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. 

Ah, so glad this picture got posted!  This reminds me of one of the times Drew and I ended up being in hysterics.  Stomach-sore-the-next-day hysterics.

Drew was always good for exploring challenging cuisine.  On this trip to China, he’d ordered something that looked like a mangled rabbit at one point.  I didn’t witness that meal because I was lying ill in my hotel room.  Good thing, because the place where he ate the rabbit was reportedly a male-only, throw-your-discarded-bones-on-the-cement-floor kind of place.  Not sorry to miss that.

Other meals in China seemed to be the pursuit of the perfect hot pot.  At one particular munch-session, Drew fished out a disturbing chunk of bird out of the soup.  Dave L. could barely look at it after asking, “What IS that?”  After finding a claw, Drew and I joked that to prepare the dish, the cooks had set up a boiling stew pot, got a razor-wire mesh set up next to it, and shoved a whole chicken right through it.  I think our brains were replaying a cartoon version of this occurrence over and over in our heads.  We thought the “Meshed Chicken” meal was hilarious.

This was shared with me by Robert Schafer who was in the Macquarie Mountaineering Society with Drew in the mid-1990s, and who also subsequently moved to Boulder. It works best in Courier font, hence I had to make an image of it.

Drew and I both had a higher frequency of rock climbing in our lives before we started graduate school, but graduate school is graduate school.  We were both not on our A-game when we discovered each other liked this climbing-of-the-rocks thing and went out to try it.  (His ‘A-game’ was much higher than mine ever was, for the record.)  So we optimistically headed up Boulder Canyon with a guidebook and pulled off at a few interesting crags.  They were too interesting for us.  Long story short, we dubbed this day “Reconnaissance Day.”  We hiked up to the bottom of a number of routes and chickened out on trying any of them because we couldn’t see the anchors, had sketchy descriptions and didn’t trust our skills enough to deal with blind situations in dicey spaces.  We did a bunch of mini-hikes, made hemming and hawing noises at the bases of cliffs, and had a good laugh about it as we drove back down the canyon.

On another day years later, we had plans to climb the Devil’s Thumb on the Continental Divide after munching breakfast at my house.  We woke up to less-than-promising weather.  Grey grey grey and drizzling.  Eventually, we got out of my house with the adjusted plan to drive in from the Winter Park side instead of hiking up the east.  It turns out the weather was gorgeous above 9,000ft.  Doh.  We were thwarted on our 1st dirt road approach by major construction on the aqueduct road, so we headed further north to catch a different trail.  This one had more elevation gain, so we realized we were likely just going for a hike at this point.  But we hoofed it up there on that beautiful September day and made it with enough light to attempt the route… or so we thought until we saw the gully we had to navigate to get to the start of the roped climbing.  We scrambled over to an excellent view of the Thumb for one of the best places to eat a sandwich ever.  Drew summed up our adventure in his wonderful style:  “We failed in our mission because we got pinned down in Boulder by grey skies, warm pancakes and good coffee.”

To be sure, Drew and I did successfully climb some things, but for some reason these two days of silliness stick in my mind the most.  Thanks for the attempts, my friend.


p.s. For a flavor of Reconnaissance Day, refer to Erin's posted video, "Drew is a crap climbing guide..." 

Back in 2011 I just moved back to the US after a couple of years in Australia and I was having a really hard time adjusting. I met up with Drew in the middle of AGU craziness and he asked me how I was and I just went on and on about my troubles. He listened. He had this ability to really listen (Sally already mentioned it, but I think many of us experienced and appreciated that quality of Drew). And then Drew goes: “But you understand that you are lonely now and that it will pass, right? You only need one person that you develop a personal connection with to not feel alone”.

Drew, I hope you appreciated that you were that ONE PERSON for me and for so many of us. You managed to pick me up during my hardest times both professionally and personally. I just really hope you knew that!

Drew could be amazingly generous in providing advice in areas of expertise, such as skiing gear, or for parts of the world he knew especially well.  When Kathy and I were planning a driving tour of southeastern Australia in late 2011, I asked him for suggestions on places to go and things to see in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales and the Victorian Alps, far off the standard tourist tracks.  This was country he knew well from many hiking, climbing, and skiing trips while an undergrad at Macquarie University in Sydney.  Drew, of course, came back with detailed notes on routes to follow, interesting places not to be missed, hikes, we could take, etc., advice we would never have found in tourist guidebooks.  So when we encountered this huge “mob” of kangaroos (more than 60 strong) in a remote corner of Kosciuszko National Park, we thought of Drew and his love for this wild and beautiful part of his native country.

Drew’s life growing up in Australia is something most of us who knew him have heard little about.  I discussed it with him from time to time, my interest partly stemming from my own four-year stay in Canberra where I was a grad student at the ANU (Australian National University) way back in the 1960s, as well as several longish trips there with Kathy in the decades since.  It turns out that while he was at Macquarie, Drew knew an old Aussie friend of mine, zoology Prof. Noel Tait, a world’s expert in the peripatus (bet you don’t know what that is!).  Anyway…..over the years I knew Drew, I came to realize that he represented the best of what I appreciated about the character of many Australian researchers and other academics….inquiring, adventurous, iconoclastic, great sense of irony and humor, skeptical of authority in all its forms, and with a world awareness not always found among us Yanks in the same life area.  Also, he understood the proper use of Vegemite; for those who know and love things Australian there is no greater testimonial.

Anyone who spent much time around Drew would know that he had an encyclopedic knowledge. It turns out that this knowledge was developed and put to good use in his high school years in ~1989 when he went on the Australian version of the TV game show called Sale of the Century, a show that I frequently watched, also as a high school student. And he won it! He took home a 4WD car, Leica camera, and other loot! Drew told me that he read encyclopedias to study for it. Good on you Drew, and thanks for sharing that knowledge.

Thinking about things for a while my best memories of Drew are a little different from everyone's elses. I had great memories of the adventures and trips with Drew like everyone else for sure, but there were more subtle things that spoke to his character that I will remember most. I went on a few hut trips with Drew and of course he was the in-shape, super fit guy who could skin to the hut in record time. However, he never did that, he stayed near the back to be with the less experienced people to hang out and often take their minds off the difficult trail ahead. He did it without being annoyed and genuinly wanted to just stay with the people until they made it, in some ways I'm sure he didn't even realize he was doing it. That character actually saved me on the way down from Jackal hut a couple of years ago. We were all on our way down from the hut and skiing in pretty tight trees. I thought I was at the back of the group, and suddenly disappeared down a tree well. Of course I was panicy, as getting out of it is a realchallenge. Luckily Drew was again bringing up the rear, laughed at me, and helped me out. And skied with me all the way to the trail head, just talking about random stuff as usual!

A really fun memory was also from a hut trip last year. It was a mostly family trip with I think 8 kids uder 12 (not including Drew!). We played a game of judge and jury, where there is a mock trial when someone stands guilty of something and they have to be prosecuted and defended and judged. The jury was all the little kids and I had to defend Drew. The charge was that Drew peed in the snow on the way up to the hut. I tried to defend him and he was coming out with all these comments that you would expect 'I object your honor!' and 'the jury's rigged' etc. Anyway I just distinctly remember the way he interacted with the kids. They thought he was hillarous and Drew was loving it, completely in his element. And of course in the end all the kids were more than happy to unanimously shout GUILTY! Oh man Drew we'll miss you, one of a kind that leaves a big hole in our hearts and lives. 

It all starts with a simple plan - let's take advantage of some cheap spring ski season rates at Killington, VT.  This story takes us way back to circa 1997 when Drew was visiting my wife, Carolyn, and I in Princeton/GFDL.  The three of us along with Jim Haywood (now at UKMet) decided a quick weekend road-warrior trip up to Killington would do just fine.  Off we went after ducking out of the office early Friday. We stop along the way for some well-needed sustinence, the only option off the highway - Bob's Big Boy - complete with an all-you-can-eat-buffet.  For Drew, the gauntlet had been thrown - no amount of caution by myself and Carolyn on the potential gastro-intestinal consequences of his dining options would stop him.  At one point during the meal, I do recall someone saying to Drew, "you might want to go easy on the shrimp mate... I think they ran out".  Well - it took the remainder of our drive and checking into our shared twin queen bed motel room for the full brunt of his intestinal misery to kick in... Needless to say - the poor guy was up all night!!  But wouldn't you know it - in the spirit of the "Suck it up Princess" story from Rosie (above) - he somehow found the strength to ski down Outer Limits with us the next day.  However - I believe that may have been his last run that day!!  We will miss you, mate, but won't stop laughing about that!

This may seem like a boring shot.  But notice the sign in the back.  Then you have to try to imagine Drew saying "Randazzo!" and then giggling the way only he could giggle.  What a great guy!

We spent Thanksgiving 2011 at Nan & Al's cabin in Montezuma. Drew showed up, very late, unannounced, and more than welcome, as was his modus operandi... This might have been the first ski trip I did with him. On the chairlift at A-Basin, we got on to the topic of when lunch might be happening; given that we'd done a socially acceptable number of morning laps, now might be a good time to retire for sugary cocoa and green chile stew from the cafe. Drew scoffed at the suggestion, implying instead that he planned to keep 'schralping the gnar' all day and occasionally chew a cliff bar on the lift. Troubled by hunger (and lacking in cliff bars), I remonstrated that this seemed a rather mean-spirited approach to the days' nutritional needs. "Suck it up, Princess" came the perfectly timed reply. No-one's ever called me 'princess', except Drew that day, and the many days since that I've replayed his phrase when dealing with other more and less severe troubles.  Sorry I never got any wider skis, my friend, nor any goggles that passed muster. Be sure to keep teleing on powder days. We all thought the world of you, you know... 

Drew (left) was an officemate and friend during my graduate school days from 1996-2000. When I returned to Boulder in 2006 to work at NCAR, Drew was often a visitor up the hill and heavily involved in the land model development. We also served together on a data advisory committee and I would see him regularly at workshops and conferences. This photo is a bit blurry, but we had a mini Lynch mob reunion during the WCRP conference in 2011. I will miss his insights and perspective as a scientist and friend. Most of all, as many others have pointed out, I will miss his infectious laughter.

In 2010 Drew, Dave, Steve and I did a bike tour from Massachusetts to my parents house in upstate NY. The east coast sea level location had Drew thinking (and talking about) how the ride would be this puffy cruise-y ride. In addition to pissing down rain most of the time,the ride ended up being very hilly and challenging. After a ride which seemed to have endless hills Drew asked when the wine and cheese part of the ride was supposed to start. The ride did get easier and though it was harder than we were all expecting, it was Drew that encapsulated our collective underestimating. Drewster I hope all the rides are downhill with tailwind wherever you are. It's hard to think of adventures without you my friend