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Thread: 3 dead in Washington Cascades
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02-24-2023, 06:51 PM #26
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ON at the car,
OFF at the bar
."we all do dumb shit when we're fucked up"
mike tyson
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02-24-2023, 07:55 PM #27
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02-27-2023, 08:18 PM #28Gel-powered Tech bindings
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The technical term for that is:
Vacation Alpinism
I've definitely succumbed a bit to "V.A." on my PNW summer ski trips, although now that I've racked up more and more years of two four-day PNW summer ski trips each year, I can reassure myself that, eh, whatever, I'll be back next month, or next year, no need to push the limits (i.e., if the calendar says summer but the conditions say otherwise).
V.A. definitely explains this PNW climbing tragedy:
At first, the widespread reaction was similar, along the lines of, they were young guys from TX and NY, what could possibly go wrong?
(I'll admit to thinking the same thing too initially at the time!)
But turned out they were skilled technical climbers. (Real climbers, not just winter hikers. Way beyond my alu crampons + ice axe for sure.)
They had a narrow weather window that anyone local would have reasonably decided was just too narrow, i.e., eh, let's all reschedule for another weekend.
Came so close to getting away with it. But not quite.
(IIRC, w/o revisiting all the stories, one body was found in a snow shelter near the summit. The other two probably fell to their deaths trying to descend down some couloir on the north side. National media attention was massive, perhaps just to focus on something other than various bad int'l news stories at the time, and perhaps also b/c so easy for television crews to hang out at Timberline, but the climbers' fates were unknown for awhile as search efforts were hampered, and a cell phone ping was successful, so events played out quite dramatically in real time.)Mo' skimo here: NE Rando Race Series
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02-27-2023, 08:23 PM #29Gel-powered Tech bindings
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Agreed on the second paragraph of course.
Regarding the first paragraph, even though with hindsight that might be correct in this particular incident, I am reminded of an excellent presentation on climber avalanche issues by Dale Atkins at ESAW several years ago, specifically one slide that stated (although I might have some of the wording a bit off):
"In potential avalanche terrain, you have the responsibility to be searchable and to be able to search."
And as we say in economics speak, beacon-probe-shovel is Signalling:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signalling_(economics)Mo' skimo here: NE Rando Race Series
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02-27-2023, 08:27 PM #30Gel-powered Tech bindings
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I just turn mine on as soon as I put it on my body.
And I put it on my body as soon as I put on my shirt in the morning.
Sure my shredded wheat & grape nuts are unlikely to bury me at breakfast (which makes for humorous comments from touring partners), but that makes one less thing to forget -- and there are just so many other things to forget on a ski outing, ugh.Mo' skimo here: NE Rando Race Series
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02-27-2023, 08:42 PM #31Registered User
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02-28-2023, 02:35 AM #32
If I'm dead, I'd rather stay in the mountains. Cheaper than having my body dragged out then my kids having to pay to have me cremated so they can then put me back in the mountains. Hopefully the animals will figure out how to get around all the gear I'd have on.
Regarding the beacon I never said I was wearing it, I said it was with me. It wouldn't be on because in that scenario it's in my pack.
If I'm with others it's on at the car and then a beacon checkpowdork.com - new and improved, with 20% more dork.
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02-28-2023, 09:33 AM #33
Lots of sad stuff here, but they coulda climbed somewhere else right nearby. It must’ve seemed ok until it wasn’t.
Well maybe I'm the faggot America
I'm not a part of a redneck agenda
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02-28-2023, 12:05 PM #34Registered User
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02-28-2023, 12:45 PM #35Registered User
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This ^^ I do the same, worrying about battery life on an aviy beacon is a great example of false economy
who remembers people complaining cuz they were'nt suposed to use rechargables in their beacons ?
OTOH I have walked down the hall at the glacier lodge in rogers pass at 5 pm to see how many signals i could pick up and there were quite a few beer drinking BC skiers in BC still squawking
alwasy turn that beacon off for the next time you need it, and carry spare batteriesLast edited by XXX-er; 02-28-2023 at 01:06 PM.
Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
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03-07-2023, 09:21 PM #36“I have a responsibility to not be intimidated and bullied by low life losers who abuse what little power is granted to them as ski patrollers.”
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03-11-2023, 01:37 AM #37powdork.com - new and improved, with 20% more dork.
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03-11-2023, 01:38 AM #38
You guys can do what you want, and when I'm alone, I'll do what I want. How about that?
powdork.com - new and improved, with 20% more dork.
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03-11-2023, 12:09 PM #39Registered User
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That statement ^^ is so rugged-american-individualist, sure do what you want even be a dumb ass, until yer dead and they will come looking for you
Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
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03-12-2023, 09:59 AM #40
PD, maybe some sort of DNR document (where the R stands for rescue or resuscitate) left on your dashboard at the trailhead?
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03-12-2023, 01:20 PM #41Registered User
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those sherrifs are all assholes and will just ignore it
Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
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03-13-2023, 02:40 PM #42
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03-13-2023, 02:59 PM #43Registered User
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Imagine going up to colchuck lake one summer, you hike the 4 miles and 2000 vert into the lake. After a rest at the lake, you decide to explore a little before heading back down the trail. And then you find that dead asshole's body that wanted their body left up there......
Sounds pleasant, what a nice thing to leave behind. Makes finding people's poops seem almost pleasant...
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03-13-2023, 03:20 PM #44Registered User
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I'm pretty sure it ^^ would be in contravention of some environmental act to just leave a body up thar ?
Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
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03-13-2023, 04:16 PM #45Registered User
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Arguably in BC, the executor could be liable for not complying with the Cremation, Internment and Funeral Services Act that says a body has to be disposed of by internment in a proper place or cremation at a crematorium.
I was going to go full Viking flaming long boat funeral- until I looked it up. Now it will have to be my already cremated remains only.
Save money on a smaller boat though so that’s good.
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03-13-2023, 04:23 PM #46Registered User
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whatever you do watch out for the windLee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know
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03-13-2023, 04:30 PM #47
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03-13-2023, 07:50 PM #48powdork.com - new and improved, with 20% more dork.
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03-13-2023, 09:29 PM #49
I'm going to make an argument for not doing this but not for the reason you think.
My beacon goes on my body as soon as I put my pants on - because I carry in a pants pocket. But I don't turn it on until I'm at the trailhead.
Why? Because I do a full four function beacon check with my partners. I like D'BEST. Display, Electronics, Battery, Search, Transmit. Sure I could check Display and Battery when I turn it on at home but it's best to actually go through all of it with my partners so that we ALL know that everyone's beacon is fully functioning.
When I go solo I use my spare beacon at the trailhead to do the exact same check that I would do with others.
As for the "one less thing to forget" - a proper beacon check should never be a thing that you can forget.
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03-24-2023, 02:38 PM #50Registered User
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https://files.nwac.us/wp-content/upl...dent_Final.pdf
Full report is out.
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