The history of the "Death Slabs" below half dome

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Rhodo-Router

Gym climber

sawatch choss

Jan 10, 2013 - 08:37am PT

Seems like spring-early summer is the worst for rockfall. Any confirmation on this?

gstock

climber

Yosemite Valley

Jan 10, 2013 - 08:42am PT

Left panel shows the seasonality of documented rockfalls throughout Yosemite Valley for which the timing is known (1857-2011), right panel shows the seasonality of just those rockfalls from Half Dome over that same time period.


	Credit: gstock

Rhodo-Router

Gym climber

sawatch choss

Jan 10, 2013 - 08:49am PT

Well OK. Thanks Greg!

Is there a possibility that there are simply less observers present during the cooler months?

gstock

climber

Yosemite Valley

Jan 10, 2013 - 09:01am PT

Yes, that is certainly a possibility, and no doubt there are many smaller rockfalls that are either not observed or not reported. However, I do think that certain cliffs really are more seasonal than others with respect to rockfalls.

We have documented >1 cm of daily movement of exfoliation slabs due to thermal stresses (heating and cooling of the rock). An interesting correlation for Half Dome is that more rockfalls occur from the NW face during the months that it gets more direct sun.


	27 July 2006 rockfall from the NW face of Half Dome. Credit: Amanda Nolan

life is a bivouac

Trad climber

Jan 10, 2013 - 12:56pm PT

There is a very large flake, that one climbs on/past, roughly half way up Tis-sa-ack... (it is about 25 feet high and maybe 10 feet wide) You get to stand on the crusty broken-toothed top edge to place a wee pin up under a thin flake, and I swear it vibrated with the wind... I don't remember breathing very much...

Does any one know if it's still there?

It is/was a serious candidate for terminal velosity.

ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber

bouldering

Mar 23, 2013 - 05:51pm PT

In September 2005 we watched the recovery of a solo climber who died while off route

http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=99823&msg=99823#msg99823

Captain...or Skully

climber

Mar 23, 2013 - 08:04pm PT

One of my favorite areas in the Valley. Yes, it's third class, as long as you're not toting stuff.
If you get off route, you could die.

I don't recall that we ever called it The Death Slabs.....Reverse Sandbag, maybe?