Like many things, the slab route isn't too difficult if you know where to go.
I took this variation once a year or two back.
Once you top out the N. Fork gully and near LBSL, instead of following the use trail to the outlet of LBSL, stay a little higher and you can pass around or above the willows that plague the lake shores.
From here you cross the obvious scree fan (note in pic) and join the slab route above the obvious cliffs at the lowest point of the major slab (the route in blue).
It SEEMS like there are two or more ways to join the slab higher up (a little further from the cliffs), but those routes cliff out (red routes).
Ultimately, this is a nice way to shake up the MR if you feel so inclined, but with the well-worn and apparent nature of the MR, following the route south of LBSL is significantly faster IMO.
