JasonG Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 Trip: Vesper Peak - The Ragged Edge Date: 6/5/2015 Trip Report: If you haven't climbed Darin and Gene's excellent new route on the north face of Vesper, you really should. Good rock, varied climbing, excellent views, and a dramatic position make this feel like a lot more than a 6 pitch 5.7. Right now there is a bit of steep snow guarding the traverse (we did a running belay), and the first half of the first variation pitch is running with water (which Curt led with style), but the rest of the route has weathered the winter in fine shape. In situ bolts and pins are all solid, and there is minimal loose rock to contend with. Steve, Curt, and myself had quite a fun day out- highly recommended! Gear Notes: Follow Darin's beta. I think it took us around 10 hours car to car with a party of three, lots of breaks, and dealing withe steep snow on the approach ledge. Approach Notes: Headless Pass trail. Start hiking up the climber's path to Vesper and veer off to intersect the higher of the two notches, closer to the summit of Vesper. Quote
Rad Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 How was the trail to Hedlee pass? Any snow down there? Thinking of another objective in the area... Quote
telemarker Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 Excellent! I looked at a few of the photos first and knew exactly who authored this TR. You have a very distinct style Quote
JasonG Posted June 10, 2015 Author Posted June 10, 2015 Thanks guys! Trail is snow free all the way to the basin between Sperry and Vesper. Quote
G-spotter Posted June 10, 2015 Posted June 10, 2015 4th from last pic looks like the route climbs up some detached blocks. Get it while you can, those may not last much longer Quote
JasonG Posted June 11, 2015 Author Posted June 11, 2015 That's the ragged part of the edge. The good news is that if the blocks fall, they won't take out the route. Quote
Bronco Posted June 11, 2015 Posted June 11, 2015 Nice to see this route getting some more traffic, another one to add to the list. Steve is really racking up the FSAs as well! Quote
BLM Posted June 11, 2015 Posted June 11, 2015 Great photos and thank you for the share on the climb and the trail. Quote
ajpederson Posted June 15, 2015 Posted June 15, 2015 Climbed this on Saturday, and it is really a lot of fun. We were mostly able to stay below the snow on the traverse to the start of the route, except for one spot. It won't be too long until you won't have to be on the snow at all. If you're comfortable at the grade, I'd recommend simul-climbing for a bit and combining the first two pitches to get to the nice bolted anchor. I have no idea what those blocks are attached to on the fourth pitch, but they sure are fun to pull up on. Also, the belay before the last pitch is pretty wild to hang at for a while. We also saw a helicopter land at the beach on Copper Lake for a while, then leave. Its always weird to be above things that are flying. Quote
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