There have been quite a few comments about arm-chair quarterbacking, and whether or not it's a good thing. I feel like analysis can be done in a sensitive manner that doesn't involve blaming the...
Type: Posts; User: CookieMonster
There have been quite a few comments about arm-chair quarterbacking, and whether or not it's a good thing. I feel like analysis can be done in a sensitive manner that doesn't involve blaming the...
Reading about this hit me super hard.
The worst I ever felt was when something bad happened in a pretty tame area. Even though no one died, I felt an indescribable sense of despair for a long...
I don't think the decision making tools or forecasts were at fault here.
* The first image shows terrain where stuff can get out of control real quick.
* The second image shows ski tracks...
Yes, this thread should definitely discuss those subjects.
Over the last 8 years, I've spent a lot of time speaking publicly in various forums about avalanche safety, especially about the uncertainty that arises from the geophysical aspects of various...
If you're willing to write stuff like this then you might need a refresher on how public avalanche forecasting actually works. I've been a member of this board for 8+ years now, which is almost a...
I love the photo of the dog with more avalanche training than Heather.
Dear Heather,
No one cares about your pissy little rant. Please go back to the East Coast post haste. Fake people like you...
Here's something I wrote six + years ago:
The size of the forecast region is the most important factor, with precise answers only available for very small areas. However, even for small areas, the...
After reading this thread, the only mistakes I really see are that the parties either ignored margin of safety or simply didn't make it large enough. It doesn't seem like anyone really ignored the...
Revelstoke isn't that much fun unless there's a good amount of fresh snow ( or bluebird corn ) and hardly any other skiers. However it really can be a magical place when conditions are good and the...
Thanks for the info, and I apologise if my reply seemed sharp - that wasn't my intent. ( I'm trying to work on my tone. )
Thread derail?
It's a great discussion and thanks for taking the time to contribute!
This is great.
So maybe "partner selection" ( and the ability to integrate that type of personality information into a backcountry outing ) is part of what constitutes competence.
How would you...
It looks like a lot of very basic red flags were ignored. Recent avalanches on same aspect. Their skin track doesn't even avoid the rocks, which are an obvious place to expect weaknesses, and it's...
Isn't this problem already solved by underwear?
I just wanted to call someone girlfriend!
Girlfriend, please put the claws away.
Does your definition of "weak" include using sleds for access?
What makes someone a truly competent backcountry skier?
I'd start off with:
1. Adheres to best practices rather than pick/choose, including trip planning, travel technique, and general mountain...
Even if this is true, I'm interested in whether or not people who self-describe as "competent" actually are competent. Because, and we can use the Wallowas incident as a basis, clearly there are some...
No one is saying that the only good call is the decision not to ski in avalanche terrain.
I feel like it's worthwhile sorting out the difference between good decision making and gambling, and I...
I fear that you're still missing the point. Incompetence is when someone can't / won't / doesn't use their training to manage/overcome susceptibility to human factors, or when they don't rigourously...
Etc. Etc. Etc. All true.
A very significant part of being a competent backcountry skier involves not falling into those bad habits.
***
Sometimes people talk about human factors as if people...
When are you going to blame Obama?
Great discussion with many interesting points!
I'd like to add that training one's intuition is much more difficult if one is constantly touring in an ad hoc fashion and not rigourous about things...
I read the accident report when it was published and I read the Powder feature the other day.
The thing is that these skiers weren't being cautious at all. They simply ignored obvious signs of...
Sad but so true. There are many great reads on the Internet about the idiocy of "top consultants". The ultimate parasites unless you count mutual funds.
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I've been reading this thread and waiting until the collective has had it say before weighing in again. First, I want to sincerely thank everyone for the thoughtful responses. What has really helped...
I fear that it's much worse than a drinking problem. He was on court-ordered alcohol monitoring for almost two years and he still stole and caused mayhem. For the record, neither of my parents drink...
He has multiple DUIs. Parents bailed him out to the tune of 25k for credit cards. Was charged with rape in 2012 but plead to a lesser charge.
During the trial process he stole 15k from my Mom,...
This is a really brilliant post. I think these are especially important:
Yes, exactly. And it really is an amazing change. You get into the right habits and the bad habits become so much...
This guy has got it exactly right.
Ego lead this group to confuse their experience ( they had a lot of experience ) with their skills ( low skill despite being experienced ). This is a very...
HE HAS TO TAKE BLOWS TO THE HEAD FROM CHAIRLIFTS BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY BLOW HE CAN GET SINCE HIS PENCIL SHARPENER BROKE!
Wow, those are some awfully bold claims. I suppose you can cite sources, or is this really just your opinion?
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It's not immoral to push your luck, but at least be honest with yourself. Most people are smart enough to know when they're doing something dangerous. Skiing a line like Pucker Face is dangerous even...
While the article was an enjoyable read, I think the author missed a few points. Frankly, I'm awfully tired of reading articles that romanticize our interaction with natural phenomena to the point of...
I'll second CommonLaw's recommendation about Capitola, but you can have plenty of fun in Santa Cruz as well.
If you're eating in south bay: Banana Leaf in Milpitas is fucking delicious, if you can...
We need to see tits: yours, your girlfriend's, or your Mom' ( if she's hot ). Otherwise, GTFO!
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Here's something I did several years ago for modeling solar warming. The current implementation is much more advanced. Anyway, the snow scene and the water scene render in real-time, including...
There rog, fixed it for ya!
So, in summary, you're trying to create a physical model of light propagation without doing science? Are you dense? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?
Maybe I should just repeat myself. You...
Being capable of GIS programming in some fashion does not a scientist make.
It's not acceptable to make something for recreational use, where arguably the standards should be the very highest,...
No, you certainly haven't dug into the details.
Where do I begin? You'll need to learn *a lot* more if you think computing raw diffuse lighting and/or viewshed determination is the same as...
Modeling wind is exceedingly non-trivial, even if you try to use a very simple model for "predominantly lee slopes". Have you ever looked at weather station data?
Here is a scratch-the-surface...
In order to model radiation flux, you'd need to use ray tracing. Not trivial
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The relevant science: applying a dynamic load to a smaller area of the snowpack is definitely one way to reduce your chance of triggering an avalanche, but even while straight-lining, the application...
These sorts of analyses almost never pan out because neither risk, nor risk acceptance, are static. Even if you had good statistics on backcountry skiers and ski days, it would be next-to-impossible...
Going to be in Missoula next week and I wondered about conditions at Glacier. Very cool trip!
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You're definitely right.
I meant teach people how to speak up regardless of expert halo or pecking order, although I realise it's harder to do in practise than in principle.
***
From the...
I also want to add something else:
For icelanticskier ( AKA "Rog" ):
You come across as a complete and utter moron. You speak about snow science ( stratigraphy in particular ) as if it has...
This event is reminiscent of the 2003 Strathcona-Tweedsmuir avalanche that killed 7 secondary school students. ( For those who aren't familiar with the story:...