Monday I spent the day on the summit, I often choose Mondays, if I have a choice, as we often have a smaller crew and getting access to the various parts of the telescope is easier. There are fewer people trying to do fewer things at once. Monday turned out to be very good choice indeed, the first clear day at the summit since Christmas. We arrived at the summit to deep blue skies over a landscape of white. Poli’ahu has again blessed the summit of the White Mountain with deep snow.
So after rigging myself in full safety harness I climbed the dome with the crew. The view from the top is stunning! A full 360 degree view of the summit on a perfectly clear sunny day. The entire summit is blanketed in a beautiful white coat of snow, one of the most dramatic scenes I have ever witnessed. The small Canon G9 camera fit in a breast pocket, small enough not to interfere. I began filling my memory card with many images of the view from the top, reveling in the spectacular vista.
In the thin air there is only so much you can do before you are short of breath. Put down the shovel for a few moments and take a few more pictures. I have material from which to assemble a full panorama as well as dozens of individual images.
After much of the snow and ice had been cleared by hand there was one more step to accomplish. Clear the large drift of snow from the back of the shutter by using the shutter itself as a snowplow. This drift is many tons of snow, over 2m (6ft) thick at the top and about 12m (40ft) wide. When it came down it becomes an artificial avalanche, with huge blocks of snow falling to the ground far below.
Avalanche from Andrew Cooper on Vimeo.
You guys do such a great job and it’s rarely acknowledged. We had our crew go up on Sunday and the telescope was operational that night, which is a hell of a feat. With storms like the one a week or so ago we’re usually the last observatory to open as it’s so difficult to clear the ice from the dome skirts and slit.
If I were you, I would submit that video someplace.
Awesome clip and perfect timing!
I’m gonna post a quick blip about it.
I remember when I used to get paid $5.00 to shovel the sidewalks out in front of a few neighbor houses when I was younger.
That’s a great video Andrew. Makes me wish we had a round dome at JCMT!
I totally agree with Tom – the dedication of operational staff never ceases to impress me. We had our people going up on Thanksgiving Day to fix a serious problem with the telescope – we were working that evening!