Mt Slesse — Northeast Buttress
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A 50 Classic Climbs of North America line and one of the great moderate alpine rock routes on the continent — ~750m of sustained, surprisingly clean granite on a soaring buttress, technically accessible at 5.9 (an optional direct start runs 5.10a) but huge, committing, and remote. Its reputation rests on quality plus seriousness, not difficulty.
🥾 Approach · descent · season
Approach: From the Nesakwatch Creek FSR (off Chilliwack Lake Rd), hike the Slesse Memorial Trail (~3-4 hrs) past the 1956 Flight 810 propeller-cairn memorial (~5,200 ft). Continue north across low-angle glacier slabs, descend a 4th-class (often wet) notch in the East Buttress into the Pocket/bypass glacier cirque, then to the bypass-ledge start at the toe of the buttress. Most parties bivy near the base before starting.
⬇️ Descent: Not a walk-off. From the summit, short down-climb to a rappel, then the Crossover descent: a long horseshoe of down-climbing, scrambling and rappels along the high alpine ridge. The classic Crossover was damaged by a landslide; the standard descent now raps the bolted Crack of Noon Club (5.7) — 11 raps with a single 60m (or 10 with a 70m) to talus, then ~2-3 hrs hiking back to the Memorial trailhead. Navigationally complex and time-consuming — the route's true crux; carry the topo and budget hours. (Alternative: the Slesse Mountain Trail walk-off, but it requires a second vehicle.)
🗓️ Season: Mid-July through September, once the Pocket Glacier has slid/melted off the lower slabs (calving ice has killed climbers crossing beneath it — wait for it to release). Timing varies year to year (some years it goes by July, some hangs into September). August is prime.
🎒 Gear & food
Rack: Single rack to 3" (plus a few doubles in the 0.5-2" range), 3-4 nuts, 3-4 quickdraws and 3-4 alpine draws. A single 60m skinny rope works (10-11 raps on descent); a 70m gives longer bypass-ledge pitches and 1 fewer rappel. Approach shoes useful for scrambling; consider microspikes/light crampons for the glacier/snow approach.
✅ Before you leave the trailhead
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⚠️ Hazards · fire · emergency
- Descent complexity — the Crossover / Crack-of-Noon-Club rappel descent is widely called the route's true crux: long, loose, navigationally complex (parties routinely epic or get benighted). Secondary: Pocket Glacier overhead icefall on the approach slabs before it releases.
🌤️ Live conditions
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