A short but strenuous late afternoon bushwhack to a fairly recent slide on the west buttress of Mount Lafayette, which looms above the Franconia Notch Parkway. This very steep slide came crashing down presumably sometime during 2012. It is located just to the north of the huge 1948 and 1959 slide tracks that buried US Route 3. It is 1,000 ft. long, extending from 2,350 ft. to 3,110 ft. with an average slope of 37 degrees. One 100-ft. section on the upper part has a pitch of 50 degrees. Ice climbers have named this the “Summer Slide,” and designate its larger southern neighbor as the “Big Slide.” This view of the slide was taken from the Pemi Trail along the shore of Profile Lake.
I had a more restricted view of the slide as I set out from the parking area at the south end of Profile Lake.
After a brief stint on the bike path I headed up the steep slope, at first through a rock-strewn hardwood forest.
The woods soon transitioned to mainly spruce.
Lots of rocks.
Including some big ones.
There are multiple slide tracks on this slope, which has been frequently scarred over the years.
Climbing through an obstacle course.
Looking slide-y.
After a 500-ft. ascent the bottom of the open ledge swath is in sight ahead.
This slide has a steep footwall on both the south side...
...and the north side.
Looking up from the base of the footwall.
I used a little seam to get up onto the ledges above the footwall. The ledges above here looked dry and climbable as far as I could see, but I didn't have time to go higher, and it's always trickier to descend than ascend. If one were to climb this slide to its top, it would require a brutal 1100-ft. climb to reach Greelnleaf Hut.
Looking down the south side of the footwall.
My little perch provided a fine view of the Cannon Cliffs.
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