JasonG

As Mr. mc said, they are very different. To my eye the Jumbo slide started with a chunk of cliff peeling off and impacting the slope below, causing a shallow rapid slide of mostly coarse material. The Steelhead Haven slide of 2014 is a classic deep seated rotational failure as described above.

That is a great blog! The writing is indeed top notch. Somehow I suspect that even a child won't stop you from climbing inhuman grades.

I'm with Off in that I can't see how the new helmets can be as safe as the old style for real serious rock or icefall, but it would be interesting if anyone could post up the actual test data. Of course, the comfort and lightness of the Sirocco was enough to seduce me away from my old Edelrid.

I think this was posted already, last summer or fall, but now I can't find it in the database. Weird. But just as great the second time around!

That's right Dan, I have fond memories of that trip. Unfortunately, I've not tied in with either you or Kurt in the years since....We need to rectify that!

That is one of the greatest spring climbs in the Cascades and usually not as easy as you'd think, esp. with rime on the summit rocks. Excellent work!

The LiDAR for the Hazel reach is sobering. In the last several thousand years there have been several slides larger than the one that we just witnessed. Dru nailed the geology, something that plagues the NF in several reaches. Think of it as a combination of of moraine and lake sediments from when the Puget Lobe blocked the NF valley mouth. The thing that is interesting to me is that, contrary to what the ST reported, the river was not actively cutting at the toe of the slide. We built a several thousand foot log revetment to keep the river away from the toe of the slide after the 2006 event. It was performing as designed and the material behind the crib wall (extending up to the old head scarp) was very low angle and not in danger of failing. This slide originated much higher (a couple hundred feet above the old head scarp) and overran the old debris, going very much farther than I had expected. Amazing.

Dru is right on this one, they just updated it. However,I expect it to be revised downwards significantly once a few more days go by. Still, many folks we've worked with over the years on Steelhead Drive are no longer with us....the scale of this most recent slide is hard to comprehend. So much bigger than 2006. I've worked as a fish bio on the Stilly for the past 14 years and this is as bad of an event as I'm likely to see in my career.

Fury is the center of the bushwhacking universe. I think Wayne settled on the only semi reasonable way to access Mongo.

The Pole of Remoteness is no joke. This summer I was marveling at how far back in there it is. Here I thought we were "committed" on the NF of Terror, then I looked over my shoulder at Mongo Ridge and laughed. Wayne set the bar!

In all seriousness though, I come here for the TRs, pretty pictures, beta, access info, and color commentary- not necessarily in that order. There isn't a better spot on the web for our local hills, at least that I've found.

I guess I'm scratching my head a bit on this one, but then again I've never been accused of being sensitive. Having sat through a four hour staff meeting this morning, I really hope that these proposed changes don't turn this site into a PC wasteland like I just endured. Even if the barbs here sometimes cross the line (though that is pretty much kept in Spray these days), they keep me on my toes, and that is good. If folks need to be taken down a notch, I would hope that cc.com can continue to deliver, and that we don't take posts or posters too seriously. We could all use a bit more humility, and we certainly can and should learn to take some abuse. Think of it as alpine training without leaving your office.

I'd never considered the bee angle RE: Bachar and other solo deaths. Interesting.

I need to climb more. Great looking adventures!

Chirp- That is a fine sea run Cutt! I like your setup too.

Looking back, it's easy to see how our attitudes have changed over time, but a recent study in Science shows how much harder it is for young people to predict how significantly their lives/attitudes/hobbies will change. I am certainly not immune either, even though I am peeking over the hill. Kids/marriage changed things in ways I did not expect.

Really? What's the logic of which you speak? Gravity?

I'm such an idiot. OK, next Wenesday, Chuck's on 85th. I will try and swing it.

Right on cue

D'oh, I need to pay better attention. THIS one was north of town. For some reason I thought you were talking WS or Georgetown....oh well, hope it was grand!

If this is going to be a regular thing, I think I will wait until it is north of town. One of these times though!

Didn't Largo say something like "Anyone can fall at any time"? Seems prudent to rope up for 5th class rock if you can get gear but hey, I've got dependents. It's interesting to see that pretty much all climbers have this sort of soul searching if they stick with it long enough. As Mark said, you will see friends maimed and killed if you climb long enough. If those sorts of experiences don't change your approach/outlook, something's wrong.

Sounded like a fun time, I might just have to make the drive south for the next one.

David- If you need a guide, you should get in touch with Kurt Hicks Highly recommended!

Bob's the man! I've enjoyed his slide shows over the years and these books are impressive. Thanks for the reminder.