[TR] Slesse - West Side - North Buttress 7/23/2006

[tlinn]

Trip: Slesse - West Side - North Buttress

 

Date: 7/23/2006

 

Trip Report:

"Friends don't let friends do the west side of Slesse"

July 23, 2006

 

This was the trip of death. It was July 23rd weekend and I was somehow convinced by Krystil that the North Buttress of Slesse would be a good idea in a 40 degree heat wave!!! Tim B and Bram V also wanted to come so we could all suffer together. Worse yet, I managed to convince my girlfriend at the time, Kristin, to come along. After all, we needed to spend some quality time together before I moved to Toronto. Needless to say we were not together that much longer!

 

To add insult to injury I managed to drop my camera down the gully on the approach to the bivy. This approach is ruthless!!!! It's like 45 degrees straight through the trees. It's so steep I dropped my camera down the trail and I thought it was long gone! Remarkably, after half-an-hour of searching I found it slotted under a root 30 meters or so down the gully. SWEET!

 

On the descent our ropes got stuck. I led back up to try and free them but I dislodged a baseball sized rock that completely severed our rope about 10 meters from one end! This was one crazy trip. The climbing was nice, but I will never do this approach again! Bram, Tim, and Krystil did the standard route and had a nice time...maybe we should have done this as well to cut down on the suffering. At least the N Buttress was in the shade!

 

The following weekend Gary S, Adrian B, and I went to do the Northeast Buttress of Slesse. Half of the glacier calved away just before we got onto it. I don't think Slesse likes me!

 

Some pics:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am getting stoked for this summer. I am not going to work so starting June 12th I will be climbing full time! There will be lots of work going on at Nicolum Knob as well!

 

Gear Notes:

set of tcus, #0.75 to #2 camalot, set of nuts, pink and red tcus (always!)

 

Approach Notes:

the trail up the west side from Slesse Creek

Edited April 15, 2007 by tlinn

[Alex]

I've gone down that trail/approach, I would never go up it, unless it was at night. No water and no shade for a looooong way

[AlpineK]

Nice TR. Not to nitpick too much, but the date on the title says July 23, 2007. I'm more interested in your travel into the future. Could you give some details.

[tlinn]

Nice TR. Not to nitpick too much, but the date on the title says July 23, 2007. I'm more interested in your travel into the future. Could you give some details.

 

I wanted to get a head start on the summer climbing season and bag the first time travel ascent of Slesse by the North Buttress.

 

Sorry, for posting an old TR with a future date.

 

Just getting excited for next summer and wanted to procrastinate by writing and looking at some old pictures.

 

Is there some way to post this as the proper date, July 23, 2006????

[tlinn]

Changed it.

[G-spotter]

Damn ty you walked all the way up that descent trail??

That's like doing laps on the Rexford trail.

[tlinn]

Damn ty you walked all the way up that descent trail??

That's like doing laps on the Rexford trail.

 

Yeah, let this trip report be a warning to everyone not to do this approach. Especially with your girlfriend or significant other. I will not be held responsible for subsequent break-up and legal fees incurred due to the brutal nature of this approach.

 

If you are going to do this approach at least be smart and:

 

A) don't do it during a heat wave

B) don't carry the whole rack yourself, especailly if break-up is eminent

 

Happy climbing!

[gertlush]

I feel your pain...we thought it would be a good idea to bivy at the top and hence carried tent, bags, kitchen sink etc...terrible terrible stuff, I guess when the guide called it 'an unrelenting hammer' I didn't grasp the nuances of the phrase