How Steep is Steep?

[ndbwhunter]

What grade percent do you consider steep, and at what point is it no long safe?

I've been playing with the path feature in GE to find the best routes into some new areas that I'll be hunting this year. The elevation profile feature comes in pretty handy, but I think it can be quite deceiving. How accurate is GE compared to the areas that you've hunted in the past?

Some of the routes that I've marked have sections that are 50-60% grade. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around how steep that actually is. I don't want to get out there on my scouting trip and find out that most of the routes I had marked are full of cliffs that looked like a slight incline on GE.

 

[Yellowknife]

Loose rock will stand at max slope of around 37 degrees which I believe is a 75% grade. In other words that's about the maximum steepness of a loose rock scree chute in the mountains. 50 to 60% is pretty darn steep and you will likely be switchbacking up and down.

 

[Bar]

It's getting kind of steep if I have to go down on my hands to help get up.

 

[Archerm]

37-40 degrees is getting steep for me. But that is where I do most of my hunting. Its a love hate relationship!!

 

[ndbwhunter]

Thanks, guys! Luckily most of the sections between 50-60% are fairly short, so I guess I'll just have to see what it looks like when I get there.

 

[5MilesBack]

A long time ago I skied some 60 degree ski slopes and you could stand there and reach out and touch the slope next to you at shoulder level. I generally don't pack an inclinometer with me while hunting though, so I just go where I want to go and don't go where I don't want to go.

 

[Bar]

This is a couple of areas I hunt, and a typical climb. Not bad at all.

 

[sodaksooner]

A long time ago I skied some 60 degree ski slopes and you could stand there and reach out and touch the slope next to you at shoulder level. I generally don't pack an inclinometer with me while hunting though, so I just go where I want to go and don't go where I don't want to go.

This, touching the ground out in front of you or beside you when standing upright. Having to use trees and roots to pull yourself up.

 

[poisonarrow]

It makes all the difference if there are trees or not. A slick slope is wicked. You can climb some very steep stuff if there is something to hold on to and something to stop you if start sliding.

 

[Elkfitness]

You need be careful on the rocks scree when it gets steep. I don't know the name of the rocks but there are some peaks colorado that are more dangerous due to the type of rock. I can visualize them but can't get the name. Also add rain to the mixture. Lastly, when in the steep stuff, think about where the animal will go when shot (and will you be able to get to them). Also, put 100lbs on your back and think how you will do it. I've turned around a few times when I've realize I could make a route with a 50lb pack but not with twice that.

 

[mtnrunner260]

You could double check the steep spots on a topo to see if the lines are stacked like a cliff.
Also veg can make it easier with hand holds or if it to thick can make it worse.

 

[tipsntails7]

Getting up is one thing but I find getting down that type of angle is much much harder for me.

 

[TEmbry]

Getting up is one thing but I find getting down that type of angle is much much harder for me.

This can't be emphasized enough. If there are trees, it's fine. If it's open scree slides (think top of sheep country), coming down with a 120 lb pack on will make you reconsider your favorite hobby. It can get down right SCARY coming back down a slope you happily climbed just hours before once you throw a weighted pack on to come back out.

 

[airlocksniffer]

Also veg can make it easier with hand holds or if it to thick can make it worse.

Except beargrass. That stuff is super slippery, especially on a really steep incline.

 

[RCA Dog]

Steep,for me is when I have to rope up and belay off a tree or big rock or something similar. Granted, I don't have may scree slopes to deal with , just straight up rock coming up from the ground. However, I have a fairly extensive rock climbing background, and so steep doesn't bother me too much. What does bother me though, is getting a shot\downed animal out of said steep spots. If I need my climbing skills to move around on a rock face, I am surely not able to deal with packing an animal around those same cliffs.

 

[Kevin_t]

Touching at or near shoulder height is steep. I packed a boned out mule deer of a slope like that last year. Care needs to be taken

 

[Jason Snyder]

Except beargrass. That stuff is super slippery, especially on a really steep incline.

I've taken a couple of tremendous spills on that crap. Cover it with a few inches of snow and it's like cat shit on a glass roof.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I find that it's easy to look at Google Earth and think "that's not too steep", when in reality it's pretty damned steep. I find that I can MUCH more accurately gauge the navigability of a route by looking at a 1:24k topo map. Once you're dialed in with those, you can do some comparison between aerials and the topo and have a pretty accurate feel for things as far as determining what's a cliff, what's a scree slope you should stay off of, etc.

 

[ndbwhunter]

I find that it's easy to look at Google Earth and think "that's not too steep", when in reality it's pretty damned steep. I find that I can MUCH more accurately gauge the navigability of a route by looking at a 1:24k topo map. Once you're dialed in with those, you can do some comparison between aerials and the topo and have a pretty accurate feel for things as far as determining what's a cliff, what's a scree slope you should stay off of, etc.

How accurate are the arc gis topo overlays that can be added to GE? I've been using that topo for all my GE scouting and route planning. I'll be ordering custom maps from mytopo soon, so maybe those will give me a better idea of the true terrain. Thanks!

 

[airlocksniffer]

Cover it with a few inches of snow and it's like cat shit on a glass roof.

That analogy pretty much sums it up.