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Slesse Pocket Glacier serac - already active


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Warm weather woke this thing up from winter hibernation.

We took a hike up into the forest below the Illusion Pks on Saturday and were treated to this view

 

7100754931_b93e22958a_b.jpg

 

The hanging chunk fell off after about 30 minutes. In about an hour there were two audible icefalls (the other one happened while we were in the trees hiking up, so no pics)

 

Didn't get a good view of the N Couloir, sorry.

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I'm pretty sure that the Pocket Glacier never slid off last year (it was still completely there, but with tons of crevasses, in mid September last year), and that in this photo we are seeing two year's worth of accumulation.

 

I wonder actually if sometimes having more ice accumulation (for example, two year's worth) makes the Pocket Glacier more likely to slide off completely.

 

In any event, I wonder what this heat wave will do to it. Dru, keep us informed if you catch a glimpse again!

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Awesome photo, Dru - thanks.

 

Actually, I think this MIGHT even be 3 years of accumulation in these photos. In mid Sept last year the Pocket Glacier was very much still there, and at the start of Sept 2010 it was also still very big.

 

In any event, it seems to be going fast now. I think the ice in these photos is thick enough to actually have plastic flow at the bottom (I think that from one year of accumulation the Pocket Glacier only experiences "snow creep"), which might make the glacier more likely to slide off than when it is thinner.

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Has anyone ever crossed the glacier in conditions like these? Would it be too sketchy?

 

It's been done but it is dodgy. Sertac Olgun was killed there under similar conditions in 2009 when a serac fell over and landed on him. I would recommend caution or waiting until later in the year.

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Has anyone ever crossed the glacier in conditions like these? Would it be too sketchy?

 

It's been done but it is dodgy. Sertac Olgun was killed there under similar conditions in 2009 when a serac fell over and landed on him. I would recommend caution or waiting until later in the year.

or maybe just bring the nitro!?! :rawk:

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Does anyone have a good photo showing where the full buttress route starts?

 

I've read a lot of trip reports and descriptions but haven't yet found a picture that would help locate the start quickly (and avoid what sounds like difficult to protect slab if you get off route).

 

Thanks in advance.

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