the problem always is, is trying to assess where the cornice starts and stops for lack of a better term. Or, where it might be supported and where not. Better just to stay off the wicked things. Any time I've been on one I've always been on a rope with the belayer below me. That way should I go thru my fall can be arrested instead of my belayer descending with me. This is the largest one I've seen and been near; on Mount Robson's summit. Believe me, it's far larger than it looks

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Yes, this would be best practice. Conservative approach, roped up. But realistically, Mt Harvey is traditionally a pretty safe destination. No one would be roped up (unless coming up from the ramp on the north side).

Also, a cornice doesn't simply break off with a vertical cut. When it "breaks", the snow that goes with it slides off at a diagonal. So it's possible the people thought they were far enough back. But snow pack was massive so it could have been underestimated.

It's a tragedy that I've thought about a lot. I find it hard to find fault in this incident. Conditions were unusual and it's quite possible that it was difficult to identify the danger. My thoughts go out to the families.

I've thought about this a lot as well. Could this have happened to me? Quite possibly, yes. I've been up there a couple of times, which I suppose leads to a feeling of false confidence.

Plus, as guntis's illustration nicely illustrated, the snow can hide where the real summit is. If there's enough snow, it can make the summit appear to be farther out than it really is. Even if you assumed the worst, and stayed just behind the highest point, you could still end up getting caught in the cornice break.

Quite sobering, really.

I've never been up Mt Harvey. Is the lee slope as shown in guntis' diagram, which looks to be about 45 degrees, or is it closer to vertical ?

The lee slope on the north side where the people fell, is 500 meters vertical from what I read, from a distance you can see the sheer immense high cliff face.

K

Thanks

There's a couple of nice photos showing just how steep it is here: https://stevensong.com/coastal-inter...mount-hanover/

Hopefully the author won't mind if I directly paste a couple of the photos here.

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There is no way a place where you can fall 500m down is a safe destination in the winter. Conservative for me, means I stay off such places till snow melt.

Perhaps low probability of environmentally caused catastrophe is more accurate. It's just semantics. Obviously there's higher risk in mountaineering than there is in walking the seawall.

I have climbed the north face like 5 times, and roped up for part of it once. I don't think anyone ever has roped up for the hiking trail.