Half Dome/Death slabs rock fall, 5/27/11 (video)

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Messages 1 - 20 of total 26 in this topic << First  |  < Previous  |  Show All  |  Next >  |  Last >>
le_bruce

climber
Oakland, CA
Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 1, 2011 - 02:15pm PT
http://youtu.be/xGzU_sQrMsk
[Click to View YouTube Video]

Pete and I were on top of Washington Column when the blocks cut loose, and I managed to record some of the aftermath.

There are still blocks free falling in this video, but they're much smaller than the first bunch that came down. The sound was BIG.

If the resolution were higher, you'd be able to see lots of material blasting down the slabs approach.

This was an eye-opening 30 seconds for me - enough so that I won't do those slabs again. [Three-year later edit: done the slabs twice more, still kicking. So much for convictions]







Gunkie

Trad climber
East Coast US
Jun 1, 2011 - 02:30pm PT
Flat out terrifying.
Roxy

Trad climber
CA Central Coast
Jun 1, 2011 - 02:31pm PT
amazing footage!!!!!!
Anastasia

climber
hanging from an ice pick and missing my mama.
Jun 1, 2011 - 02:34pm PT
Yikes!
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Jun 1, 2011 - 03:29pm PT
Bump for exceptional shots.

Excellent work there!

John
Adamame

climber
Santa Cruz
Jun 1, 2011 - 03:36pm PT
It seems like everytime I am on the column something is falling off over there. I saw the chopper fly by El Cap that day and just figured it was another mist trail accident/airlift.
Spider Savage

Mountain climber
SoCal
Jun 1, 2011 - 04:06pm PT
Nice work catching the action on photos and video. A big help to the rockfall researchers I hope.

You can hear something really big rolling down the slabs: kow-kow-kow-kow.

It surely would be a scary sight close up.
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Jun 1, 2011 - 08:27pm PT
TFPU. Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Or should it be knott being in the wrong place at the wrong time.


Bump
SteveW

Trad climber
The state of confusion
Jun 1, 2011 - 10:23pm PT

Thanks for sharing, le bruce--amazing!!
OLDRisk

Mountain climber
Lower Merced Pass Lake
Jun 2, 2011 - 01:26am PT
Why do you think they call them the Death Slabs?
Sioux Juan

Big Wall climber
Costa mesa
Jun 2, 2011 - 06:44am PT
I was on north dome in 2002 and saw the same type of rock fall, in the same place. It was just getting dark and you could see head lamps of climbers near the base and climbimg the slab
pyro

Big Wall climber
Calabasas
Jun 2, 2011 - 12:10pm PT
she is breaking down!

i've always considered the slabs approach a rating in itself!
nutjob

Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
Jun 2, 2011 - 04:49pm PT
After talking with le_bruce about this experience, it was the tipping point for me.

In July 2005, I was on a bivouac east of washington column (failure to find north dome gully), and 5:30am woke up thinking that fighter jets were below the rim of the valley. Looked over and saw cataclysmic shearing, huge stuff falling a LONG ways and obliterating the HD slabs approach (anyone there would be 100% dead), and dust cloud filled valley over to Glacier Apron. I expected it to be serious news, didn't hear anything else about it, no helicopters, no crowds or news buzz about it.

If my only time on CJ I saw this, and my partner's only time up CJ saw this... and others have seen stuff like this... just too often an occurrence to feel comfortable. It's so massive that hiding behind a boulder or obstruction to "ride it out" is a real long-shot.

I have no issues with Glacier Apron climbing (other than my general inability to dominate it), but the slabs approach to HD just seems unreasonable for people with things to live for.
gstock

climber
Yosemite Valley
Jun 2, 2011 - 05:11pm PT
One way of evaluating the risk posed by a climb or approach is to consider the following:

(1) How tall is the cliff above you? In other words, how much potential surface area is there to produce rockfalls?

(2) How prone is that cliff to rockfalls? How often do rockfalls occur at that location? What is the density of fractures such as exfoliation joints?

(3) How exposed are you to the hazard? Are there possibilities for sheltering behind large trees or boulders, or moving quickly away from rockfall runout areas?

Taking these into consideration, a crag like Swan Slab would rank relatively low, being a short cliff with few rock falls and a quick escape away from the cliff (when belaying at the base at least). In contrast, climbs at the base of El Capitan or the Half Dome slabs approach would rank relatively high.

Greg Stock
Park Geologist
Yosemite National Park
(209) 379-1420
greg_stock@nps.gov


Edit: Great photos and video!
myterious

Trad climber
Joshua Tree
Jun 8, 2011 - 03:38pm PT

Nothin' like a bit o' rockfall to keep the fluff away!
bvb

Social climber
flagstaff arizona
Jun 8, 2011 - 03:42pm PT
WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!
crossman04

Trad climber
san diego, ca
Jun 8, 2011 - 07:21pm PT
What time did that rockfall happen?! My buddy and I had just bailed off of the RNWF of HD and we came down the Death Slabs that day!
mr p

Big Wall climber
eastside ca
Jun 10, 2011 - 12:27pm PT
wow good stuff a big chunk pealed off between the zebra tisasack and the kali/white/zenith
it wont be long till the ragga peals off
see ya
jon06

Trad climber
California
Jun 12, 2011 - 01:27pm PT
Wow, I was planning on heading up the DS (for the first time) on Tuesday. I think we might be going the long way now, dammit.

Thanks for the heads up. Half Dome looks pretty gray and foreboding in those pics. Like a giant, dank mid-evil castle.

StahlBro

Trad climber
San Diego, CA
Jun 12, 2011 - 01:42pm PT
Great stuff le_bruce. The water running out from under those slabs always made me nervous. Has to be pretty active right now.
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