SlopeMeter

[M@]

I'd like to see pix of the slope-o-meters I'm hearing about. And even better: Pix of the home made one recently referred to.

A couple hints on proper use etc would be great (i.e. Don't dig a big hole and drop one end in there and read the 89deg slope)

M@

[skicdave]

Yes pictures and detailed diagrams... maybe we can add a 'Guide to Slope A Metering' to T4T.

[DRPHIDDLEPHOS]

i'll tell you what my slope meter reads......steep, real steep!!!! my slope meter is a little asquie due to the amount of taken in on the way up! there should be some kind of slide rule worked in for matters dealing with the number of you consumed on the useing a :seqway: rigged with because i hit too many down at before i up to to rip mad turns and hopefully can walk away from and face head first!
SORRY BUT AT THIS TIME OF NIGHT THINGS GET GOOD MORNING TUCKERS!! VIVA LE

[skicdave]

drpiddle...

I suggest you take up instead of ... lighter and easier to pack out.

Any official rule about having glass in the ravine?

[M@]

Found a slope meter here: http://www.bentgate.net/slopbylif.html
$16.95 + $6.50 ship
I dunno why, I thought they'd be more expensive. But at this price I might just grab one to throw in the pack. Might be nice to compare stuff for myself. If you want something done consistantly, do it yourself.

M@

[DMC]

They also have a ruler on the back to measure snow crystals... And maybe a facet chart as well - I forget...

[Mumster]

M@:
Found a slope meter here: http://www.bentgate.net/slopbylif.html
[IMG]M@

:ma:
That looks like a fun toy. Maybe I'll get one to combine with my altimeter for a more comprehensive assessment of the total ski experience....
Nice thought, combining vertical feet with slope steepness.
Is this Rocket9's gadget?

[DMC]

More importantly :mumster: you can better determine weather the slope your about to ski is in the avalanche danger zone!

[Mumster]

DMC:
More importantly :mumster: you can better determine weather the slope your about to ski is in the avalanche danger zone!

DMC:

Thanks.

[TheOctopus]

The pic that M@ posted is the slope meter that we were using in the Sierra backcountry. Simple to use -- you can eyeball it by aligning the bottom edge of the thing with the slope (just match it to the horizon line) and read the little arrow. Or place a pole on the slope in the fall line, and then set the bottom edge of the meter on the pole. Voila!

In addition to the back side of the instrument which gives information on crystal size, the guage is marked with grey areas which show the likelihood of avi for a given aspect. Note the parabola with a crest at 38 degrees. Also note that if a slope will hold snow, it can avalanche.... Take a class; buy and memoize _Snow Sense_; get informed and get some practice using your skills. And be careful out there.

[jshefftz]

I have that same Life Link model - works well, although the plastic bubble around the needle’s pivot point is almost guaranteed to crack immediately (yet doesn’t seem to make any difference).
Most high-end compasses (i.e., w/ sighting mirror and declination adjustment) also have clinometers that work similar to the Life Link model.
Some compasses also have clinometer devices that work well for standing at the top of a pitch and sighting down its length, thereby allowing a measurement over a longer distance and avoiding the need to get down on the snow (which is of course kind of tricky on really steep pitches).
Warning for all clinometers:
- You will discover that what you’ve been skiing is far less steep than you had guessed!

[TheOctopus]

jshefftz:
Warning for all clinometers:
- You will discover that what you’ve been skiing is far less steep than you had guessed!

We actually had the opposite experience on the moderate-angle stuff -- I was blown away to discover that one of the aspects we were skinning up was 38 degrees (which is moderately steep), and that something else (which appeared totally benign) was as much as 25 degrees -- we'd guessed those slopes to be much more gentle than they measured. (In the former case, thus failing to realize that we were on prime avi terrain until we took the measurement.)

But I think you're right when it comes to the truly steep stuff -- which we didn't bother to take measurements of because we were having too much fun skiing or climbing it! It's the same phenomenon that causes people to over-estimate the vertical of the cliff they just hucked....

[Mumster]

M@:
Found a slope meter here: http://www.bentgate.net/slopbylif.html
[IMG] M@

Any of you heard of the Ortovox Slope meter? They are out of the Life Link one. Is it as easy?

[SkiStooge]

MY slopemeter is much more simple than ANY of those mentioned: I climb up what I'm gonna ski down, look it over really well, stand on top with my Fischers on my feet (on my boots, really, but on my feet sounds just so manly to me right now), and judge from a mental chart something like this: (1)Low level grade-> I can see all of what I'm gonna ski without cranking my neck forward and upsetting my balance. (2)Mid-level grade-> I can see SOME of what I'm gonna ski without cranking my neck forward and upsetting my balance. (3)Getting kinda scary grade-> I can only see what I'm gonna ski by cranking my neck AND upper body precariously over until my balance is just about at the point of commiting myself to the first edge-set. And (4)The "I'm either about to injure myself badly if I yardsale or I'm going to be in total ecstasy if I don't" grade-> I can see NOTHING below me without being TOTALLY commited to, and having the skill and technical expertise to NAIL the first edge-set without having any doubt or unbelief that I can pull it off. #4 is, without a doubt, the most adrenaline releasing and therefore the most fun grade to ski! OK, with this all said and having been able to put the final word on this subject, I now close with my customary "Have fun, be safe". Al :skistooge: (And to revel in a mior bit of pure plagarism, I also add: "Summer is way too long" lol

[SkiStooge]

The mis-spelled word in my plagarised quote was supposed to be "minor". OOPS! It's late. I gotta get some sleep. Why does my mind get so random at this time of the day? lol Have fun, be safe. Al