Hi All,

So sorry to hear of Andrew "Dude" Slater's death. I knew him during his many undergrad years at Macquarie Uni (he did a couple of undergrad degrees) through the mountaineering society and shared many happy times climbing, skiing, and drinking as good wine as we could afford. Yes, his laugh was large enough to fill several rooms.

My story is about one trip with him and a couple others for a weekend in the snowy mountains of australia (yes, they do exist!). Some people ice climbing, some people skiing. I thought I'd try skiing a slope into Blue lake and Dude said he'd take some shots (did he continue to be so into taking pictures?). The slope was way to steep and way too icy and I went over my front edges on about turn three and took off down the slope on my stomach heading for a rock band at the bottom. I somehow mangaed to backflip over the rocks and land basically OK in the run-out. Dude ran over to see how I was and said: "man, I thought you'd die and I didn't know weather to keep shooting or not. But I thought, hey, if I keep shooting and you die at least we can show your mum what happened!" And the laughed his great laugh.

After he'd been in USA for a while (must of been during Grad school) we did one more trip together back in Australia. The snow was bad and he was skiing rings around me, but we had a big fire on a rock at campsite and talked long into night about climate change and modeling and life and snow and  .............

Thanks for great memories Dude :-)

Love Matt 
 

I thought I'd share an old email exchange with Drew and others about ski gear advice for someone just getting into backcountry adventure which made me smile while at the same time made me tear up.  I don't know if I'll ever be able to talk or think about gear without wondering how Drew might make the process more interesting and creative.  I added Drew into this conversation because I wanted his unique style of fact filled smack talk.  In terms of description and breadth of knowledge, I don't think a gear reviewer exists that could go toe-to-toe with Drew if he really wanted to learn about a particular piece of equipement.




Erin,
Kids!!
Tiff is running the smack about doing an intro hut trip in the Sierras and I am effing going for it.
She suggested I talk to you kids about what gear I should get.  She's saying AP setup.  Technically, I need to "learn" "to" "ski" and whatnot, but that's just details.
So what gear should I get?  Your thoughts?
Rock on,



Diane,
re-quote from Tiff: She suggested I talk to you kids about what gear I should get. 

She's saying AP setup.
Er, first of all, it's AT (for all-terrain) setup, not AP (advanced placement test in high school = nightmares) ... just getting you on the right track.  ;)
And yes, AT is a sweet and simpler way to go than tele.
More hints later.  I'm supposed to be going to bed.
-di


Dave,
Skins go on the bottom of the ski ... and you put them on when you are going up.  I would go with an AX setup (extreme dude!).
Dave


Erin,
I hope you're kidding, telling me about skins.  And about the AX, now I think you guys are just making up letters.
I'm all about the AZ.


Steve,
Well, I don't know about this AX gear, but I think you should go with a big-feet tele setup.  I hear you don't even have to turn with those.
And I would go with the ski crampons as well, just to be safe.


Drew,
I'm not even sure what the status of the conversation is, but I will add my own bit

....you should go with the Randonee equipment.  Randonee is a French expression meaning "can't tele", best spoken with a contrived accent ... On the flip side some have suggested that the etymology of the term Telemark is rooted in a Norwegian saying that translates to "Hey, wait for me you franco-skiing fairies" rather than referring to a particular region of the country where Sondre Norheim bent his dicky knee while sliding downhill and was amazed at the fact that his fence posts whipped around in an action that resembled a controlled turn.

If you wish to see an action that resembles a controlled turn, rather than an actual controlled turn, watch Steve.

...  personally, I would go the AX gear as it sounds cool and is probably the lightest in weight.

Drew


Erin,
What color are they?


Drew,
I bow to the awesomeness of your response!
I feel I am in the presence of greatness.

Drew gave generously of his time to help every one, especially graduate students. I'm going to write separately about the huge impact Drew had on me when I worked at NSIDC. But this story is more specifically about a group of 3 graduate students whom he influenced tremendously, mostly outside the scope of his official duties and for which he never received anything back.

We were so appreciative of all the energy and attention he gave so freely to us that we jumped at the opportunity to get him some formal acknowledgement. What follows is the letter we submitted for a departmental (CIRES) "Outstanding Performance Award" in February 2010.

Please type in a brief letter or abstract describing in general terms why the nominee is worthy.

We enthusiastically draw your attention to the extracurricular service activities of Dr. Andrew Slater (Drew) of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC). We believe his past and present engagement within CIRES go well beyond the call of duty and merit special recognition. In particular, Drew's interactions with CIRES graduate students have played a vital role in improving the quality and efficiency of their research - even while he has not served on their committees, except in one case. His example as a mentor and collaborator is inspiring and a tremendous asset to NSIDC as well as CIRES and we believe he should be recognized for not only the impact he has made but also for the example he sets. Though only a small token of our gratitude, nominating Drew for this service award is an opportunity for us to publicly thank him for all he has given to us. I therefore nominate him for a 2010 CIRES service award.

1. The service increases the efficiency and/or quality of research performed at CIRES.

Drew has continually and tirelessly put efforts into supporting the academic pursuits of several graduate students at CIRES. Drew's encouragement and selfless collaboration have made a tremendous impact on their research and education. It must be noted that Drew's efforts lie outside his duties as a CIRES research scientist. Yet, time and again, not only has Drew improved the quality of our work through thoughtful dialogue and pointed assistance, he has inspired excellence in each of us. Attached testimonies from three CIRES graduate students whom Drew has helped over the past several years more than convey Drew’s dedication and service beyond his formal role in CIRES.

2. Implementation of a creative/innovative idea, device, process, or system that enhances CIRES research or assists in accomplishing the CIRES mission.

The same spirit of scientific intrigue, cross collaboration, and dedication to scientific pursuits outside his own specific research pervades Drew's work beyond his interactions with the graduate students. While this spirit or idea of science is not novel, implementing it and realizing it effectively requires innovation, creativity, and energy. Drew does just that and his dedication and creativity conspire to further the CIRES mission. Not only is Drew involved with public outreach (e.g. http://learnmoreaboutclimate.colorado.edu/ - see video #3) and with teaching inside the university (e.g. guest lectures in Prof. Balaji's class), his ability to cross-pollinate cutting-edge ideas in diverse fields of science was recently recognized through his nomination and invitation to participate in the National Academy of science's “French-American Kavli Frontiers of Science” in Roscoff, France, from November 20 to November 22, 2008. (See http://www.nasonline.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FRONTIERS_fusfos for details on this prestigious program.) At Kavli, attendees from wide array of scientific backgrounds “participate actively in a general discussion period, during which they learn from and form collaborative relationships with other young scientists in different fields.” To the CIRES graduate students whom Drew has mentored, Drew's selection was no surprise. We benefit from his lively discussions and collaborative relationship every day. An email confirming his participation with the title of his presentation is included in the supplementary documentation.

3. The service promotes or inspires excellence and dedication to the science and research performed at CIRES.

Drew not only gives hands-on help and guidance to graduate students’ research, he also sets an example as an excellent scientist that we should all aspire to be. Drew embodies the ideal of willing selfless collaboration in pursuit of a wide array interesting questions – just because they are interesting. His willingness to venture well outside his area of expertise, to learn about new topics, and commit significant time to helping students to whom he bares little relationship, save proximity in a common hallway, is a testament to such spirit of research. In the supporting letters, the inspiration of each CIRES graduate student shines through along side gratitude for Drew's support and encouragement (promotion of dedication) in the attainment of their academic goals.