Slesse conditions inquiry

[Jonathan B]

I'm planning a Climbing trip to BC next week and am hoping to try the Northeast Buttress of Slesse. I would appreciate any information and photos of the current conditions. In particular:

1. How is the pocket glacier doing?

2. What is the condition of the dirt road (is it passable by a 2wd rental car)?.

3. What is the condition of the crossover descent? Should I expect to need crampons for the descent?

 

I'd also like to get a better picture of how the weather has generally been this year:

1. Has it been a big or small snow year?

2. Overall, how has the weather been this summer (e.g., warmer and wetter than usual etc.)

 

Any useful information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jonathan

 

 

 

[Rad]

Others can comment on current conditions on the mountain. This early in the season the Pocket Glacier could be a major hazard. Unless the road has been re-graded, a 2 wheel drive car might not make it. The road is fairly steep and rocky, with nasty water bars that will eat the underside of your vehicle. This is a big mountain, and the crossover descent will almost certainly have a lot of snow, some of it steep. You should definitely have an ax and crampons.

[G-spotter]

1) Pocket Gl. crossing was described a few weeks ago as mtneering boots and real ice axe required. Snowpatch in middle of route still pretty big. North Gl approach to North Rib described as not as bad.

2) 2wd rental won't make it very far

3) Crossover not very bad

 

Overall it's an average snow year but weather recently has been war,m. Less snow than this time last year.

[John Frieh]

Had some friends try over 4th of July weekend; pocket glacier had not slid.

[calamityinsanity]

climbed it june 29. Large waterbars across the road, as said 2wd will not get far.

the approach glacier was heavily crevassed and involved some technical climbing that had me wishing for a second tool. lots of rocks and snow bombs raining from above as soon as the sun hit. the 3rd class ramp was snow covered at the start, so we started to the right up a wet crack. snow patch mid way is large and 45 degrees. lots of water midway up.

crossover looked very snowy from slesse. we decided to descend the backside as crossover pass appeared steep and snowy, we werent keen on hitting it at 10 as we would have had to after our summit sleep.

[TofuTodd]

BPF and I tried it July 4th.

 

We did North gl apprach across notch in North Rib. Rappelled from notch for time (vs complicated snow/dirty wet rock/moat downclimbing) off a small slung tree. Then crossed on the pocket gl. One axe was fine with crampons. Just getting onto the pocket took twice as long as the 2.5 hour late August TRs will suggest due to snow cover and navigation.

 

Tried for bypass route but start was blocked by snow as calamity described. Other means of gaining the rock were either blocked by moats,ice-fall, or unknown/run-out climbing. We hiked down off the pocket glacier and downclibmed wet 5th class slabs to try for direct start at the toe. From the cliff above the drainage, snow covered the slabs to the toe start and looked passable but it was 1:30pm . Between late start and potentially complicated snow covered cross-over descent we bailed.

 

No way on the 2wd.

 

PM your email if you want pics

Edited July 12, 2013 by TofuTodd

[G-spotter]

BPF and I tried it July 4th.

 

We did North gl apprach across notch in North Rib.

 

Going by the rest of your description this is the east face glacier and east buttress notch as you can't really access the bypass gl. via the north gl as described.

 

Here's a recent FB post from young Marc with N Rib conditions

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151768087860701&set=a.10150233062605701.369646.651665700&type=1&theater

[marc_leclerc]

Wrote a blurb here then got all psyched and wrote an actual report. Might as well read this.

Edited July 16, 2013 by marc_leclerc

[G-spotter]

two in a day? nice work kid!

[Jonathan B]

Thank you all for your responses.

[G-spotter]

I was up on the Illusion Peaks yesterday.

 

Pocket Glacier was actively calving, the debris hits the lip at he Buttress Toe, and some goes over the lip to the lowest bowl. Average frequency of about once an hour but some were as close together as 15 minutes.

 

You can see the very nasty upper serac on the Pocket Gl Marc-Andre talked about in his recent TR. Getting across this to get on the Bypass ramp looks sketch plus to me.

 

North Slesse Gl is calving from the bottom, which threatens the right side approach to the buttress toe. However we also saw one upper serac collapse which put a pile of blocks very close to where you get onto the North Rib.

 

Both were most active between about 9 AM and 4 PM.

 

Overview

 

Pocket Glacier aka Bypass Gl., annotated

 

North Slesse Gl., annotated

 

Both glaciers, with zones of significant icefall during the day drawn in. Yikes!

[lunger]

good info., thanks G

[G-spotter]

Pocket Glacier slid off probably on friday. Reports had it there Thursday and gone Saturday.

 

Bare rock to the bypass, but still a few remnant chunks lurking up to climbers left to watch out for and run under.

[Woodcutter]

...anyone know if there's any snow left on the route for water. Including snow on the descent would be worth knowing about?

Thanks Jake

[Rad]

Based on our experience last year around this time, I expect you'll encounter multiple large snowfields on the upper and middle portions of the descent. We didn't find water on the route but planned for that and were fine.

[G-spotter]

Based on our experience last year around this time, I expect you'll encounter multiple large snowfields on the upper and middle portions of the descent.

 

It's way drier than last year. There are one or two small snowpatches on the descent. These are about the only places where you probably won't find wasp nests.