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North Face of Vesper (?)


NoahT

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Anyone have beta on what the NF looks like this time of year? Doable (as in fun)? A slabby death-trap perhaps...

 

-N

 

What a fun outing. Not totally sure about winter. Like Mattp states, the entire top 800 feet is a huge slab. Have fun with that. I did it this summer. My partner and I estimated it was about 1200 feet of climbing. The bottom half is a gully that is kind of nasty. A lot of loose rock. If it was wet it would be really nasty. We simuled the entire thing in three pitches. An absolute must do. Very fun!

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I've always thought this route is a good and funny example of what people are willing to do to find decent alpine rock in the cascades. Approach description: go up over headlee pass, traverse for a while, drop down a short ways onto glacier (or traverse manky ledge) from a point at which you could take a short and easy walk to the summit, and then start climbing.

I haven't climbed the route, but I have walked to the summit, then walked down to the middle of the slab portion of the route. Yes, you can walk there from just west of the summit following beautiful rock ramps.

 

It sure is a cool looking route, and I do hope to climb it, the rock on the upper portion looks fabulous. But I have to admit to myself that it will be pretty silly and contrived when I do!

 

The slab doesn't seem like an appealing place to be in winter. I like the big glide crack or moat that appears in Schurlock's photo.

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"Washington Ice" mentions some good moderate ice lines on Vesper's North Face, but I don't know if they would be "in" right now...

 

Really? What page? I'd be surprised if that thing ever formed real water ice.

 

I don't have the book with me, but IIRC it is mentioned at the end of the Big Four description under "rumors of ice" and is said to be similar to the lines on Pyramid.

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You can easily bypass the lower part, which is proabably what you are referring to as the 500 feet of crap rock, by an easy but exposed ledge system. It dumps you right at the base of the slabs. And, yes, it is a wonderful solo, pretty easy to do as a 9-5'er from Seattle (in the summer, that is).

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That's a great picture--"the slab" obviously holds a ton of snow. I can ALMOST imagine a better time being had on the steeper, less done direct stuff right under the summit pyramid. Lotta work to get there this time of year, though, with a "?" as to the quality of climbing...

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You can easily bypass the lower part, which is proabably what you are referring to as the 500 feet of crap rock, by an easy but exposed ledge system. It dumps you right at the base of the slabs. And, yes, it is a wonderful solo, pretty easy to do as a 9-5'er from Seattle (in the summer, that is).

 

Am I to understand by your comments that you have soloed this route? Cool! :tup:

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The rock on the lower part of the route is great (very solid rock quality and some fun mid 5th moves) if you stay on the buttress instead of the gully.

 

See thread: Vesper N Face thread

 

Route:

4222Vesper_N_face_route.jpg

Looking down lower buttress

 

4222buttress_below_Vesper_N_face.JPG

 

Upper slab

4222P1010039.JPG

 

Enjoy.

Rad

 

ps. If you don't want to hike a ways to get to some lovely, moderate climbing then you might as well scratch 3/4 of Cascades Select off your to do list right now.

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ps. If you don't want to hike a ways to get to some lovely, moderate climbing then you might as well scratch 3/4 of Cascades Select off your to do list right now.

 

you have to hike to climb in da mountains? even in these here cascade mountains?!

protest at westlake. 5PM

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You can easily bypass the lower part, which is proabably what you are referring to as the 500 feet of crap rock, by an easy but exposed ledge system. It dumps you right at the base of the slabs. And, yes, it is a wonderful solo, pretty easy to do as a 9-5'er from Seattle (in the summer, that is).

 

Am I to understand by your comments that you have soloed this route? Cool! :tup:

 

 

I believe the ledge allows you to also bypass the short descent and traverse on the glacier. is this true or are my arselips flapping?

 

Kevbone, I'm almost certain that he means he worked 9 to 5 in seattle, then went and soloed the route. I have a cousin named Chuck, and he is capable of amazing feats. I am assuming they must be one and the same.

Chuck, I am going to miss your wedding in June. Sorry.

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I had a good look at Vesper a couple of weeks ago from a nearby peak. Yes the slab holds snow and the bottom half was streaked by thin runnels of ice. Still though it looked like a less-than-spectacular winter line. There were some enormous ice pillars situated in the basin west of the summit (draingae towards Spada Reservoir), but this is a stupidly remote place to get to in winter.

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I've always thought this route is a good and funny example of what people are willing to do to find decent alpine rock in the cascades...I haven't climbed the route, but.......the rock on the upper portion looks fabulous...

 

I've done NF Vesper 2x from the glacial remnant, and both times had a really excellent outing. Others I know who've done it have all had excellent time on it. I'd recommend this route over alot of other Cascade moderates incl S Face of Ingalls. The things you list as making it "contrived" (contrived as a summit, but as a climb in itself...? Isnt all climbing "contrived"?)...e.g. the easy walk-off descent, are in fact a big plus for the route.

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I've soloed this one twice (in summer), and downclimbed it once, W/Trango S's. The red gully on the right isn't that loose and you can bypass the 5.7 if you want.

 

I didn't think it was that long until I tried to rap it with a 50M. It's about 6 full 50M pitches.

 

The approach is fun too in early season. Hedlee pass is really steep snow and so is the drop down to the base. Foot ski all the way down to the trail on descent!

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  • 2 weeks later...

ummm...keep in mind that the slab you would climb in the summer is in the middle of that picture below and looks like it *might* have snow on it!

 

Great summer climb though! Tiny bit of glacier. Some straight up (but loose) face climbing and then the craziest slab and open book. you'll probably see. Look at the view from Dickerman and see the tongue of that glacier coming over the mountaintop and forming the slab. Do it!

 

http://www.pbase.com/nolock/image/40462404

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