EuroBBI: Guide Day Poll

[Buster Highmen]

I would like to know if others are interested in hiring a guide for one of the big tours near Disentis/Andermatt.
Please vote above.

1. Yes, interested in a guide for a day.
2. No, not interested in hiring a guide for a day
3. I haven't decided
4. I am a guide but I can't hire myself

[TAFKALVS]

1.

[Buster Highmen]

1.

Poke the radio button and vote, please

[TAFKALVS]

Poke the radio button and vote, please

It's not showing on the mobile app. I'll do it on the computer later.

Either way I'm all for pitching in on a guide. They are going to know the best route, best spots for good snow and let us all relax and just ski.

[Buster Highmen]

It's not showing on the mobile app. I'll do it on the computer later.

Either way I'm all for pitching in on a guide. They are going to know the best route, best spots for good snow and let us all relax and just ski.

cool, thanks

[Norseman]

... let us all relax and just ski.

Yeah but that's not the reason I enjoy touring...

I know this is a style difference often highlighted between Euro guided trips and "stalwart north american individualists in the wilderness"... but I like the self-reliant problem solving of route/snow/weather almost as much as the skiing itself.

That said, this probably isn't the time to be pushing for such causes, especially for a group with wide-ranging backcountry experience. Few of us will have the season's duration to observe the snowpack; few know the routes.

So I guess I'll vote for the guide if the opportunity for doing a big sweet tour is realistic, but am leery of large group size and the resulting adjustments to pace and route selection.

If a guide is the big gilded key to some cool shit that'd be otherwise out of reach to EuroJong tourons, then yes, sign me up.

(Will vote when back at a puter)

[Buster Highmen]

Yeah but that's not the reason I enjoy touring...

I know this is a style difference often highlighted between Euro guided trips and "stalwart north american individualists in the wilderness"... but I like the self-reliant problem solving of route/snow/weather almost as much as the skiing itself.

That said, this probably isn't the time to be pushing for such causes, especially for a group with wide-ranging backcountry experience. Few of us will have the season's duration to observe the snowpack; few know the routes.

So I guess I'll vote for the guide if the opportunity for doing a big sweet tour is realistic, but am leery of large group size and the resulting adjustments to pace and route selection.

Agreed, and I think the max size for most operations is 6 people.

If a guide is the big gilded key to some cool shit that'd be otherwise out of reach to EuroJong tourons, then yes, sign me up.

(Will vote when back at a puter)

I've been yelled at and dissed on both sides of the pond for things I've skied without a guide either solo or with trusted friends. People are entitled to their opinion.

But, another way to put this is that in some unguided instances, I only want to go with people I trust.

I don't want to be a dick and leave people in the lurch who want to go, but I have had enough of being a "guide" and I'm hoping that this in part makes that clear.

[Ripzalot]

Yes....but not for a long tour/skin. Maximum pow laps!

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[Buster Highmen]

Yes....but not for a long tour/skin. Maximum pow laps!

There will be pods of us lapping sidecountry around Disentis and Andermatt which should serve that purpose.
That part, I can point people in the direction, it's pretty straightforward.

Like this:


or this:


or this, last run of the day at 3:00 pm:



I'm thinking of a guide for something longer and more sketchy, even in good conditions, that may require 2-3 hours of climbing.

Not to rain on anyone else's parade for their objectives. The point is to line up a guide if that's what you want and to set peoples expectations that I'm not a guide; I should not be expected to wait and coddle. I'm just providing information.

[TAFKALVS]

Norse, you ever skied with a good guide? I was guide skeptic for many years until I went touring with one. It's pretty great.

[PNWbrit]

Yeah but that's not the reason I enjoy touring...

I know this is a style difference often highlighted between Euro guided trips and "stalwart north american individualists in the wilderness"... but I like the self-reliant problem solving of route/snow/weather almost as much as the skiing itself.

That said, this probably isn't the time to be pushing for such causes, especially for a group with wide-ranging backcountry experience. Few of us will have the season's duration to observe the snowpack; few know the routes.

So I guess I'll vote for the guide if the opportunity for doing a big sweet tour is realistic, but am leery of large group size and the resulting adjustments to pace and route selection.

If a guide is the big gilded key to some cool shit that'd be otherwise out of reach to EuroJong tourons, then yes, sign me up.

(Will vote when back at a puter)

Yep this^

I'm going to wait until the end of year letter from the bonus fairies before jumping into flights.

[Ripzalot]

I'm thinking of a guide for something longer and more sketchy, even in good conditions, that may require 2-3 hours of climbing.

I'll probably pass then. I haven't toured much, although I plan to get touring skis this season.

#downskis


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[2FUNKY]

I’m a full on maybe. Haven’t toured in forever but will be bringing a touring rig. I have mountain travel skills as well as avalanche assessment and have zero issues on the down.
Time line to vote on this?
Don’t want to hold the group up on the skinning portion.

[Buster Highmen]

No problem on the maybes, not really looking for commitment now.

Just trying to get an approximation of how many people want to go, Heisenberg and all that, so we can have a chance to have a guide or two queued up if we want one.

[Ripzalot]

Are you thinking this for the day of the BBI or a different day? I think the BBI should be a bit more inclusive for all. This sounds like a one lap day thing.

My 2 centimes

[alias_rice]

I am down for a day or two of this for sure. I am guessing we will have more than 6 people interested and may need a few different guides.

[Buster Highmen]

Are thinking this for the day of the BBI or a different day? I think the BBI should be a bit more inclusive for all. This sounds like a one lap day thing.

My 2 centimes

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Good point. Shall we start abusing one another over this?

First step is figuring out how many people actually want to spring around $100 each for a day of guiding. Then let's bicker about when.

I am down for a day or two of this for sure. I am guessing we will have more than 6 people interested and may need a few different guides.

Agreed.

[Ripzalot]

Good point. Shall we start abusing one another over this?

First step is figuring out how many people actually want to spring around $100 each for a day of guiding. Then let's bicker about when.

abusing? bickering? it's like, my opinion maaaan. it''s not about 100 bucks. i'm totally down with a guide every day if it doesn't include 2-3 hours of skinning. just not much of an event if those who want to skin take off on their own for the full BBI day, IMHO.

[Buster Highmen]

abusing? bickering? it's like, my opinion maaaan. it''s not about 100 bucks. i'm totally down with a guide every day if it doesn't include 2-3 hours of skinning. just not much of an event if those who want to skin take off on their own for the full BBI day, IMHO.

With which part of my agreement are you disagreeing?

Some of us are on a bit tighter budget and would rather not spend and extra 100chf/day every day.

For those that want guiding off the Gemsstock or Disentis, it's readily available and we can queue that up, just let me know as soon as possible so we can do so.

I know the Gemsstock and Disentis a little and am willing to point out the access routes and zones as long as folks understand that I am not a guide.

[Ripzalot]

With which part of my agreement are you disagreeing?

the abusing and bickering part. i was trying to make light of your word choices with a lebowski quote. i'm down for any guide action that doesn't take me on a 2-3 hour tour but if that is what the group wants to do, that's fine.

[Buster Highmen]

check.

I think the consensus is to do the Oberalpstock the last day, the 22nd, but if the Democratic process steers us to another date or objective that's fine. This is the 3 hour tour, Gilligan, nothing too gnarly on the way up or down, but it's one of the big lines around there and a number of us would like to do it.

As for maximizing pow laps, obviously that depends on the weather. If it's storming, skiing off the Gemsstock affords days of zones between relatively mellow bowl skiing and puckering, rock lined near vertical needle chutes. If it's not storming and not crusty, there are so many large areas with multiple entrances and exposures where we should be able to find pow without a guide. They are mostly easy to see or at least direct from the top of the Gemsstock tram.

At Disentis the ungroomed zones are really obvious over on the Val Gronda side and the 40-50 minute skins up the Gendusas are pretty obvious. Again, all these are conditions dependent.

So I'm suggesting that we just wing it around Andermatt and Disentis, relying on mobile phones and some loose sort of buddy system so folks can roll at their preferred rate except for the day we do the Oberalpstock. If people feel strongly that they want a guide for more lift oriented skiing, please speak up.

I've skied off the Gemsstock around 8 days total and know it a little bit after doing the better known sidecountry runs with and without guides. My pal carvehard has logged more like 30 days there and knows it really well.

I'm old and slow and have a massive propensity to string dozens of loopy stoner slalom turns together rather than rail mach looney like mofro or norse. For first timers up the Gemsstock, most zones are straightforward and in view except possibly the Giraffe and Hans Im Glugg which are still pretty obvious off the upper skiers right hand traverse off the tram. So I'm not likely to leave most folks in the dust but I am not having people pissed off with me if I don't hold their pole.

[Buster Highmen]

With this amount of interest, we will likely need 2 guides. I'll start a new poll to narrow down what we'll ask;

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...ded-Objectives