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Dexter Creek Slabs (3)

Statistics

  • Date - 01/24/2011
  • Elevation - 9,000'
  • Route - Dexter Creek Slabs
  • Miles - 1.5
  • Elevation Gain - 700'
  • ACME Mapper - Link
  • CalTopo - Link
  • Partners - Jeff Shafer

Description

To escape the ice park for part of a day, Jeff and I went back up to Dexter Creek Slabs.  The approach went faster than last year and wasn't too difficult.  We decided to free solo the short first pitch and continue climbing up rolling WI2 to the base of the first steeper section of ice.  I have led the top pitch twice, and Jeff led the lower pitch, so I took the first pitch to change things up.  I thought the pitch was slightly longer than the previous two times I climbed it, but easier climbing.  It was a fun section of WI3.  About half way up the pitch Jeff yelled sluff as we proceeded to get showered by snow from above.  Once it passed I continued up the climb and built and ice screw anchor in WI2 terrain so that we could complete the climb in two roped pitches.

Jeff joined me at the belay station and continued up WI2/3 terrain to where the pitch steepens abruptly.  Jeff did a good job leading this harder WI3+ section and found the tree anchor at the top of the climb.  I followed to his station and we were able to rappel back down to a tree anchor above the steeper section of our first roped pitch.  From here, we rappelled to just above the short first pitch that we free climbed after a bit of down-climbing and then made one more short rappel to the base of the climb and proceeded back to town.

Photos

Pitch 1Pitch 1JamesJamesJamesJamesJeff following pitch 1.Pitch 2Pitch 2JeffJeffJeffJeffJames following pitch 2.RappelRappel