Chain saw massacre

We have a steep bank (that holds up our house and part of the garden).  It's about 50m long and 5m high with a slope of 30-60º.  It's planted with wild, vigorous plants.  Every autumn we hack it back under control.

However last year at this time we were sailing the North West Passage (see "Champagne on ice" a year ago today), so it didn't get hacked back and was barely penetrable.  We have spent today with chain saws, chain saws on poles, hedge trimmers, loppers, you name it, slithering about on the slope, and have generated a huge pile of brash.  When we recover we will go over the bank more carefully and drag out the rest of the trimmings and see what needs replanting or staking or shaping...