Labour day buttress - worthwhile?

[gertlush]

Has anybody climbed it? Don't have bivouac membership so no help there. Spending 2 days out that way next weekend. Day 1 would be Nesakwatch enchainment and day 2 is Labour day (it looks cool). Any other recommended routes in that area? Would it be better to stay up in Nesakwatch area and do some of the other routes up there? Nothing too committing..

[marc_leclerc]

Labour Days looks pretty good but expect it to be sandbagged. I think the guide says 5.5 or 5.6 but I heard there is some 5.7 crack climbing. Its about the same size as the Nesakwatch Spires so it shouldnt be too long. Another option is to do the SE ridge of Crossover's East Peak... I posted a TR on it a few weeks ago. Its a bit easy though, about the same as North Nesawkatch Spire. I personally think it would be nicer to stay at the Rexford Bivi site and climbing the SW ridge of the north spire. Its about 5.9 and Ithink it has 6 or 7 technical pitches, looks like a super good line.

[G-spotter]

Cutting down the approach by spending 2 days in the Rexford-Nesakwatch group OR the Labour Day area makes more sense to me. It's ~4 hours from trailhead to the base of Labour Day. Go up there for a weekend and climb Station D Buttress too.

 

 

The vague topo for South Nesakwatch

[dberdinka]

Labor Day Buttress is a good day out, but more for the scenic approach and descent. It's really beautiful country. The route itself is so-so. The start is definitely harder than 5.4! More like 5.8! The rest of the route has some ok climbing and lots of mossy climbing. Consider one of the east face routes if you're up for it (Drew might have details). Also, this time of year you could be exposed to a lot of perched snow slabs ready to rain volkswagon size blocks of death down upon you, might be a better climb to try in the fall...

[peas]

The Labour Day Buttress was pretty fun, but the climbing wasn't as good as it looks (I thought it looked pretty stellar). More of a "for the line" climb. Worth more attention than it has received though. The hardest climbing I found on it was a short 5.7 hand/fist crack.

 

Other than the NEB I haven't done any other routes in the area, so I don't have anything else to add.

[jmace]

The problem with staying overnight at Rexford bivy is you have to carry all that shite up the trail then leave it at the start of the enchainment then when you finish you have to come all the way back to trail head.

 

Plus if you plan on doing the spires routes Drew posted you actually need a full rack.

 

Probably best is to have Day 1 as the spire route climbing, then bivy then do enchainment on day 2 finish pick up your gear and walk home.

 

Maybe you should climb East ridge of Rexford carry over bivy then do enchainment...that would be full value

 

goodluck

[G-spotter]

I was just up the Rexford trail today and I have to say that spending 2 days climbing on the spires looked way better than climbing most anything on the Slesse Gp right now.

[gertlush]

Thanks for advice all..yeah I think sticking up in Nesak for 2 days is best. Max climbing/min hiking plus I don't want to get bonked on the noggin by any large items. That West butt of the spire looks pretty fun.

[Don_Serl]

west buttress on N spire is full value too, altho there's an easy section mid-height.

cheers, don

[ScottPick]

Here's a photo of the Labour Day Butress that I took last October.