[TR] Lady Peak - South East Ridge 7/12/2008

[marc_leclerc]

Trip: Lady Peak - South East Ridge

 

Date: 7/12/2008

 

Trip Report:

Me and my Dad met up with some other Hikers and scramblers at Vedder Crossing and we all drove up to the Cheam Peak trailhead and started the trail to cheam. We stayed together as a group until Me and my Dad headed right up the slopes of Lady Peak. We followed the snow patches until we were near the base of the cliffs and headed south towards Point 6800, where Laughington Ridge meets the Lady/Knight col. I had done this traverse before without snow and it took about 1/2 hour but because it was covered in steep mushy snow we belayed a couple exposed sections. We eventually headed up to the ridge between Lady and the small spire just SE of the mountain. We had some water here and then started Simul-Climbing up the ridge, it was all 3rd and 4th class with occasional 5th class steps. The rock was loose but the climbing was fairly enjoyable until we arrived at the edge of a steep exposed notch. All the rock was crap, the boulders were loose and we couldnt find a spot to safely rap into the notch. I tried to free climb it but it was quite steep (even a bit overhanging in spots) and would have been very dangerous to downclimb. We eventually managed to sling a somewhat dependable boulder and I backed it up with a single tied off nut. Luckily it held us and we both survided the exposed rap into the notch. Climbing out of the notch was harder than I expected. It was 5.7-8 with sloper holds and no protection (one cam 5 ft above the boulders at the base - crux moves 20ft above the cam) I managed to lead it all right and my Dad followed it, nearly as scared as I was leading! Once we made it out of the notch it was easy scrambling to the summit. We put away all our gear, had a drink and walked down the standard route. I wouldn't reccommend this route as the rock is bad and it is scetchy in spots but I would do it again only if I was doing the entire Cheam Range Traverse. The crux is in the notch and it is quite exposed and the rock is pretty rotten. The only reason I wanted to do this was because I had backed out of traversing this peak from the NW because I couldnt comfortably downclimb the crux. There was no sign of other parties leaving slings and such on the ridge. I don't think this route is often climbed.

 

 

Route up = red

Route Down = green

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

A few cams - all the common sizes, fingers to hands.

a set of nuts and a light rope.

 

Approach Notes:

Head up west slopes of Lady shortly after Spoon Lake, traverse exposed gullies towards pt 6800 to base of ridge.

[rob]

Nice work

 

a set of nuts

 

Sounds like you needed a set for that crux

[hafilax]

Thinking about that crux still gives me the willies. The rock up there is total crap. Good work at getting past that notch in one piece.

 

Thanks again for the ride up there. To bad we didn't meet you on the summit but we weren't sure that you hadn't backed off.

Edited July 15, 2008 by hafilax