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Slesse pocket glacier status


Rad

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Got down just this morning from bailing. Bivied at propellor cairn and heard at least one major ice fall event per hour all night. Woke up to this jumble showphoto.php?photo=98545&title=slesse-gacier&cat=500

 

the main issue was a tongue of glacier blocking the ramp to take us up and over to the pocket glacier bypass route. It didn't look to be hanging on by much and had water gushing beneath it across it's entire width. I'm sure it will be gone soon. A deteriorating forecast and high clouds and lenticulars made the decision to retreat easier.

 

Here's a shot from the memorial:

showphoto.php?photo=98546&title=slesse-gacier&cat=500

 

The access to the full buttress looks pretty well guarded at this point as well. It was our first time to slesse, but those are some nasty glaciers.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

glaciers are still in place and fairly big. the pocket glacier has lots of dirt and rocks near the start of the route. but the large block that sits on the ramp is gone. we took a pickup in but a suzuki sx4 made it to the hill just below the trail turnoff at the clearing. 4wd hc after that. road is waterbarred as usual but the drainages are no worse than last year.

another long hot week coming up.

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Brette and I climbed the NEB yesterday. 12hrs car to car descent via crossover pass.

 

Still lots of death blocks lingering in the cirque. Sliding frequently.

We managed to stay mostly clear of the line of falling ice by staying high on the left side of the cirque employing multiple shoulder stands and 'teamwork' body aiding off each other to get by blank sections of polished slab. no joke.

 

about a 45 second dash beneath the ice brought us to safer terrain on the right side of the cirque and the bypass ramps.

 

IMG_11232.JPG

 

 

A party behind us bailed after several VW sized blocks ripped through the cirque as they were preparing to cross. I watched this go down from the crux of the direct route below the bivy ledge, glad no one got hurt. Its still fully heads up, make good choices.

 

We had a great day. When I climbed this route six years ago at age 15 I couldn't have imagined that I would team free solo it with my girlfriend one day.

 

IMG_11313.JPG

 

IMG_11432.JPG

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  • 2 weeks later...

Been back in there twice since the last report. Once for Navigator Wall and once for E Pillar. Both fun.

 

There's less ice in there than the previous post and things are about as mellow as they will get. That being said I probably wouldn't stop to have a picnic in the pocket glacier cirque. But right now is definitely the time to go.

 

 

 

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