not wanting to be the only anchor, I searched for a crack for my pink tri-cam again. Dave led up (the Weigelt route??) the dihedral which was a bit more difficult than the slab (~ 5.5 ish) but protected with the occasional cam. He placed ~ 4 before running out of rope, and then we simulclimbed another 100 feet until he topped out, slung a boulder, and brought me up with just sandy heather ledges between us and the summit. Other than a few clouds, the views were perfect. We ate, called our wives, and played “name that mountain” for about 30 minutes before heading down to the trailhead.

 

All-in-all, it was an awesome climb! Given the option to do the high traverse and skip the lower part that we climbed, I’d probably do the former, but I think the line to the right of ours out of the gulley was far better and might it worth playing moat-monkey.

 

Pix

 

http://ericbakke.spaces.msn.com/photos/?_c02_owner=1

 

 

Gear Notes:

Ice axe, crampons, long slings (for shrubs), tri-cams (pink and red), Cams 0.3 to 2. Larger cams (#1 and #2) used in dihedral.

 

Approach Notes:

~ snow free

Edited August 18, 2006 by ericb

[Ned_Flanders]

A friend and I did this route last week and opted to traverse across the face instead of descending the glacier due to what the moats looked like. We were also surprised as to how much gear we were able to plug in on this route given what the majority of people say about it. A very good climb.

 

Joshua

[ericb]

Did you do the dihedral or go up the center of the slab? The dihedral protected OK....the center of the slab was pretty smooth we didn't see many cracks that were wide/deep enough for pro.

 

Where we descended into the moat was really the only place we saw that didn't have an unacceptable pucker factor.

Edited August 18, 2006 by ericb

[Rad]

Nice job.

Bummer about the moat pucker factor.

Your report confirmed my suspicions about the gully.

We went up the buttress to the right, and the rock was good and protectable where needed.

[ericb]

Yep...I wish I would have taken your beta to heart. The gully was certainly climbable, but not enjoyable. I was able to get some protection in at the top where it got really steep and loose. It sounds like climbing the buttress adds to, rather than detracts from the quality of the climb.

[olyclimber]

jorb well done

[Alpinfox]

This TR is HOTT!! <---Click!