Anodyne
Saturday, April 23, 2005
 
Aerial Photographs of Mount Slesse under winter conditions, by Washington state photographer/pilot John Scurlock. These terrific images impress both the mountaineer and the photo critic in me. Check out that Upper NE Buttress!

"Weather seemed perfect the morning of the 19th, so I left a detailed flight plan with Karen and departed. Once aloft it was evident that strong wind out of the NE would be a factor.

I flew to Mt Larrabee and circled just south of the border at 8500'. I then contacted Vancouver Center (air traffic control), requested and got a clearance into Canadian airspace, to remain in contact with them for about 15 min., then proceeded NE while descending, crossing the SE ridge to begin circling N/NE of Slesse at about 7500', clockwise. (I would normally circle CCW but decided to go CW to stay to Slesse's N, out of turbulence downwind of the pk).

Once in position, I verified that I was at an altitude that would provide safe clearance over the N ridge, since I would cross it each time I circled. I set power to provide an airspeed of 100 to 110 MPH, since the route is in the shade and I knew the shutter speed might be a little slow. Faster speed can mean blurry shots in these situations.

With everything set up and stabilized, I began photographic passes. The camera was set in 'burst' mode, shooting off ten or so images in about five or six seconds. I was also using telephoto mode to provide some distance away from the N/NE face. A left bank is required to get the wing out of the picture. This results in a turn towards the mountain, another reason to stand away at a safe distance. Using this technique I made about eight or nine circuits. This is the same method I have used many times in the past to get shots of certain geological features or other climbing routes."
- posted by cjb @ 11:08 PM


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