How does the Cascade XRS Lacrosse Helmet enhance player safety. What innovative features set it apart from previous models. Why is the XRS considered a game-changer in lacrosse gear. How does its customization options elevate player style on the field.
Unveiling the Cascade XRS: A New Era in Lacrosse Helmet Technology
The lacrosse world is abuzz with excitement as Cascade introduces its latest innovation – the XRS Lacrosse Helmet. Released on June 1, 2021, this high-performance men’s lacrosse helmet represents a significant leap forward in player protection, comfort, and style. Building upon the success of its predecessors, the XRS showcases Cascade’s unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of helmet technology.
The XRS is not just another incremental update; it’s a testament to Cascade’s relentless pursuit of excellence in lacrosse gear. With groundbreaking features and unparalleled customization options, this helmet is poised to redefine the standards for head protection in the sport.
Double Jaw Deflection: Elevating Side Impact Protection
One of the most notable advancements in the Cascade XRS is the introduction of the Double Jaw Deflection system. This innovative feature builds upon the Jawbone concept first seen in the Cascade S model, taking side impact protection to new heights.
How does the Double Jaw Deflection system work?
The system consists of two plastic stripes extending from the chin towards the ear. This dual-layer design significantly enhances the helmet’s ability to distribute impact force, particularly in the vulnerable ear area. For players who have experienced the discomfort of a shot to the ear hole, this advancement offers a welcome relief and improved safety.
Comparing XRS to previous models
- Cascade S: Single Jawbone protection
- Cascade XRS: Double Jaw Deflection for enhanced force distribution
Tri-Liner System: Lightweight Protection for Your Noggin
At the core of the Cascade XRS’s protective capabilities lies the advanced Tri-Liner System. This technology exemplifies Cascade’s expertise in balancing safety with comfort and performance.
What makes the Tri-Liner System unique?
The system is engineered to provide maximum protection while maintaining an incredibly light feel. Despite its seemingly insubstantial weight, the Tri-Liner System is the result of extensive research and development, ensuring that it goes above and beyond in safeguarding players’ heads during intense gameplay.
Vision and Ventilation: Enhancing Player Performance
The Cascade XRS doesn’t just protect; it also aims to improve player performance through enhanced visibility and comfort. Two key features contribute to this aspect of the helmet’s design:
Vision Bar: Clear Sight on the Field
First introduced in the Cascade S, the Vision Bar makes a welcome return in the XRS model. This feature has proven its worth, providing players with improved visibility during gameplay. The continued inclusion of the Vision Bar underscores its importance in modern lacrosse helmet design.
Improved Airflow: Keeping Cool Under Pressure
The XRS builds upon the ventilation system of its predecessor, featuring redesigned “tail pipes” (rear vents) that further enhance airflow. This improvement is particularly beneficial during long tournament weekends, where players may wear their helmets for extended periods.
Comfort Redefined: The XRS Fit Experience
Comfort is a crucial factor in helmet design, and the Cascade XRS sets a new standard in this regard. The helmet’s weight distribution and overall design create a wearing experience that’s more akin to wearing a hat than traditional protective gear.
How does the XRS achieve such exceptional comfort?
- Optimized weight distribution for balanced feel
- Ergonomic design conforming to head shape
- Advanced padding materials for cushioning
- Improved ventilation reducing heat buildup
This level of comfort is particularly advantageous during tournament play, where players often wear their helmets for extended periods between games.
Style Meets Substance: Unparalleled Customization Options
Recognizing the importance of style in lacrosse culture, Cascade has significantly expanded the customization options available with the XRS helmet.
How many color combinations are possible with the XRS?
The Cascade XRS boasts an impressive 9.6 million possible color combinations, achieved through five customizable zones on the helmet. This vast array of options allows players to express their individual style or align perfectly with team colors.
Jawbone color options
Unlike the Cascade S, which offered the Jawbone only in black, the XRS provides three color choices for this component:
- Black
- White
- Grey
This expanded palette further enhances the helmet’s customization potential, allowing for even more personalized designs.
The Science Behind the Style: Cascade’s Commitment to Innovation
While the Cascade XRS impresses with its aesthetics and customization options, it’s the underlying technology and research that truly set it apart. Cascade’s approach to helmet design is driven by data and a relentless pursuit of improved safety standards.
How does Cascade incorporate data into helmet design?
Cascade utilizes advanced impact testing, biomechanical analysis, and player feedback to inform their design process. This data-driven approach ensures that each new helmet model, including the XRS, represents a meaningful advancement in protection and performance.
Continuous improvement philosophy
Despite their dominant market position, Cascade doesn’t rest on its laurels. The company consistently invests in research and development to improve upon their already impressive products. This commitment to innovation benefits players by providing access to cutting-edge protective gear.
Investment in Safety: Understanding the XRS Price Point
With a retail price of $299.99, the Cascade XRS represents a significant investment for players. However, when considering the advanced technology, customization options, and potential long-term health benefits, many find the cost justified.
Factors contributing to the XRS price:
- Advanced protective technologies (Double Jaw Deflection, Tri-Liner System)
- Extensive research and development costs
- High-quality materials for durability and performance
- Customization capabilities
- Brand reputation and quality assurance
When viewed as an investment in player safety and performance, the XRS’s price point aligns with its value proposition in the competitive lacrosse equipment market.
Beyond the Field: Cascade’s Impact on Lacrosse Culture
The release of the Cascade XRS goes beyond mere product introduction; it represents a milestone in lacrosse equipment evolution. Cascade’s influence extends into the very culture of the sport, shaping player expectations and safety standards.
How does Cascade influence lacrosse equipment trends?
As a market leader, Cascade’s innovations often set the benchmark for other manufacturers. Features introduced in Cascade helmets, such as the Vision Bar and advanced ventilation systems, frequently become industry standards, driving overall improvement in lacrosse protective gear.
The role of social media in product launches
Cascade leverages social media platforms to generate excitement and showcase new products. For example, the company used Twitter to reveal the XRS’s customization capabilities, engaging directly with the lacrosse community and building anticipation for the helmet’s release.
Proper Helmet Fit: Maximizing Protection and Comfort
While the Cascade XRS offers advanced protection, proper fit is crucial for maximizing its effectiveness. Understanding how to correctly fit and wear a lacrosse helmet is essential for player safety.
The 2-2-2 Check method for helmet fitting:
- Eyes: No more than two fingers’ width between helmet brim and eyebrows
- Ears: Helmet buckles should sit just below the ears
- Mouth: No more than two fingers should fit under the chin strap when tightened
Additional fitting considerations:
- Snug fit without causing discomfort or headaches
- Helmet should sit level on the head
- Unable to push the helmet off the forehead
- Slight pressure on top of the head when opening mouth wide
Proper fitting ensures that the helmet’s protective features, including the XRS’s Double Jaw Deflection system, are optimally positioned to safeguard the player during gameplay.
The Future of Lacrosse Helmet Technology: What’s Next After the XRS?
As Cascade continues to innovate, the lacrosse community eagerly anticipates future developments in helmet technology. The XRS sets a high bar, but history suggests that Cascade will continue to push boundaries in protection, comfort, and style.
Potential areas for future innovation:
- Advanced materials for improved impact absorption
- Integration of smart technology for real-time impact monitoring
- Further enhancements to visibility and peripheral vision
- Exploration of sustainable and eco-friendly manufacturing processes
- Customization options incorporating augmented reality for virtual try-ons
While these possibilities are speculative, they reflect the dynamic nature of sports equipment technology and Cascade’s track record of innovation.
The Cascade XRS Lacrosse Helmet represents a significant advancement in player protection, comfort, and style. Its introduction of the Double Jaw Deflection system, improved ventilation, and unparalleled customization options set a new standard in the industry. As players and teams adopt this cutting-edge equipment, the impact of the XRS will likely be felt across all levels of lacrosse, from youth leagues to professional play. Cascade’s commitment to continuous improvement ensures that the future of lacrosse helmet technology remains bright, with the XRS serving as a stepping stone to even greater innovations in player safety and performance.
Gear Review: Cascade XRS Helmet
New Cascade helmets are inevitable. We all know they’re coming, but like your favorite holiday, even though you’ve been through it so many times before, it’s impossible not to be excited about it. Cascade just keeps pushing the gas, and new releases keep us safer than the last, feel more comfortable, and looks amazing. The Cascade XRS fires on all cylinders, and I’m really excited for you guys to experience it.
The Cascade XRS helmet drops today (June 1, 2021), and if you’re a fan of Cascade helmets, and of course you are, you’re going to love it. Each Cascade helmet has gotten better that its predecessor, and the XRS is no exception. The protective technology packed into this helmet is amazing, and when paired with the unprecedented level of comfort, and the always present style of Cascade helmets, you end up with a truly impressive piece of equipment.
New for the Cascade XRS is the Double Jaw Deflection. If you’ve ever caught a shot with your ear hole, you know how unpleasant it is. Cascade’s previous helmet, the Cascade S, introduced the Jawbone, which was a single piece of plastic that extended from the chin back towards the ear and was designed to mitigate impact on the side of the head. The Cascade XRS has doubled down, and added another protective plastic stripe that helps distribute impact force. The XRS is full of brain-saving technology with their Tri-Liner System. It’s light, and almost so comfortable that it doesn’t feel substantial, but knowing how much time and effort Cascade puts into protection and safety, you know it’s going to go above and beyond to protect your noggin.
The Vision Bar that was introduced with the Cascade S is back, and I honestly don’t see it going anywhere on subsequent Cascade releases. It’s a nice innovation that has proven itself in the XRS’s predecessor. The “tail pipes” (rear vents) also make a return with the XRS. The airflow that we saw in the Cascade S has somehow been improved upon. The weight distribution of the XRS make it feel more like a hat than a helmet, and this helmet will be perfect for those tournament weekends where your helmet is on your head more often than it isn’t. In short, this is a VERY comfortable helmet.
Driven by data, and shaped for comfort. The XRS offers 5 customizable zones, for over 9.6 million color combinations. We went all in, so you could go all out. pic.twitter.com/kKZqJPY2Qf
— Cascade Lacrosse (@CascadeLacrosse) May 26, 2021
Style is everything (at least very important) when it comes to lacrosse, and Cascade has upped their customization game. The Cascade XRS has five customizable zones resulting in 9.6 million color combinations. The Jawbone that was only available in black on the S model, now comes in three colors, black, white, and grey.
This is a beautiful helmet that is chock full of Cascade technology that they have been fine-tuning for a long time. Given their market-share, Cascade could easily make minor changes on new releases, sit back and count their money…but they don’t. They defend their market-share by continuously improving upon already amazing products, and even though they’re not cheap ($299.99), I truly believe it’s we the consumers that come out on top.
To buy your Cascade XRS helmet, visit Universal Lacrosse.
Check out more lacrosse gear content on Red Star Lacrosse’s social media:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/redstarlacrosse
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redstarlax
Helmets | Cascade Bicycle Club
This page is a guide to fitting your helmet as well as Cascade’s guide to helmets.
HELMET FIT
2-2-2-Check using your pointer and index fingers
Check out this video to see how it’s done!
Different helmets fit differently sized and shaped heads. Your helmet should fit snugly, but not so tight that it gives you a headache. If it does not fit snugly, try a different size, style or brand.
EYES
Your helmet should be worn low on your forehead and level on your head. There should be no more than a two finger’s width of space between your helmet brim and your eyebrows. You should not be able to push the helmet off your forehead.
EARS
Open your first two fingers into a ‘V’ position and place them alongside your head under your ears. Your helmet buckles should be placed right under your ears, where your fingers meet. The proper placement of the buckles will keep the helmet from pushing off your forehead in a crash. Shortening the front straps will keep the helmet nice and low on your forehead.
MOUTH
Buckle and tighten the chin strap so it is snug. When you open your mouth wide, you should feel slight pressure on the top of your head. You should not be able to fit more than two fingers between the strap and your chin. Loose straps can allow the helmet to shift off your head in a crash.
Other suggestions:
Check the fit and readjust your helmet frequently.
Visor caps and hats will affect helmet fit. Re-adjust accordingly.
Helmets are one-hit-wonders. If your helmet sustains any impact from crash, you need to replace it, as an impacted helmet is less likely to protect you in a future crash.
The helmet materials degrade over time. Helmet manufacturers recommend replacing helmets every three to five years.
Cascade’s Guide to Helmets
Whether for recreation or transportation, bicycling is a healthy activity that has proven to increase life-expectancy, decrease chances of heart disease and obesity, and increase one’s happiness.
Like all activities, bicycling carries some risk of injury. One risk is crashing. The most common injuries from crashes are scrapes and bruises. Serious crashes, while rare, often involve head injuries.
We can see from this hierarchy of controls that, while important, helmets are actually our last line of defense in preventing brain injury in the event of a serious crash. That is why Cascade advocates for safer streets and works with local transportation departments to design streets to be calmer, more predictable and safer in order to reduce the chances of collisions between road users. Cascade also provides education programs for youth and adults so we can all learn how to safely navigate the roadways on our bikes. Our goal is to prevent accidents and crashes in the first place.
Cascade requires all riders in its Free Daily Rides Program and major event rides to wear a helmet at all times, and encourages its members to comply with the helmet laws across the region. In order to be effective, the helmet should fit and be properly adjusted.
Visit the Washington State Department of Transportation’s bike helmet requirements website which lists local requirements across the state.
(updated on 1/8/2021)
Cascade Lacrosse Launches New S Helmet on Field During 2017 NCAA D1 Quarterfinals
Market-Leading Helmet Manufacturer Raises Bar on Protection, Comfort & Vision – www.PRNewsWire.com/CascadeS
LIVERPOOL, N.Y., May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — Cascade Lacrosse, the leading helmet manufacturer in lacrosse, today launched a new premium helmet, the S. Designed and manufactured in the United States, the new S represents the pinnacle of protection, comfort and vision. The S incorporates several new, game-changing helmet technologies, including a new tri-liner integrated with the shell, new Xflo ventilation that more than doubles the breathability of previous helmets models, and a new Vision bar facemask that ensures the ball is never out of sight. The helmet will be available in Cascade’s 48-hour factory custom manufacturing starting June 19th at a retail price of $289.
“Our new Cascade S helmet is the culmination of more than 30 years of research, development, and athlete collaboration, and represents a new era in the future of helmets,” said Geof Legg, Senior Brand Manager, Cascade Maverik Lacrosse. “We are proud that our helmets are the overwhelming choice of players at the highest level, and we are confident that the S will continue to deliver superior protection, comfort and vision to those athletes.”
Game-Changing Technologies:
Protection: Three different liner technologies unite to optimally address variable force impacts. This tri-liner system integrates perfectly with the SuperMono S shell to create the ideal protection package.
Comfort: Best-in-class ventilation ports offer 2X breathability. Balanced and aligned, the S is designed with the center of gravity directly on the crown of the head.
Vision: PowerPress technology decreases wire diameter on the top bar to improve sight lines and increase facemask rigidity. With improved vision, the ball is never out of sight.
“The S represents seamlessly integrated shell and liner impact technologies for an optimal protection system and a new standard in lacrosse helmets,” said Jesse Newman, Cascade Maverik Lacrosse R&D.
Additionally, a HardTail SPRfit™ system, coupled with custom jaw pad options, gets you dialed into a 360-degree fit with micro-adjustment on the fly. Lastly, a completely new SuperMono S Shell and an S-Series chin, a reinforced dual-material chin piece that provides improved stiffness, round out the exterior components.
“It’s truly unbelievable how they keep raising the bar with each helmet launch,” said Drew Adams, Three-Time MLL goalie of the Year, NY Lizards. “It has things you didn’t even know you wanted until you’re wearing it and you see and feel the difference.”
Visit Cascadelacrosse.com for more info and videos featuring MLL players, and FactoryCustom.com for a full selection of color and component options.
ABOUT CASCADE MAVERIK LACROSSE, LLC
Based in Liverpool, NY. Cascade Maverik is comprised of two brands, Maverik and Cascade. Cascade’s “passion to protect” has helped it become the #1 manufacturer of lacrosse head protection for male and female athletes at all levels of the sport. Since 1986, Cascade prides itself on building and delivering high performance game-changing headgear, manufactured in the USA. Maverik, founded in 2005 by All-World professional lacrosse players, is a leading lacrosse manufacturer of heads, shafts, complete sticks, a complete line of protective gear, and accessories. For more information, please visit www.cascadelacrosse.com or www.MaverikLacrosse.com.
Join the conversation on Instagram –
Men’s: @maveriklacrosse & @cascadelacrosse
Women’s: @maverikwlx & @cascadewlx
Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost
Overview
Thumbs Up to A Great Climb
Elevation Gain | 7,000 ft / 2,133 m |
Total Distance | 8 miles / 12.9 km |
Time | 1-2 days |
Eldorado Peak is Located in the North Cascades National Park and is on the Washington Top 100 list. Fred Beckey calls this peak “Queen of the Cascade River” considering that it is in the middle of a collection of beautiful peaks. Massively aloof, perched at the edge of the largest contiguous ice-sheet in the lower 48 states not connected to a volcano, the summit has a Himalayan like splendor owing to its remoteness, position, and knife-edge summit ridge. The total climb encompasses a 6,800 feet of vertical feet (not including ups and downs) and can be made through one of two interesting approaches. The climb is not technically difficult, and a number of people climb up each year to experience the thrill of stamping out a “just-wide-enough” path on the summit ridge and looking into the heart of the Klawatti-Inspiration-McAlister icecap. Views into Marble Creek, Dorado Needle, Forbidden Peak, Mount Buckner, Logan, Johannesburg and the other peaks of the Ptarmigan Traverse. It is an exhilarating summit experience, the ridge gives one a feeling of being out in the true alpine environment. This is a mountain that any mountaineer visiting the Pacific Northwest really should see and climb it!
Eldorado Peak from Marblemount : Photo Taken by Jim Dockery
Routes
Hiking up the East Ridge
Climber on the West Arete
Climbing the NW Ice Couloir
Northeast Face of EldoradoEast Ridge: This is considered to be the Standard Route up Eldorado Peak because it has the lesser distance approach, the least amount of work, and is non technical. This route requires glacier travel experience as well as the proper gear for crevasse rescue. This route can be done in a long day push or as a enjoyable two day trip. The cool thing about the East Ridge is that it can be done almost all year round depending on weather, avalanche danger, and whether the Cascade River Road is open all the way to mile marker 20. This is a great route for most alpinist and provides you with some of the best views in the State of Washington.
West Arete: The West Arete is perhaps Eldorado Peak’s most spectacular looking face. This climb takes a few days and has a rock climbing difficulty of up to 5.8. The route starts out at mile marker 20 and goes up much of the standard route. At the Eldorado Glacier instead of going up, it traverses around the Eldorado Glacier. It then traverses around Eldorado and the Triad and goes all the way to the bottom of the West Face of Eldorado. Then you start a series of scrambles and climbs up the West Arete. Descend down the East Ridge.
Northwest Ice Couloir: “The Northwest Ice Couloir is an excellent mixed climb leading to the summit of this iconic Cascades peak. Guarded by a long, somewhat complicated approach and situated in the wild Marble Creek Cirque, this aspect boasts stunning views of Dorado Needle and Early Morning Spire. The route has been climbed in late fall, early winter and early spring. When you choose to climb will dictate the character and difficulty of the route.” -ExcitableBoy
Northeast Face: “This somewhat contrived route climbs the steep ice face climbers right of the standard East Ridge route and offers a nice alternative for climbers with a bit of ice climbing experience. The route is in best condition in early fall (late September – mid October) before the first snow storms arrive. The climber should expect several pitches of snow and ice to 60 degrees.” -ExcitableBoy
Getting There
Eldorado from the RoadView Easy Directions from google maps to get exact directions from your location.
Getting there from Seattle: Drive North on I-5 until you get to Arlington which you take a right at exit 208 onto highway 530. The highway briefly takes a left in down town Arlington onto highway 9 which a few seconds later be sure to turn right back onto highway 530 east to Darrington. At Darrington where the road pretty much ends you take a left onto highway 530 which goes north. In about 19 miles the highway ends, take a right onto highway 20 towards Marblemount. In about 7.5 you arrive at the city of Marblemount. After passing the last gas station the highway curves, be sure to go strait which goes onto the Cascade River Road. After crossing the bridge the road takes you all the way to the trailhead of Eldorado which is at Mile Marker 20. Keep in mind that the last 10 miles of road is gravel and washes out almost every year at some point. The trailhead itself is on the right hand side and has a decent parking lot with a bathroom.
Standard Route Overview Map by Steph Abegg
Standard Climbing Route
From the trailhead start out hiking 280 or so feet to the left (West) until you get to a big clearing where you will find a nice big tree fallen over. Use this log to cross the river unless you happen to find another way across that is more to your liking. Be careful, the log is often slippery and may have some ice on it. Thank goodness it’s kinda wide, so if you feel uncomfortable you could straddle it (personally I was fine walking it). Go all the way to the end of the log and get off on the right side to avoid bushes and devils club. Keep in mind that this could change some day if the log gets washed away.
Log Crossing in 2008
Locating the trail might be a little difficult depending on your luck. If you encounter the trailhead sign, you are officially on the trail. Now keep in mind for a little while the trail is broken up in some spots at the beginning. Once the trail becomes more solid, it remains decent all the way until you get to the boulder field. This is considered by many to be a steep trail which usually takes people a few hours to head up depending on your pace.
Johannesburg in the Morning | Looking towards Mount Pugh | Morning Light on the Mountains | Mount Torment’s Twin Summits |
At around 4,000 feet you meet with the boulder field. This could range from simple boulder hopping to a nightmare of postholing. Conditions and time of year dictate the fate of this. You should now see many cairns that lead you up and slightly right as you go up the mountain. The boulder field ends and switches to a boot path for a little ways. Soon it brings you into another boulder field which goes up and then traverses over more to your right. As before, follow the cairns to show the way. It’s easy to loose the cairns but hard to get lost here which above there is a large cliff that as long as you keep this in view as you traverse, you will be fine.
Scrambling up the Boulder Field
Sunrise over Sahale | Hiking up the Trail | First Light on the Basin | Water Falls near the Basin |
At the end of the boulder field you will arrive at some small waterfalls around 5,000 feet. From here you should see a trail that goes around the water falls and continues up Eldorado Basin. Views of all sorts of North Cascade peaks start showing up in full view like Mixup Peak, Mount Pugh, Snowking, and many more from the Ptarmigan Traverse area.
Eldorado Basin with Fresh Snow
Eventually you get onto the Eldorado Creek Ridge and look for a appropriate spot to head down into the Roush Basin. There are two ways of doing this. The way I’m familiar with is to go right over where there are rock slabs below where if you look hard enough you can scramble down. The other route is to go up where the ridge steepens and descend left into a class 3 gully. It contains dirt and rock and is approximately 150 feet down into the basin. The gully is marked by a large boulder just below the ridge crest. Make sure your in the right one, or go back and look for the scramble path I mentioned.
Hiking Down to the Basin | Carefully Descending Down | Heading up the Basin | Eldorado Fin with the Moon |
Approaching the Eldorado Glacier
Once your in the basin, start heading up north towards the Eldorado Glacier. In summer finding the edge of the glacier should be obvious, but in winter time it is not so obvious. Look for signs of crevasse to your left and when in doubt, rope up if your unsure if your on the glacier or not. Though most of the year the glacier remains not very crevassed as long as you stay on route. If there is not already a made boot path up, follow some what near the cliff but not too close. Rock and ice do fall from the cliffs daily so be on the watch out while climbing up through this section. Higher up on the glacier there is what I call “The Ice Cliff” which you go left in order to go around it. Soon you go from the Eldorado Glacier to the Inspiration Glacier which it flattens out.
Inspiration Glacier and Eldorado Peak Panorama, Eldorado Peak is on the left while the route is in the center left
Approaching the Inspiration | Going Around the Ice Cliff | Glacier Peak to the South | Point 7733 Above |
All around the glacier is flat for quite a ways which means as long as the place is not over crowded, there are many options for camping here. So now cross the mostly flat Inspiration Glacier and head up towards the higher gap on the lower East Ridge of Eldorado. You might have to switch back going up if your going through deeper snow. Once you head through “The Gap” you are officially on the East Ridge. This is a great spot to take a rest and enjoy the views.
The East Ridge with Wind Blown Rocks
Going through “The Gap” | Hiking up the Inspiration | Klawatti Peak from the Ridge | Moraine Lake Below |
Stay roped up on the East Ridge because you do travel back onto the glacier and there are some potential crevasses on the ridge as well as it being a safety net for the summit knife edge. On the East Ridge you start out going a little ways up onto the glacier until you find a decent ramp that brings you on the crest of the East Ridge. There are a few crevasses that you should watch out for here. Once on the ridge it is very straight forward all the way until you get near the summit. Near the summit be sure to go right in order to get onto the final famous summit knife edge. This is perhaps the most famous knife edge in the state of Washington. Some people come to this mountain just for this part. Sometimes it’s wide and super easy, and at other times it looks like a cornice.
The Wide Summit Ridge during Winter | Knife Ridge on a Different Year |
At first glance it might be very intimidating in looks, but it’s more friendly than meets the eye. Crampons are highly recommended if you have not been wearing them already. The climb up the knife edge is absolutely brilliant and gives one the feeling of a true alpine experience. I do admit that this is not for the faint of heart, if exposure scares you, perhaps this isn’t the best place to learn. As you get higher on the ridge you do start seeing that on both sides there are huge cliffs. But as long as you kick good steps and plant your ice axe in deep, it should be a exciting experience. Once you make it to the top of the ridge, take a few more steps and your on top of Eldorado! This is an accomplishment.
Eldorado Peak 360 Summit Panoramic View
An Incredible View to the East
Descending
“Getting up is optional, getting down is mandatory” -Ed Viesters
“If the snow is unconsolidated or if it is warm, this can be hell on earth.” -Klenke
Descending Down the East Ridge
On the summit you still have unfinished business, the way down can sometimes be a difficult task. First you have the knife edge you have to down climb and after that the East Ridge. You may find yourself having to make haste because of the sun almost setting, snow slides starting up (winter), very cold air, and of course the worst part. The snow turning into ice! What happens is the layer of snow on the glacier freezes over while the snow under the ice layer is still soft. What happens? It can become a posthole nightmare where the slope is slippery making skiing and snowshoeing very difficult, but the inner layer soft enough so that you sink in deep. This makes traveling take hours longer with more effort and sometimes spots where you have to dip yourself out. In summer you probably won’t encounter these conditions which you should be happy for this. But when there is heavy snow, expect this and try to get out of the snow before the sun sets.
Eldorado Peak late in the Day
On the way down the boulder field if you cannot find the cairns and are feeling lost, follow the bottom edge of the boulder field in places which makes it virtually impossible for you to get lost as long as you have a general idea of where to go. Then find the climbers path that goes to the lower boulder field. On the lower boulder field do not go all the way to the bottom because the trail is around 300 feet or so from the bottom which has a mini sign post that indicates the trail. Keep in mind this part of the trip will probably take place in the dark. Now it’s just a hour or so away of hiking down the steep trail down to the car. After crossing the log and walking to the trailhead you can say to yourself “Wow, what a Day!”
Red Tape
Camping
Camping in the Basin
Inspiration Glacier at NightThere are many great places to camp near and on Eldorado Peak. The first camping place is the trailhead itself as well as other camp spots along the Cascade River Valley. The second one is on the upper part of Eldorado Basin (6,200 ft.) with nice flat areas and great views of Sahale, Johannesburg, and Forbidden Peak. Next camp spot is on the cross over part of the ridge which I’ve seen people camped here before, this spot has a good view of the Eldorado Glacier and Hidden Lake Peaks. The fourth good camping place is on the Eldorado/Inspiration Glacier which there is enough flat room to have a football stadium. And the last one is on the bottom of the East Ridge located at around 7,800 feet high. Some camp on the ridge, while others camp on the Inspiration Glacier depending on how crowded it was and what views you want for when you open your tent.
A Beautiful Night at Klawatti Camp
When To Climb
A Moment of Pure Joy
Eldorado’s East FaceThe best months for this climb is June though early October. This peak can be pretty much climbed during any month of the year depending on snow levels, avalanche danger, and weather. I’ve climbed this peak in winter time which was absolutely amazing. Summer has more boulder travel lower down as well as crevasse danger while winter has more deeper snow and possible postholing. So really it’s debatable of what exactly is the best month for this peak, but July and August seem to have the best weather. The road being open also plays a role in early season due to heavy snow and possible washouts.
Mountain Conditions
Storm over Eldorado Peak
Hidden Crevasse on the Ridge
One should climb this peak when weather is good. Not only for safety reasons, but because the views on this mountain are quite spectacular and should not be missed.
For current weather information on Eldorado Peak check in with the Noaa Forecast.
For Avalanche Conditions, check in with the Northwest Avalanche Center. (Limited based on the season)
Check in with the NOCA Website for more information on the current road conditions which it will say for the “Cascade River Road”. There is no up to date website for the trail conditions for Eldorado Peak.
Cirrus Clouds over Eldorado Peak
Gear for the Climb
Roped up Near the Top
View from inside a Crevasse
The Axe Comes in Handy
Getting Ready to CookHere is a list of pretty much everything that you will want/need for this climb. Keep in mind, this list only applies to the standard route. Any other route will most likely require more gear and technical training.
Mandatory Gear for the Climb:
- Ice Axe
- Crampons
- Helmet
- Rope
- Glacier Rescue Gear (prusiks, carabiners, webbing, ect.)
- 2 Snow Pickets (for standard glacier travel)
- Shell Jacket
- 2-3 Liters of Water Per Person
- First Aid Kit
- Glacier Glasses/UV Glasses
- Full Scale Mountaineering Boots (or plastics if your up to it)
- Plenty of Food
Recommended Extras:
- Nylon Shell Pants
- Sun Screen
- Map and Compass
- Long and Short Sleeve Shirt
Overnight Gear:
- Tent/Bivy
- Sleeping Bag
- Ground Pad
- Water Filter/Tablets
- Stove, Fuel, Pot, and utensils (for cooking)
Optional Gear:
- Camera (Highly Recommended)
- Tooth Brush and Paste
- Shorts
- Toilet Paper/Blue Bag
- Trekking Poles
- GPS
Topographic Maps
History
This peak was first climbed in 1933 by Donald Blair, Norval Grigg, Arthur Wilson, Art Winder.
The peak was given the name “Eldorado” during the 1890’s as a symbol of hope for riches that could occur from local mining claims, especially the Skagit Queen Mine which was a major mining operation located east of the mountain near Thunder Creek.
Historical Fact About “Eldorado” Name:
“El Dorado” was originally the Spanish name derived for a legendary Muisca tribal chief in northwestern South America. According to legend, “El Dorado” would cover himself with gold dust, and throw gold and jewels into a lake to appease an underwater god. Europeans later associated the name “El Dorado” with the Lost City of Gold. The term “El Dorado” was eventually anglicized to the single word “Eldorado” and many settlers of European descent began using it as a metaphor for any place where wealth could be quickly gathered. Hence, by naming a peak “Eldorado” it provided hope to nearby miners and settlers that riches would soon be found and vast.
Special Thanks to Redwic for getting most of this historical information.
Eldorado Peak though the Clouds
Sunset and Sunrise Photos
Evening Colors over Eldorado Peak
Videos
External Links
View Eldorado Peak Image Gallery – 503 Images
Grand Cascade / Peterhof State Museum-Reserve
Date of construction: 1714 – 1724,
Architects: I. Braunstein, J.-B. Leblon, N. Michetti, MG Zemtsov;
Hydraulic engineering works: P. Sualem, V. Tuvolkov, Barratini brothers;
Sculptors: B.-K. Rastrelli, F. Wassu, K. Osner.
The Grand Cascade is the most grandiose fountain structure of the Peterhof ensemble and one of the most outstanding structures in the world.
The idea to complete the sea front entrance to the royal residence with the Upland Palace and a cascade with grottoes at its foot belonged to Peter I. The cascade was built simultaneously with the palace, being for him a kind of pedestal, corresponding in width and making up a single architectural complex with it. The fountains were ceremonially launched in August 1723.
The cascade solution is simple and concise. Two massive seven-step staircases are connected by arches of the Great Grotto. The vast platform in front of it turns into a central three-stage cascade, the waters of which, like a silvery shroud, fall into a ladle connected to the Sea Canal.On top of the Big grotto there is a terrace, shackled by the facades of the Small grotto. It ends with a marble balustrade on which there are eight marble vases. In front of the entrance to the Great Grotto on the lower terrace there is a “Basket” fountain. From the tuff ring, inclined streams are beating, intertwining like rods of an openwork basket, from which nine powerful vertical streams rise, like stems of fantastic crystal flowers. The movement of water in the cascade begins with streams of two mascarons “Neptune” and “Bacchus” located on the wall of the Small grotto, continues along the steps of the stairs and, passing under the base of the cascade, ends at the foot of the sculptures symbolizing the Russian rivers – the Neva and Volkhov.
In the artistic appearance of the cascade, the key role was assigned to the sculptural decoration, which solved the main task of the grandiose structure – in an allegorical form to glorify the power of the Russian state and the victory of Russian weapons in the Northern War.
Initially, the entire decor consisted of gilded lead sculptures, which by the end of the 18th century had lost their former beauty. They were replaced with bronze ones, including copies of works by masters of antiquity and the Renaissance, as well as 15 original works of the best Russian sculptors of that time: M.I. Kozlovsky, I.P. Prokofiev, F.F.Schedrin, I.P. Martos, F.I.Shubin, J.D. Rachette. New sculptures took their places by 1806. To date, the decoration of the cascade includes 37 gilded bronze statues, 16 vases, 29 bas-reliefs, herms, brackets, mascarons, busts, dolphins, lions, frogs – a total of 225 sculptures made of bronze, lead and marble that make up the luxurious appearance of the Grand Cascade … It was formed over a century and a half, but these changes did not violate its integrity and original design as the largest triumphal monument of its time.
During the Great Patriotic War, the Grand Cascade was turned into a heap of ruins. Not having time to take out all the sculptural treasures from Peterhof before the start of the German occupation, some of them were buried or hidden in hiding places in the park. Four statues stolen by fascist troops (“Samson”, “Neva”, “Volkhov”, “Tritons”) had to be rebuilt. By 1956, the titanic efforts of restorers brought the magnificent ensemble back to life.
The Grand Cascade – the pearl of the “residence of the king of the seas” – is especially beautiful during the holidays, when it becomes a stage for costumed performances.
Great cascade in Peterhof
The Grand Cascade is the main fountain structure of Peterhof and it has no equal in terms of water volume and size, luxury and expressiveness. The Grand Cascade is one of the largest fountain structures in the world – it consists of three waterfall stairs and two grottoes, 75 fountains and 255 bronze sculptures, mascarons and bas-reliefs, as well as other decorative details.
The complex of the Grand Cascade can be conditionally divided into the outer part, luxurious and magnificent, the length of which is 42 meters, as well as the underground part located under the fountains – these are the Upper and Lower grottoes, which can be visited with a guided tour.
Description
In the central part of the Grand Cascade, where the Lower (Big) grotto is located, there is the Basket fountain, 28 inclined streams of which intertwine like the rods of a flower basket.
To the right and to the left are two cascading staircases of seven steps, decorated with gilded bas-reliefs and sculptures alternating with vases.
Above the Lower Grotto there is the Upper (Small) Grotto with a terrace enclosed by a marble balustrade decorated with vases.In the break in the fence, sculptures of trumpeting newts are installed.
A little later, two mascarons appeared on the terrace – Bacchus and Neptune, and between them in niches – marble busts – allegorical images of the four seasons.
At the foot of the Grand Cascade, the most famous sculpture is installed – the three-meter figure of Samson tearing apart the lion’s mouth.
The Grand Cascade is connected to the sea by the Sea Canal, which is 12 meters wide. Along the lawn there are 22 fountains, the water in which rises four meters and resembles crystal trees.Under Peter the Great, light ships passed through the Sea Canal to the harbor to the Grand Palace.
Grand Cascade – Video
“;
show video
Creation history
The idea of decorating the entrance to the royal residence from the sea with a grandiose waterfall structure belongs to Peter the Great. The tsar wanted to show the sea power of Russia and in the language of allegory glorify her victory in the struggle for access to the Baltic Sea.
The construction of the Grand Cascade was started in May 1716, architects Jean Baptiste Leblond and Nicola Michetti, Mikhail Zemtsov and master-hydraulic engineers Peter Sualema and Vasily Tuvolkov took part in the construction.
The grand opening took place in July 1723, but after the launch of the fountain construction, construction work continued. Soon there were sculptures of Perseus and Actaeon, Galatea and Mercury, as well as two new mascarons. Much later, the Samson and Two Tritons fountains were installed, blowing into the shells, created by the architect Carlo Rastrelli.
Over the years, the fountains were rebuilt more than once: the pedestals were changed from wooden to stone and the sculptures were re-gilded. The restoration, begun in the middle of the 19th century, was not completed; as a result, the original appearance of the fountain complex was lost.
During the war, many sculptures and decorative elements that had not been removed in time disappeared without a trace.
Thanks to the work of the restorers and the help of the inhabitants of Leningrad, after the war, the Grand Cascade was restored and in August 1946 its ceremonial start-up took place, and the complete restoration of the structure was completed in 1950.
The restoration was also carried out in the 90s, when many underground communications were replaced and the lost elements of the fountains were restored.
In 2010-2011, 37 sculptures of the fountain, which were in disrepair, were repaired, including the most famous of them – Samson, tearing apart the lion’s mouth. Thanks to the work of restorers, the Grand Cascade sparkles with gold and surprises guests and residents of St. Petersburg with its splendor.
90,000 how to choose a shape and style your favorite haircut Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Photo: Instagram / @rosiehw
Cascade is one of the most requested haircuts.It looks perfect on medium length hair. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Jennifer Aniston have not parted with the cascade for many years. By the way, Rachel had a similar haircut in Friends.
Still from the TV series “Friends”
Can’t you choose the shape of the cascade? We will help you decide! Especially for PEOPLETALK Dmitry Efremov, stylist at the Bely Sad beauty center in Metropol, told how to choose a cascade according to the shape of the face, how to style a haircut and how often to update it.
Dmitry Efremov, stylist at the Bely Sad beauty center in Metropol
How to choose your own cascade shape for medium hair?
The cascade has three shapes: circle, square and triangle.
In a round shape, the haircut looks very soft, as the volume begins at the face and smoothly goes back.
In a square shape, the volume is distributed as evenly as possible, the strands on the face have the same silhouette length as on the occipital zone.
Photo: Instagram / @hungvanngo Photo: Instagram / @hungvanngo Photo: Instagram / @h ungvanngo
In the triangular shape of the cascade, the main task is to create volume at the crown, while visually preserving the density and density of hair in the bangs and temporal zones.Sometimes this is just necessary.
The form of the cascade must be selected based on the structure of the hair and the density of the hair in order to properly distribute the volume.
Photo: Instagram / @emmaroberts Photo: Instagram / @emmaroberts
If you have curly or heavily wavy hair, do not have a short crown.In this case, only a round shape, a “graduated” cascade, is definitely suitable. Then curly hair will look as natural as possible, the volume will be softly distributed, since the difference in the length of the crown and the total length is not so great.
If the hair is straight or slightly wavy, you can make any cascade shape. The main thing is to correctly distribute the volume so that the haircut looks logical.
Photo: Instagram / @kendalljenner Victoria’s Secret show.Photo: Instagram / @kendalljenner
How to choose a cascade of medium length according to the shape of the face?
The cascade is suitable for almost every type of face, the main thing is to choose your own haircut shape.
For example, a round cascade is ideal for an oval or rectangular face. It will allow you to give additional volume on the sides, thereby slightly expanding the face and balancing its imbalance.
Photo: Instagram / @margotrobbie Photo: @margotrobbie
For a round face, it is important to maintain the length of the temporal zones.I would recommend making a square cascade. The face will visually stretch, and the evenly distributed volume on the crown will create a beautiful movement on the hair.
Photo: Instagram / @hungvanngo Photo: Instagram / @hungvanngo Photo: Instagram / @h ungvanngo
For a square face shape, I would advise you to make either a round cascade shape or a triangular one.
The round shape will visually soften the corners of the face, the triangular shape will stretch the face. Another tip is to avoid straight parting. Any asymmetry in styling will distract attention from the clear lines of a square face.
For a triangular face shape, the triangular shape of the cascade is definitely suitable, since here the main task is to leave the length and density of the hair on the temporal zones, thereby visually preserving the volume in the chin area.
How to style the cascade on medium hair?
It all depends on the structure of the hair.With the correct form of the cascade, curly and highly wavy hair can not be styled at all, the main thing is not to comb it after washing (you can comb the hair while the conditioner is applied to it). Simply shape the damp curls with your hands, apply the curling cream, and leave to dry naturally. If you want to emphasize the curl more and create more volume, I advise you to style your hair on a diffuser.
For straight or slightly wavy hair, it is ideal to style with a blow dryer and medium brush.For extra volume, I recommend using a spray or styling foam with a light hold.
Photo: Instagram / @hungvanngo Photo: Instagram / @hungvanngo Photo: Instagram / @ hungvanngo
If you want more volume and add movement to your hair, I recommend using a medium curling iron.Twist the hair strand by strand in different directions. Finish with a light hold hairspray or dry volumizing spray.
How often should the cascade length be updated?
In fact, this haircut does not require frequent adjustments. I would advise you to get your hair cut every 3-4 months. The shape grows smoothly and fits just as easily.
You can cut more often if the ends of the hair require it or if you feel that the volume after styling does not hold so well.
Photo: Instagram / @haileybieber
What is the middle cascade trend right now?
The trend is to emphasize this form of haircut with a natural texture, light waves, volume at the roots, to create “airy” styling.
Which bangs fit the cascade?
The most ideal bangs for this haircut are the long, graduated or torn bangs.
Dense, clear, straight lines in the bangs should be avoided.It should be as mobile and light as possible in order to fit into the overall picture with a cascade haircut.
90,000 A few facts about cascade classifiers that are rarely taken seriously in scientific papers
Hello Habr! Today we’ll talk about recognition again.Namely, about such a simple recognizer model as a cascade classifier. It is the cascade that is used in the popular Viola and Jones method, which has already been written about so many times on Habré (for example,
here
,
here
and
here
). The sad thing is that, despite the abundance of articles, no one has seriously studied cascade classifiers. And not only on Habré, but also on the scientific community. Although the cascade classifier seems simple, there are many pitfalls and interesting features.Therefore, we are in a hurry to share our knowledge with you. So, if you’re interested, welcome to cat.
The waterfall classifier is a very simple model. It consists of several sequential levels, each of which can be represented as a binary classifier. The investigated precedent is fed to the input of the first level and then “travels” level by level. If at the next level the classifier recognizes the precedent as negative, then it is no longer analyzed by the remaining classifiers of the cascade.This simple model became popular after the publication of the Viola and Jones method [1], where it was claimed to be used to provide high performance. But is it only for this? Is a cascade classifier really that simple? Let’s figure it out!
We will build today’s article on Habré in a new format for us. We will select several statements that we will reveal in detail and even refute somewhere. So let’s get started!
The Viola and Jones cascade classifier is used simply to speed up the object detector
The original article [1] on the very first page contains the following phrase:
The third major contribution of this paper is a method for combining successively more complex classifiers in a cascade structure which dramatically increases the speed of the detector by focussing attention on promising regions of the image.
Indeed, Viola and Jones’ original method is designed to find objects in an image. Moreover, the detection problem is solved by the sliding window method using a binary classifier, which is applied at each point of the image under study at different scales. The imbalance of the investigated data at the detection stage (there are millions and even billions of times more “empty” regions without the desired object in each investigated image than the regions with objects), prompted the use of a cascade – a mechanism that allows you to quickly cut off “empty” regions.
But it was about using an already trained classifier. Now let’s turn to the classifier training procedure. It turns out that exactly the same problem of sample imbalance is present here: the number of negative examples turns out to be many times greater (millions and even billions of times more) than the number of positive examples. But due to its architecture, each new level of the cascade is trained by the AdaBoost method not on the entire negative training set, but only on a limited set of errors from the previous levels of the cascade! This allows the AdaBoost learning engine to run on a balanced and limited sample!
As you can see, the application of the cascade classifier in the Viola and Jones method fires twice:
- Allows you to easily train the classifier, naturally avoiding the problem of “infinite” training set;
- Provides fast clipping of “empty” regions when detecting objects, thereby achieving high performance on average.
Well, let’s continue to study the classic cascade and turn to the issue of performance.
Considering the above, the waterfall classifier is a tool to accelerate
Let’s return once again to the question of the purpose of the cascade, but now from the other side. If you look at the cascade classifier mathematically, you can see that the cascade is a conjunctive form of strong classifiers (each of which can be represented as a linear composition of features):
where
is an indicator function.
In conditions of a limited number of available features (which in practice, in the pursuit of performance, turns out to be a normal situation) the conjunctive form of strong classifiers has a greater expressive ability than a single linear classifier. It is easy to understand if we present a simple example, where the feature space consists of two elements, and the positive and negative objects expressed in the coordinates of these features are located as shown in the figure below (positive objects are illustrated in green, and negative objects are shown in red).It is clear that there is no single linear classifier that can correctly divide a given sample. But a cascade of four levels would be guaranteed to cope with this task.
Thus, the use of a cascade classifier, in addition to improving performance, also provides greater expressive power than a single linear classifier under conditions of a limited number of features.
Cascade classifier provides consistently high performance and can be easily used in real-time recognition systems
As we said above, the cascading scheme allows you to achieve high performance by quickly filtering out “empty” regions, since their number is several orders of magnitude greater than the number of regions containing the object.The processing time for an “empty” region differs from the processing time for a region with an object several times (proportional to the length of the cascade – the number of cascade levels).
Since the number of regions containing an object differs from image to image, the processing time for each frame also differs. Due to the fact that there are noticeably fewer regions with an object in the frame than regions without an object, the difference in processing time is measured not tens of times, but tens of percent, which, nevertheless, is significant in industrial recognition systems.
Thus, the operating time of the cascade classifier in different pictures may differ significantly. Hence, when making serious measurements of classifier performance, average and worst-case run times should be measured. And always be prepared for such temporary “inconsistencies” when using cascade classifiers.
In our practice, we have already encountered serious problems due to a significant discrepancy in the operating time of the cascade in the average and worst cases.Within the framework of the project for the automation of toll roads, we solved the problem of recognizing the type of car, where one of the main subtasks was the problem of counting wheelsets. Of course, we used the Viola and Jones method to detect wheels in individual frames. Due to the large variability of the wheels (see the figure below), the trained cascade was quite long (20 levels). We observed live unpleasant problems associated with different processing times for each frame, which seriously prevented us from building a recognition system in real time.
Then we developed the idea of a classical cascade classifier to a full-fledged decision tree, having developed a unique technology for training such a decision tree (remember that it was necessary to propose an algorithm that would allow us to avoid the problems associated with the “infinite” training set). Details of this algorithm can be found in our scientific work [3]. Here we will only report a few facts:
- The longest path in the trained tree consists of 6 strong classifiers (the scheme of the trained tree classifier is shown in the figure below).
- The trained tree classifier provided better performance than the previously trained cascade. This is natural and follows from the fact that the expressive power of the tree cascade (which is a conjunctive-disjunctive form) is higher than the expressive power of the cascade (conjunctive form).
- A trained tree classifier seriously bypassed the cascade in the worst case, with almost no loss on average.
The table below provides numerical comparisons of the waterfall and tree classifiers.
Thus, if you really want to use cascade classifiers in real-time recognition systems, then always remember about the features associated with the speed of work in the middle and worst cases.
Cascade classifier training technologies are so obvious that there is nothing to seriously bother with them
Oh, this is probably one of the most difficult topics related to cascading classifiers. The bottom line is that in all the articles that we have seen, the process of training the cascade is described so poorly, superficially and without proper justification of the effectiveness of the algorithm for training the cascade.Usually, the cascade learning algorithm looks something like this:
- Decide on the values of the false recognition rate () for the entire cascade.
- Determine the correct recognition rate () and false recognition rate () for each recognition level.
- Decide on a validation sample to honestly assess the quality of the final classifier.
- Train each new level of the cascade (which, recall, learns on all available positive examples, as well as on false positive errors of the current cascade) so that its indicators are not worse than the specified ones, that is, and.By the way, the process of ensuring these indicators in itself is also of considerable interest.
- Add the newly trained level to the cascade and evaluate its performance on the validation set. If the percentage of false positives is less than the target, then we finish training. Otherwise, go to step 4 to train a new cascade level.
If, as a result of the algorithm described above, the levels of the cascade are trained, then the average complexity of the proportion of correct recognition of the cascade can be estimated as follows:
where
is the complexity of the
th level of the cascade,
is the probability of calculating the
th level of the cascade, and
is the proportion of correct recognitions of the
th level of the cascade.
As you can see, the complexity of the cascade is not involved in the presented learning algorithm, so it certainly cannot be called efficient in terms of performance. At the same time, we know for sure that scientists all over the world are firmly convinced of the importance of learning algorithms for effective cascades, as confirmation we cite here a quote from an article by Paul Viola and Michael Jones [4]:
The overall training process involves two types of tradeoffs. In most cases classifiers with more features will achieve higher detection rates and lower false positive rates.At the same time classifiers with more features require more time to compute. In principle one could define an optimization framework in which
– the number of classifier stages,
– the number of features,, of each stage,
– the threshold of each stage
are traded off in order to minimize the expected number of features given a target for and. Unfortunately finding this optimum is a tremendously difficult problem.
Interestingly, our review of the current literature, made in 2016, showed that at that time there were no effective algorithms for training cascade classifiers.By the way, it was then that we at Smart Engines were solving this problem. We studied the following functionality, which depends on the detection errors of the first kind (
), detection errors of the second kind (
) and the average complexity (
):
The choice of parameters
,
and
, set the relative cost of errors of the first and second kind, as well as the complexity of the resulting detector. Further, in the process of training the cascade classifier, a greedy algorithm for enumerating parameters at each level was used in order to obtain cascades that maximize the selected functional.A detailed description of the developed algorithm is beyond the scope of this article, but we are always ready to share it with you, our reader, by providing a bibliographic reference [5].
Conclusion
Summing up everything that has been said for our part, using the example of a cascade classifier model, we want to draw the following conclusions:
- It is rare to find a scientific work in which all the necessary details are thoroughly described.
- It is very useful to re-read scientific articles, seriously thinking about the properties and limitations of the models presented in them, even if at first glance it seems that everything in the article is “chewed”.
- There is always a place for scientific worthy research, even if the model under study was proposed 20 years ago.
We are very glad if the material presented in this article turns out to be useful and of course we are always ready for a fruitful discussion in the comments.
Thank you.
References
- Paul Viola Michael J. Jones. Robust real-time object detection // International journal of computer vision. – 2001.
- Bourdev L., Brandt J. Robust object detection via soft cascade // 2005 IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR’05). – IEEE, 2005 .– T. 2. – S. 236-243.
- Minkina A. et al. Generalization of the Viola-Jones method as a decision tree of strong classifiers for real-time object recognition in video stream // Seventh International Conference on Machine Vision (ICMV 2014). – International Society for Optics and Photonics, 2015.- Vol. 9445. – P. 944517.
- Paul Viola Michael J. Jones. Robust real-time face detection // International journal of computer vision. – 2004. – Vol. 57. – No. 2. – P. 137-154.
- Polyakov IV et al. Construction of optimal Viola-Jones cascades using “greedy” algorithms for enumerating control parameters with intermediate control over a validation sample // Sensory Systems. – 2016. – T. 30. – No. 3. – S. 241-248.
Blood coagulation cascade – Bayer Pharmaceuticals Russia
The hemostasis process takes place in two phases.Primary (cellular) hemostasis serves to quickly stop bleeding and minimize blood loss. Damaged endothelial cells – a thin layer of cells on the inner surface of the blood vessel wall – and the underlying cell layer release signaling substances that allow platelets to accumulate in the damaged area of the blood vessel, forming a plug that preliminarily closes the wound.
Secondary (plasma) hemostasis is controlled by a signaling cascade consisting of 13 coagulation factors that interact and activate each other.At the end of the coagulation cascade, fibrinogen is converted to fibrin. A network of fibrin fibers reinforces the structure that covers the wound; platelets and other blood cells are trapped in this network and form a blood clot. Finally, platelets and endothelium release growth factors that control the wound healing process. At the end of the process, the fibrin network is dissolved with the help of blood plasma enzymes.
In the body of a healthy person, a delicate balance is maintained between procoagulant and anticoagulant factors, so that the clotting process is triggered only for the healing of wounds or injuries; otherwise, the blood remains liquid, and small blood clots dissolve instantly.
The coagulation signaling cascade is a suitable target for the treatment of diseases in which the regulation of blood coagulation is impaired or no coagulation occurs. For example, in the treatment of hemophilia, a clotting factor (factor VIII or factor IX) is replaced if it is insufficient or absent; on the other hand, certain clotting factors can be suppressed for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis.
Bayer is active in coagulation research and is working on the development of anticoagulants and substances that promote blood coagulation cascade.
Blood coagulation cascade
.