Results 1 to 25 of 66
-
08-05-2009, 02:42 PM #1
"Truth about H20 guides" thread deleted
While as much as I don't want to see any AK heli-operation fail, I think posting a thread stating how great H20 is, and then deleting the thread after catching a bunch of shit is kind of whack.
-
08-05-2009, 03:18 PM #2
i agree. fortunately, we've got jtek's mis-truth and the subsequent corrections preserved.
Originally Posted by JTekOriginally Posted by Ted ShredOriginally Posted by upallnightOriginally Posted by HohesOriginally Posted by iscariotOriginally Posted by SkiEDOriginally Posted by JTekOriginally Posted by carlobeeOriginally Posted by upallnightOriginally Posted by TyWebbOriginally Posted by ZOriginally Posted by SummitOriginally Posted by iscariotOriginally Posted by BFDOriginally Posted by covertOriginally Posted by YetiManOriginally Posted by Gripen
-
08-05-2009, 05:44 PM #3Registered User
- Join Date
- Sep 2008
- Posts
- 98
^^^ How did you get quotes from a thread that was deleted.
-
08-05-2009, 06:01 PM #4advres Guest
Now Jtek is advertising http://www.patagoniaskitours.com/ in his signature...
-
08-05-2009, 06:06 PM #5
-
08-05-2009, 06:14 PM #6glocal
- Join Date
- May 2002
- Posts
- 33,440
-
08-05-2009, 07:46 PM #7
-
08-05-2009, 08:58 PM #8
the pms i've received (multiple) have been very interesting, including former h2o employees. i think it's unfortunate for those folks not to speak up publicly, as that silence causes people (yes, members of this very community) to throw hard-earned money away on a bad bet.
i suspect folks are afraid to speak up either about the (in)effectiveness of the "guide course" or the business practices that they've observed, for fear that it will hurt their chances of being hired by h2o. the reality is that speaking up might earn them more respect.
for many people, going to alaska represents a big commitment -- it takes a commitment (time & money) to get there. when one operator screws over customers, it sucks for that customer (of course), but it also adversely affects other, legitimate operations.
side note:
* on jtek's web page, he lists the "american mechanized ski guide level i" as his top qualification -- as if it's a weighty accomplishment. ("do you have $5k? you're in!")
* the assistant guide writes that "he attends the International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW) annually", and his only credential is a 3-day level ii avalanche awareness class. i wonder what he's attending, since issw is not held annually.
[i]the last points are kind of cheap, but jtek opened himself up to this by contributing nothing other than attempting to promote his business interests here, which could potentially screw members of the community.
-
08-05-2009, 09:22 PM #9Registered User
- Join Date
- Jul 2009
- Posts
- 292
couldn't agree more with that dude!
-
08-05-2009, 09:23 PM #10Registered User
- Join Date
- Nov 2003
- Location
- Colorado
- Posts
- 2,071
-
08-05-2009, 10:41 PM #11
I'd like to see some of those "interesting" pms
I speak up on the guide school since I attended last year.
The Avy 2 course was excellent. It was not taught by anyone at H2O. It was taught by Ben Prichett (spelling?) from the AAA and AIARE. Knew his stuff inside and out. Now for the AMSG 1 course itself. We got pretty screwed with the weather, not grey and snowing but blue and windy (50+mph) for the first couple days of the course so no flying. This time was spent on Avy 2 class work stuff, indoor High angle/crevasse rescue practice etc.
The time spent outside, flying or other wise was interesting. Dean and his staff know what they are doing and were able to explain/show the techniques to us as well as answer any questions as to why certain things were done. Basically I would say the course provided me with a good idea of how to properly guide in the mountains. The only thing I felt lacking in the course was time. More time "mock'" guiding and route selecting would have been nice but I think skill in those categories comes much better with experience and watching skilled guides over long periods of time.
So that's it for the course. I felt that the course was done pretty well.
Communication is where H2O seemed to be lacking a little. I was sent the client gear list instead of the guide list as well as most of the others so many of us were severely short on gear. That was the only issue I had which I think was just an oversight on the GM's part and I'm sure has been rectified.
I know that there are a couple others on the boards that have been to H2O for guide school as well. I would be interesting to get there take as well."The idea wasnt for me, that I would be the only one that would ever do this. My idea was that everybody should be doing this. At the time nobody was, but this was something thats too much fun to pass up." -Briggs
More stoke, less shit.
-
08-05-2009, 11:10 PM #12
hey, hacksaw:
yep, every other year with the special, 1st-ever off-cycle session in davos in cotober.
you attend them all (at least in n. america), right? would you say you go annually? you wouldn't. and i bet you wouldn't list annual attendance @ issw as your #1 credential.
i was just being overly picky due to the self-promotion as there is no way to attend annually.
-
08-06-2009, 01:22 AM #13
-
08-06-2009, 01:37 AM #14
I wonder if this incident was before or after guide school?
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...vail+avalancheoff your knees Louie
-
08-06-2009, 02:51 AM #15
^Found out what you are talking about. Kind of a low blow IMO. Jtek may have been promoting H20 in a questionable way, but let the dead rest. I'd sure as hell expect that he learned from the death of his friend, and that it is something he carries with him every day.
Although they'd like to be, no ski guide certified at any level is infallible in their decision making. Everyone is susceptible to human error,and in this case he made a wrong choice that resulted in the ultimate price. Somebody died in an AIARE class in Aspen a few years ago too, in circumstances not unlike the ones from that post. IFMGA guides have lost clients too. He doesn't need a slap in the face for losing his friends just because he was trying to promote H20 after a messed up season. You want him to carry a scarlet letter for the rest of his life or what?
-
08-06-2009, 04:54 AM #16
I agree with Kevo, that was a low blow. I briefly met Jtek a few years ago and skied with him. More than anything else he seemed like a very positive person, just a young guy stoked on skiing and life. Much like many of us, I would guess. Keep the attacks fair.
Ich bitte dich nur, weck mich nicht.
-
08-06-2009, 07:30 AM #17features a sintered base
- Join Date
- Apr 2002
- Location
- Impossible to knowl--I use an iPhone
- Posts
- 13,143
-
08-06-2009, 08:27 AM #18
-
08-06-2009, 08:51 AM #19Registered User
- Join Date
- Nov 2003
- Location
- Colorado
- Posts
- 2,071
-
08-06-2009, 11:03 AM #20Will work for snow
- Join Date
- Dec 2007
- Posts
- 713
Another flame festival?? And no more real info comes from it... Go figure!
-
08-06-2009, 11:24 AM #21
-
08-06-2009, 12:09 PM #22
I flew with H2O almost ten years ago and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I was in Valdez for a week and only skied 3 days. There were lots of options available that clients could hedge their bets on. I was told straight up during booking that weather is not always conducive to flying, so I could book 3 days and then take my chances on seats being available the rest of the time or book 5 days and take my chances on having to wait or participate in down day activities. I chose the 3 day deal because I asked the person booking what they would do and it turned out almost exactly like they said, but some idiots showed up having booked 7 days for the 7 days they were there and spent most of the time bitching about not flying and having to road runs off Thompson pass. I think there's a culture of entitlement with some people who watch a movie, read a magazine or a website and feel like if they pay the money then it should be perfect for them.
Dean is probably one of the hardest working guys up there and he goes the extra mile to ensure people ski sick terrain. Again, some people showed up with visions of skiing AK spines like Jeremy Jones, only to realize that they really suck in comparison and would be a liability on that terrain, but they bitch anyway because they'd rather point the finger at Dean than admit they really suck. One guy was sent back because he refused to listen to the guide about where he could ski on the terrain and spent the evening at the bar talking shit about how Dean screwed him.
To H2O's credit, they weeded everyone out in the 1st run and reorganized the groups according to ability, so people who were capable skied some crazy shit. Dean is a bit of a cowboy, but I'd rather fly with him than a bunch of salmon munching wannabe's who talk a good game, but only deliver mediocre skiing.
You go to AK to experience skiing on a grand scale, but that comes at a price. For every blue bird day you see in ski movies, they're waiting out AT LEAST 2 or 3 days. Valdez itself is almost 3rd world. The airport may or may not run its scheduled flights for whatever reason. My scheduled flight back to Anchorage was cancelled because the pilot didn't show up. I had a flight out of Anchorage that night with a for real airline that told me I was out of luck if I missed the flight so I had to find a way or it was going to cost me a lot of money to re book. The rental car kiosk was closed despite the posted hours of operation and the waitress at the cafe told me I was better off taking a taxi than waiting around for the rental agent to "sleep it off". The taxi guy said he didn't feel like driving me to Anchorage, but he knew someone headed that way and dropped me off at their place which was an old school bus buried in the snow with a big stove pipe sticking out the top. I rode in some falling apart minivan all the way from Valdez to Anchorage with no heat. At the end, all the guy wanted in payment was a 1/5 of Jack "for the ride home". Welcome to AK folks. Shit doesn't work the same up there. Read the New Mexico thread for the type of service you should expect up there.
I have no idea what happened last season at H2O or with guide schools, but I do know it's really hard to run a heli op in AK. Weather and other shit out of your control can shut things down in a heart beat. People who travel to AK to heliski have to be prepared to either ski the most insane terrain of their life or sit in a shit hole motel drinking their face off. AK in itself is a shit show, so if you want someone to douche your vagina with champagne while you ski low angle shit, go to Weigles.
-
08-06-2009, 12:33 PM #23Registered User
- Join Date
- May 2009
- Location
- june
- Posts
- 126
-
08-06-2009, 01:04 PM #24Registered User
- Join Date
- Nov 2003
- Location
- Colorado
- Posts
- 2,071
-
08-06-2009, 02:10 PM #25
Bookmarks