Slesse descent/approach

[Matt_Anderson]

I am heading up to do Slesse this weekend and have been recently reminded of my inadequacies in the finding trails/not making an epic of descents and approaches department.

Any beta on the descent and approach for Slesse would be appreciated, we don't intend to bypass the lower section.

 

Also, because its so late in the season, we are not expecting to find and snow/water very high on the route. Are we wrong?

Matt

[Kalun_D]

Matt, Hit the trail till you get to the plane crash memorial plaque. Then look for a small indistinct climbers trail heading down right behind the plaque. Head for the bottom of the ridge, depending on visibility. Try to stay right below the ridge as you approach it to avoid potential icefall on either side(if the ice is still there). The Becky topo is a bit more detailed than others, especially if your doing the direct start. The 5th, 6th,and 7th(Becky) through the trees should be simuled or soloed all the way to the obvious gendarme at the start of 7th. Also simul the 14th, 15th, 16th. Only route finding problem we had was on the 11th were it goes right, around the arete. Also we never saw the 5.10 on the 12th, apparently we did a 5.8 variation right near it. Lots of the upper 1/2 of the route is like that...variations. The last place the snow melts out is on the gigantic bivy platform (14th, Becky). You may be able to glass the route if you go past the trailhead, up and left on the road. I recommend the Becky description of the descent. Note, compare the Nelson and Becky topos, and number the pitches on the Becky topos(they're not numbered) just like Nelsons. You'll have to do this for my pitch numbering to mean anything. There's bivies about every 4 pitches all along the route, so just go until near dark. Also a great bivy right on the descent trail.

[forrest_m]

some descent notes: from the far end of the short summit block (from where you come up), there is an obvious rap station. In sept. there was still a little block of stubborn snow here, the last water until the road at the bottom! Make 1 single rope rap to another station. The second rap is for convenience, you could scramble down if you wanted. From there, follow the gully down several hundred feet. As you go down, look for small cairn on the upper rim of the gully, skier's right. Traverse out to the cairn, once you get out of the gully, the trail is obvious. If you hit more rap slings, you have gone too far - climb back up and find the cairn. The rap slings are there to sucker you into repeating the descent epic of those who have come before you. The trail crosses several steep scree basins with a little bit of easy downclimbing and eventually leads you to some meadows where you can pick up the real trail. It is marked with orange diamonds nailed to trees, and is steep, dusty and dry, but easy to follow. Good luck.