Slesse North Ridge

Slesse North Ridge - July 2002

Robert, Mark, Jason and Jesse

We planned this outing with two rope teams, two cars and two days. It turned out to be completely non-epic with that arrangement. After ditching a car near the descent route, we circled the mountain and bivied at the trailhead. A relatively early start enabled us (Robert and Mark) to get across the pocket glacier before things started coming apart. Jesse and Jason took a higher line and got tied up in crevasses until a few booming ice falls motivated them to find a way to the base of the route. We found the most difficult climbing on the entire route within the first 50'. A poorly protected 5.11 stemming/friction problem led to much easier terrain and then 3rd class to the ridge proper. We simulclimbed ten or twelve pitches. We belay two pitches of steeper ground through moderate overlaps . Shortly after that and very early in day we reached our planned bivy on a very large comfortable ledge with views down onto the pocket glacier and a convenient snow patch. Nice . Rob ponders the precipice. Later Jesse and Jason appear after taking the Magic Carpet variation . The afternoon is spent productively with the upper Slesse buttress looming . As evening approaches, everyone begins to glow mysteriously .

Early the next morning , we are off simulclimbing again. Here is a view of a pillar several hundred feet above the bivy ledge and a view back down the ledge . Here we are about ready for a gear collection after about 600' of easy climbing . Later we ran into some steeper climbing that we belayed . Here's another shot of the bivy ledge from much higher . Before we knew it we were on the summit . Robert poses with the US and Baker in the background and with a precipice and gendarme . Here is the summit ridge looking south . I ponder the complicated and contradictory descent descriptions and then replace some webbing on a rappel toward the prominent gendarme. I believe this is the first gully of several that we scrambled into and rapelled down in between traverses to the north. After a short snow descent, we reached some marvelously green slopes with some steep switchbacks beginning the endless descent. Later came the black flies....

There were many spectacular views across the valley to the West as we dropped . 4000' later, we entered the Nam and then hit some logging roads and more mountainous views . Here Jason and Jesse emerge, pleased, from the jungle .

last modified by mrp on 030619