Home > Trip Reports > May 31, 2014, Vesper Peak

May 31, 2014, Vesper Peak

5/31/14
WA Cascades West Slopes Central
10475
13
Posted by PS44 on 5/31/14 12:18pm
Not trying to toot our horn or anything just a quick conditions update.  Rather warm day; crossing of Stillaquamish river was fine with skinnable snow starting righ after dropping into the Wirtz basin.

Headlee Pass was easily reached by booting via the gully through which summer trails goes although the gully on the climbers right would be OK as well (there is an incipient slide crack at the top). 

Snow from Wesper lake to the Peak was isothermal mush but OK for skinning. Ski down was most fun below the Headlee Pass level back into the Wirtz basin (we skied cleaner snow in the gully on the skier's left but the usual summer gully would go as well).  Beautiful day out with cloudcaps covering Cascades east of the DelCampo/Vesper area.

Maybe Peter will post more pictures.

Thanks for another grand day out Pavel.

Skinning through lower Wirtz is starting to get thin but the main basin is still well filled in. The summer trail gully is dirty at the entrance and it would be easy to choose the climbers right gully but sometimes it can be difficult at the top. Yesterday it was fine but I have gone that way before when it was a rock scramble at the end.

Despite the clouds that followed us much of the way to the summit, the snow from Headlee up was pretty sticky on the way back.

The photo of the chute entrance makes it look a lot steeper than it was.

From Headlee down the snow was very good, well consolidated and only a little lumpy.

pollen covered beetle on the trail

thanks for the solid conditions update, and the sweet pictures. The skiers left chute looks like prime late season - low elevation extreme skiing!

Thanks for the report. How is the Vesper lake looking? Is there any water showing yet?


author=shred link=topic=31814.msg133743#msg133743 date=1401675672]
Thanks for the report. How is the Vesper lake looking? Is there any water showing yet?




Still solid

Pavel, you horn tooter.  Nice trip guys - looks like the knee is doing well.

I was booting up Headlee while you were sliding down. I spent the night on top, skied the west face that evening, and made an extra run down to the lake the next day. Had the whole peak to myself Sunday!


From Vesper-Camp

Wow Jim... that's a stunning photo.

Beautiful picture - and a classy style to visit Vesper (wikipedia: "Vesper means evening in Classical Latin...").

Reply to this TR

11965
may-31-2014-vesper-peak
PS44
2014-05-31 19:18:23