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Thread: The FIFTY

  1. #1251
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alkasquawlik View Post
    It's a stressful line. Anytime you're skiing unknown variable conditions that changed drastically from the day before over a fall you die cliff, it's stressful. It's a line not for the feint of heart though not necessarily technically hard. It's just exposure man.
    Exposure always puts me on edge for sure. It's always in your head. If you aren't scared, I'd be more worried.

    Nice job as always.

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  2. #1252
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alkasquawlik View Post
    In the steep skiing clinics I've taught... In my clinics I do drills with people in the steeps to specifically show how counter-leveled shoulders and weighting your downhill ski edge gives far more control, power and confidence than leaning into the hil.
    What are these clinics you're talking about? With the demise of Gordy Camps a few years ago, I'm sure you could find a big audience for something similar if you offered it up. I know I'd be down for it.

  3. #1253
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    Quote Originally Posted by phatty View Post
    What are these clinics you're talking about? With the demise of Gordy Camps a few years ago, I'm sure you could find a big audience for something similar if you offered it up. I know I'd be down for it.
    Ski with the Stars camp in Portillo in August. Chris Davenport's camp.

  4. #1254
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alkasquawlik View Post
    Ski with the Stars camp in Portillo in August. Chris Davenport's camp.
    I was hoping that wasn't the answer. The camp looks awesome, but getting down to Chile is a bit out of reach.

  5. #1255
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    There is the "Steeps Camp" at Jackson.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  6. #1256
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    As cool as Cody’s truck is, I now definitely want an episode on Bjarne’s rig. That van looks amazeballs.


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  7. #1257
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    Whippets are significantly more useful on the up than the down. I've seen one person successfully self arrest with one. They're reassuring to have when booting super steep snow because they give you a bit of an anchor at chest level. None of that compares to how great they are at hooking trees or rocks to pull through particularly heinous sections of skintrack. Lots of uptracks in the Wasatch go from dreadful to fun once you start grabbing things 4' away and hand-over-hand your way up the whippet...

  8. #1258
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    I always thought whippets were only for the up.

  9. #1259
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    Quote Originally Posted by bw_wp_hedonism View Post
    As cool as Cody’s truck is, I now definitely want an episode on Bjarne’s rig. That van looks amazeballs.
    The little fireplace alone makes it way more compelling to me. No wonder Bjarne starts off his early morning interviews with "how'd you sleep?" or "how are you feeling?" Cody is likely fucking freezing as he gets ready, even with the propane heater, while Bjarne is probably toasty in the van.

  10. #1260
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    Quote Originally Posted by bodywhomper View Post
    I always thought whippets were only for the up.
    They're useful on the down too. Like self belaying when you have to sideslip some gnar or when you have to ski cut a small pocket of wind slab, like Cody did in the Shuksan episode. Personally, I'd have busted out a rope for that duty, if I had one handy. Not a spot to take an unexpected slide, even a small one. And an axe ain't gonna save you either if you lose an edge on bulletproof ice and don't get your pick planted immediately. Just having it in hand ain't no guarantee of success. Most people have never even practiced arresting in truly difficult conditions, which is the exact arrest scenario you might face when skiing this type of line. Situational awareness is tough in those situations.

  11. #1261
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    Good points. I’ve watched a friend slide a long portion of a hard pack couloir because he could get his self-arrest steeze going fast enough. Physically, he turned out ok (lucky!).

  12. #1262
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    Quote Originally Posted by Wapow View Post
    They're useful on the down too. Like self belaying when you have to sideslip some gnar or when you have to ski cut a small pocket of wind slab, like Cody did in the Shuksan episode. Personally, I'd have busted out a rope for that duty, if I had one handy. Not a spot to take an unexpected slide, even a small one. And an axe ain't gonna save you either if you lose an edge on bulletproof ice and don't get your pick planted immediately. Just having it in hand ain't no guarantee of success. Most people have never even practiced arresting in truly difficult conditions, which is the exact arrest scenario you might face when skiing this type of line. Situational awareness is tough in those situations.
    Yeah but that's the exact situation I described which makes you more insecure because you're leaning so far in on the slope, away from your edges and onto a pick that will only hold weight in the most hard snow of situations. Putting your hand into the snow, to place your whippet leads to more insecurity and it is insecurity on a pick that only holds a fall in very limited snow type situations. They're crutches for the unconfident that then put people in body positions that make them feel even more unconfident. There is a reason you never see whippets in the hands of the most bad ass steep skiers...but they always have axes.

  13. #1263
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    I've never liked the thought of a whippet for the down. Just seems potentially dangerous, but I've never thought of it as a crutch until you mentioned that. Makes total sense.

    I assume you are not leashed to the axe as that seems dangerous as well.

  14. #1264
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alkasquawlik View Post
    Yeah but that's the exact situation I described which makes you more insecure because you're leaning so far in on the slope, away from your edges and onto a pick that will only hold weight in the most hard snow of situations. Putting your hand into the snow, to place your whippet leads to more insecurity and it is insecurity on a pick that only holds a fall in very limited snow type situations. They're crutches for the unconfident that then put people in body positions that make them feel even more unconfident. There is a reason you never see whippets in the hands of the most bad ass steep skiers...but they always have axes.
    Jesus, this guy skis half the lines in some book and now he’s the foremost authority on steep skiing and gear. Quiet down beater.

    Seriously though, I’m in boissal’s camp, helpful on the up when you don’t really need two (or any) axes.

  15. #1265
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    Guess you can add me to the camp of Wasatch skiers that find whippets useful on the up. Everything Cody says makes sense though. Thinking back to a line I skied a few weeks ago where I self-belated with a whippet at the top of a chute, I probably would have been more comfortable just down climbing without bending that far over to use the whippet, in hindsight.

  16. #1266
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    Quote Originally Posted by ::: ::: View Post
    The little fireplace alone makes it way more compelling to me. No wonder Bjarne starts off his early morning interviews with "how'd you sleep?" or "how are you feeling?" Cody is likely fucking freezing as he gets ready, even with the propane heater, while Bjarne is probably toasty in the van.
    Agreed.

    I was thinking to myself Cody's rig doesn't seem too bad, but then I saw Bjarnes and couldn't imagine being Cody knowing just feet away was THAT thing.
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  17. #1267
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    Quote Originally Posted by snowaddict91 View Post
    Guess you can add me to the camp of Wasatch skiers that find whippets useful on the up. Everything Cody says makes sense though. Thinking back to a line I skied a few weeks ago where I self-belated with a whippet at the top of a chute, I probably would have been more comfortable just down climbing without bending that far over to use the whippet, in hindsight.
    But don't you want to look like a bad-ass? Use an axe, mate.

  18. #1268
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    I like to figure 4 dry tooling with my whippets, with skis a-framed on my stuffed multi-day pack

  19. #1269
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alkasquawlik View Post
    Yeah but that's the exact situation I described which makes you more insecure because you're leaning so far in on the slope, away from your edges and onto a pick that will only hold weight in the most hard snow of situations. Putting your hand into the snow, to place your whippet leads to more insecurity and it is insecurity on a pick that only holds a fall in very limited snow type situations. They're crutches for the unconfident that then put people in body positions that make them feel even more unconfident. There is a reason you never see whippets in the hands of the most bad ass steep skiers...but they always have axes.
    You're probably right, but I've never skied a puckeringly steep frozen line with a whippet and wished I didn't have it in hand. Mental pro.

  20. #1270
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    Ha, this is timely, Noah Howell posted a link on his Gram from when he skied 'Plinko.' Spoiler alert; he used whippets.

    https://noahhowell.com/2010/11/24/plinko/

  21. #1271
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    Quote Originally Posted by zion zig zag View Post
    Ha, this is timely, Noah Howell posted a link on his Gram from when he skied 'Plinko.' Spoiler alert; he used whippets.

    https://noahhowell.com/2010/11/24/plinko/
    Man... that did NOT look fun.

    And who tries something like that on gear they've only used 3 times?

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  22. #1272
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    That Shuksan episode is my fave thus far. gripping, gritty... started off thinking "I wonder if I could ski that" and quickly ramped to "holy fuck I would die skiing that". as always the intentional editing to include the decision making really added a great dimension. Thanks Cody

  23. #1273
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shorty_J View Post
    And who tries something like that on gear they've only used 3 times?
    Not to mention the switch from tele to alpine. Although that's certainly easier than the other way around lol. But still.

    An odd pursuit to sidestep and rappel down a mountain. Entertaining post though.

  24. #1274
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    The FIFTY

    Rick Wyatt, at his (Noah’s) age, probably would not have used a rope and been on tele skis.
    Last edited by bodywhomper; 03-27-2020 at 04:47 PM.

  25. #1275
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    Quote Originally Posted by zion zig zag View Post
    Jesus, this guy skis half the lines in some book and now he’s the foremost authority on steep skiing and gear. Quiet down beater.

    Seriously though, I’m in boissal’s camp, helpful on the up when you don’t really need two (or any) axes.
    Haha. Yeah definitely not claiming any status.... yet . Half the lines in the book still don't even add up to one serious Cham line. No all this knowledge is a little from experience and a lot from being out in the field with people far more bad-ass, experienced and thoughtful about gear than I.

    I do agree with you, on the way up, there are uses, namely like I said, steep sidehill skinning on sketchy hardpack. But those situations are limited enough where I don't feel the need to carry a pokey pole around all day. One of my ice axes weighs 30 grams more than the whippet attachment and considering how much more use you get out of an axe than a whippet, well then that's why I bring an axe.

    I get there is a camp that loves them and believes in them for sure. I'm just from another camp simply because the one thing that scares me about them is seeing people lean into the hill, unweighting their edges and then becoming more insecure and unconfident on their skis in no-fall terrain while relying on an anchor piece that isn't as trust worthy as an axe plunged 55cm into the snow.

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