Black Lake Slabs

Black Lake Slabs are on the southeast corner of the lake. If you can't find the slabs, they are probably not in! To reach the slabs, follow the trail from the Glacier Gorge/Loch Vale parking lot until Black Lake. Then continue to the east side of the lake, and start up the drainage that leads to Spearhead. This brings you to the base of the climb.

There are many possiblities for ascent because the slabs are very wide. The total climb is probably around 400 feet long, but there are many spots in the middle that are just snow-groveling. The bottom section offers a long section of fun, thick, water ice 2. Above, is a choice of snow or sometimes easier ice ramps. A few short steps can be found. To keep the climb more sustained through the middle section, there is a steeper WI 3 wall on the right side of the slabs. Finally, the last 30 feet before the top steepens to around 80 degrees.

The easiest descent is probably downclimbing the ascent route through the snow, with a few short and not exposed ice-downclimbs. It is also possible to climb past the end of the climb and descend the gully by Spearhead, but this would add considerable length in deep snow.

There is plenty of opportunities to put in fat ice screws the whole way up.

This route is too long to be toproped.