The Saber. From Sky Pond in Loch Vale one views the slender ridge of the Petit Grepon and to the right and east of it rises a great red corner, 1000 feet high. Dean Moore and I made its first ascent on July 13 in five hours. After climbing unroped for 300 feet, we came to the base of the buttress proper. Finding cracks in the smooth red rock, we climbed up 25 feet, left for five and back right for 15 and over a small overhang and a difficult slab to a foothold belay. The second lead ascended left around an overhang to a small ledge and then up an 85° wall to a grassy terrace. A traverse right on grassy ledges took us to a vertical crack system, which we climbed to a separated pillar belay. The next lead of enjoyable face climbing took us to a flat ledge, 40 feet from the corner proper. We traversed left up a difficult crack into a chimney and finally onto a good belay platform below a smooth overhang. We followed thin slabs left around the overhang and climbed broken rock to the summit ridge. Several hundred feet of unroped climbing and one roped lead finished the ascent.

Layton Kor, Colorado Mountain Club