Elbow tendinitis is one of those issues all serious climbers have to deal with sooner or later. I've done battle with it off and on for literally 25 years. I think what always kept me from developing really serious problems was my "off" season, when I would go kayaking or paragliding for at least a couple of months. This allowed some degree of rest, or at least very different motions. I often felt like I was losing all fitness during this period, but usually came back within a month or so to near-peak fitness. In '06 I had a strong mixed season that, due to poor conditions for flying, went straight into a hard rock season. I was climbing rock as hard as I have in 10 years, and training hard for that. I did have some rests of up to four days, but climbed hard consistently at least once a week and normally three to four days a week. At the US Paragliding Nationals I still managed three days of hard climbing in eight days--that was about the biggest "rest" I had.
I was also doing a lot of yoga and hand-stand pushups, both of which put tremendous torque on the lower arm's flexors. In Ashtanga yoga you do a lot of "swing" throughs from standing to sitting with your legs in front of you in an L-sit and then back through your arms to a push-up position. I'm not very flexible, and think the "jerkiness" of this movement for me likely stressed an already stressed common flexor tendon. I also got to the point in my handstand pushups where I was starting to balance through the movement rather than just keep my feet on the wall; this also put a lot of stress on the common flexor tendon in my elbows. I then beat the hell out of my elbow on the Yamnuska multi-pitch project--climbing, hauling, cleaning, it all also adds up. Looking back, I was just hammering on my elbows. They both hurt a little, but I've dealt with that in the past with changing up my climbing style, and then also taking that big "off season" break for flying or paddling. On the Yam route my left elbow started to hurt not only while climbing but while living; picking up frying pans, moving rocks (did some landscaping in there as well), but I pushed through it to get the Yam route done. I don't regret that decision, but sure has cost me this fall and early winter. In retrospect, I wish I had taken a month off after the Yam route, but I tried to keep training at lower intensities. Doing too much on the elbow flexor was the first problem, then not accepting the problem and dealing with it was the second big problem. I'm still paying for that decision...
I've been going into Calgary having James at Adjust Your Health work on my elbow. It's not all flowers getting Active Release massage work done (in fact, some of the movements are among the more engaging sensations I've ever felt), but James can pinpoint issues in my elbow and work on both the immediate problem and also the surrounding structural issues. The relief from these sessions is fairly immediate; next day the elbow hurts, but not in that "tendon" way, more of a, "Damn, what just happened?" way. The tendon pain has been steadily decreasing in "sharpness" and overall severity. The acid test is, believe it or not, washing my face. This morning I washed my face pain-free, which was pretty cool. ART doesn't seem to be the immediate cure, but it's the first thing I've tried where the line of improvement/not is slowly up, so I'm going to keep doing that. I can actually feel the crunchy bits in my tendons releasing as James works on them, bizzare but also cool.
I've resisted the full-on drug route as I am pretty careful about what I put into my body. In my twenties I did a lot of anti-inflam drugs for finger issues, those only really resolved themselves when I stopped taking NSAI drugs. NSAIDs are great for symptoms, but I don't think they help much with the actual causes of the problems in the long term.
I went to the gym last night for the first time in a month and did a solid core session then some very light pulling motions in addition to the normal gentle rehab exercises. By really light I mean five pound weights, which isn't very macho. Today the elbow feels better than it did yesterday, so gentle, gentle, I do NOT want to the improvement line to stop trending upward... I've also modified my yoga session to reduce force on the elbow (no swing throughs to seated, limited downward beeyotch) over the last three months, that seems to be helping, and no hand-stand pushups at all. I've been running, skiing and generally beating around in the mountains a fair amount so I feel aerobically fit, but the upper body isn't what it used to be. It's hard to watch muscle atrophy, but at least I have some hope...
I'll make sure I take at least a month or two off in future seasons, I really believe that's critical for healing both body and mind. Patrick Edlinger used to take a month or two off every season to ski, I think he had that idea right.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Sunday, February 04, 2007
24 hours of Sunlight
So I got home yesterday after destroying myself with about 5,000 feet of aerobic purification and celebrated by lounging on the couch with a glass of good scotch. Or two. I was checking out ski randonee race stuff (no plans for a career switch, but interesting) when I started following the Sunlight 24 hours race. Canada's Greg Hill was going hard at about 5:00, and every once in a while I'd check in. After I ate dinner and he'd knocked out around 20,000 vert. As I was getting ready for bed he'd done around 30,000. This morning, after I'd had a nice sleep in a soft bed he was pushing 45,000. He's now one run away from hitting 50,000 of vert in 24 hours. I felt pretty hedonistic, Greg was getting FULL value out of 24 hours. He had some good competition from an adventure racer named Eric Sullivan, but in the wee hours Greg stomped a few runs to eventually get a lap up on Eric. I can only imagine the effort it must have taken to do that. Now it's 10:00 and Greg is one run out from 50,000 vertical feet up and 50,000 down. Barring total collapse, he's got it done. Now that's an accomplishment--most people probably don't ski 50,000 vert in a season. Damn.
Race results are live here.
Race results are live here.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Sunshine 5000
Today I went and "raced" in the Arc'teryx Sunshine 5000, a randonee ski tour race up at Sunshine. I did this race last year, and despite not having done all that much (OK, OK, one backcountry tour and two days in ski areas is closer to "no") skiing this year I ended up on at the start line wiht somewhere around 35 other people. Right away it was clear that there were some "real" competitors there--Lycra suits, Scarpa "race" boots with tele-style "bellows" for easier flex on the up sections, special packs with a loop and a hook thing to hold skis and some other techno-wizadry I didn't get to see as it went uphill really fast while I didn't. I just like huck-a-lung events, something about roasting your body and mind sure is, well, not fun but invigorating sort of. Before I get into the blow-by-blow of I'd like to thank all the volunteers who worked on the event--I didn't ski by one without a, "Give 'er!" or better, thanks for that.
This year's course was definitely closer to 5,000 feet of up and a similar amount of down. I don't know how to work my watch to figure the exact vert out, but the course basically involved skiing up all of Sunshine's main lifts and down 'em with some boot-packing thrown in. I've been running a fair amount and skate-skiing some so I thought that would provide a good aerobic base--I was right about the aerobic part, but neglected to actually train my hip flexors or quads. This proved unfortunate; I keep having to get up while typing this to stretch some part of my legs out, I didn't know legs could vibrate in such odd ways. It's cool to have something that hurts worse than my elbow though...
The scenic highlight of the day for me was skinning up to the top of Lookout Mountain with the peaks all firing away in the sun. It was a damn fine day to suffer. The physical highlight was one turn coming down Fat Daddy (or whatever it's called). I was going way too fast and thought about just sliding it out on my side to resolve the situation, but leaned over and dug the edges into the snow and somehow railed through the crud like I knew what I was doing. I'm a survival skier, but with locked-down heals and some fatter skis it's a whole new world. I love it when situations that don't seem resolvable somehow do, that's a lot of what makes these sports so much fun. I'll remember that one turn for a while and try to do some more. Skiing rocks.
For most of the race I was battling back and forth with a Lycra dude. He'd pass me on the ups with aerobic skill and good form, I'd use spastic survival skiing and aggression to get ahead of him on the downs, repeat. It got to be pretty fun in the way that only a good mini race within a race can be, thanks to him for that (never did get his name, good guy). On the second to last climb my right and then left quads started to really cramp up; I've never had leg cramps before, I think playing hours of pond hockey on Thursday night might not have been a good idea. I adopted a weird thrutching movement to maintain some forward movement, which became more complicated as my hamstrings decided to join the general protest. The next down was just quad-lacerating, which I dealt with by straight-lining in an effort to either crash or get it over with as fast as possible. I didn't crash.
At the finish line I collapsed in the snow like a sack of, ah, take your pick of substances. It sure was fun. I mean that--it's one thing to go hard while mountaineering or on your own, but you never truly know how hard you can push until you actually race with other people. I went as hard as I could, and it felt good. The awards party was good fun, a free beer and tons of schwag. If you entered this race you got a prize, thanks to all the companies who threw in for that. A guy from Crusted Butte (Ethan?) kicked ass and won the rig in an hour and a half. The top woman was only about 25 minutes behind, fine effort. I was a bit behind that. A bit covering a fair amount of time. No link up yet for the results, but check the Alpine Club of Canada's site.
The awards are where excuses get made and criticisms leveled. I don't really have any excuses that don't sound totally lame, nor criticisms. The day was stunning, the course challenging and the overall vibe really good. I'm going to race next year if I'm in town, but this time I'm going to train. John Irvine, a bud at Arc., has promised to race next year, I'm throwing down the gauntlet. He worked the course this year and seemed to enjoy it as I skied by at top of the second to last climb, which I thought was the last. I topped out and realized that there was one more to go, and all I could say was the obvious, "Oh, @$@$!" He said, "Hey, let's hear a more positive attitude!" Next year buddy, next year, grin.
WG
PS--Sean won the "Climber's division," with Jeff in there as well. Good work. and if you want to see something truly sick, check out the nutters down in Colorado racing in a 24-hour suffer fest... Go Greg!
This year's course was definitely closer to 5,000 feet of up and a similar amount of down. I don't know how to work my watch to figure the exact vert out, but the course basically involved skiing up all of Sunshine's main lifts and down 'em with some boot-packing thrown in. I've been running a fair amount and skate-skiing some so I thought that would provide a good aerobic base--I was right about the aerobic part, but neglected to actually train my hip flexors or quads. This proved unfortunate; I keep having to get up while typing this to stretch some part of my legs out, I didn't know legs could vibrate in such odd ways. It's cool to have something that hurts worse than my elbow though...
The scenic highlight of the day for me was skinning up to the top of Lookout Mountain with the peaks all firing away in the sun. It was a damn fine day to suffer. The physical highlight was one turn coming down Fat Daddy (or whatever it's called). I was going way too fast and thought about just sliding it out on my side to resolve the situation, but leaned over and dug the edges into the snow and somehow railed through the crud like I knew what I was doing. I'm a survival skier, but with locked-down heals and some fatter skis it's a whole new world. I love it when situations that don't seem resolvable somehow do, that's a lot of what makes these sports so much fun. I'll remember that one turn for a while and try to do some more. Skiing rocks.
For most of the race I was battling back and forth with a Lycra dude. He'd pass me on the ups with aerobic skill and good form, I'd use spastic survival skiing and aggression to get ahead of him on the downs, repeat. It got to be pretty fun in the way that only a good mini race within a race can be, thanks to him for that (never did get his name, good guy). On the second to last climb my right and then left quads started to really cramp up; I've never had leg cramps before, I think playing hours of pond hockey on Thursday night might not have been a good idea. I adopted a weird thrutching movement to maintain some forward movement, which became more complicated as my hamstrings decided to join the general protest. The next down was just quad-lacerating, which I dealt with by straight-lining in an effort to either crash or get it over with as fast as possible. I didn't crash.
At the finish line I collapsed in the snow like a sack of, ah, take your pick of substances. It sure was fun. I mean that--it's one thing to go hard while mountaineering or on your own, but you never truly know how hard you can push until you actually race with other people. I went as hard as I could, and it felt good. The awards party was good fun, a free beer and tons of schwag. If you entered this race you got a prize, thanks to all the companies who threw in for that. A guy from Crusted Butte (Ethan?) kicked ass and won the rig in an hour and a half. The top woman was only about 25 minutes behind, fine effort. I was a bit behind that. A bit covering a fair amount of time. No link up yet for the results, but check the Alpine Club of Canada's site.
The awards are where excuses get made and criticisms leveled. I don't really have any excuses that don't sound totally lame, nor criticisms. The day was stunning, the course challenging and the overall vibe really good. I'm going to race next year if I'm in town, but this time I'm going to train. John Irvine, a bud at Arc., has promised to race next year, I'm throwing down the gauntlet. He worked the course this year and seemed to enjoy it as I skied by at top of the second to last climb, which I thought was the last. I topped out and realized that there was one more to go, and all I could say was the obvious, "Oh, @$@$!" He said, "Hey, let's hear a more positive attitude!" Next year buddy, next year, grin.
WG
PS--Sean won the "Climber's division," with Jeff in there as well. Good work. and if you want to see something truly sick, check out the nutters down in Colorado racing in a 24-hour suffer fest... Go Greg!
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Travel Beta
A friend of mine recently dropped me an email asking for some long-distance travel beta, I wrote the following while riding the a.m. coffee buzz. It's mainly aimed at Canadians using Air Canada but will work for any travel situation. It covers the basics: Where to sit on the plane, dealing with jet lag and customs.
General Seating Notes: Window seats on the left going to Europe so you can check out Baffin/Greenland and the Arctic. Reverse on the way home, try and avoid being over the wing so you have a better view. Amazing, stunning panorama when it's clear, which it is a lot. I like the bulkhead seat forward if I can get it. Exit rows can be good too, but are often over the wing. Wear a hoody, bring noise-canceling headphones and music. I have the Bose, they're expensive but worth it. The QC2 are better than the QC3, block more sound. I try to always meet the person in the seat next to me no matter how much they look like a person I'd avoid normally, I've made some good contacts this way. But some people confuse proximity with intimacy and will talk your head off. Deal with the annoyingly talkative person by pulling your hoody over your head, turning up the music and making facial tics while mentioning something about altitude and brain issues. You'll be left alone.
Jet Lag: Easier going west than east until you get to about Japan, then it doesn't much matter, you're hooped. Here's the tried and true Gadd system:
Any direction: Drink water before you get on the flight, then a liter for every four hours in the air. More than this and you're in the bathroom too much, doesn't seem to help. Less than this and you'll add dehydration to your problems. Consistent liquids are important, drinking a liter at a time doesn't work. If you're going to drink alcohol do it immediately and heavily, then fall asleep just like normal. Do not drink coffee until the end of any flight. When you get on the flight notice if it's full or not--usually it is these days, but sometimes there will be open rows. Wait until the cabin attendants start closing bins, then pull a sprint into an open row, act agressive and dangerous if anyone is even thinking about sharing your row. Take your shoes off and put them on a vacant seat in the row, start slobbering, whatever it takes to defend that space.
Sleeping: Assuming you haven't managed to snake a fully vacant row, which is pretty rare, the bulkhead window seat is the best. The tray table flips out of the arm rest and slides pretty far forward, put your carry-on bag on it as a pillow and sleep. Best sleeping position outside of the Rich class up front, I've managed a solid seven hours of REM sleep with this system. Otherwise bring a warm jacket on board, put that on over the hoody when the pilot drops the temperature to sedate the cattle, steal some pillows to fill the gap between the seat and the wall, lean in and zonk. Works pretty good. Aisle seats are really bad for sleeping in--you get woken up every time the pregnant lady (justifiably!) needs to visit the bathroom and everytime the fat bastard wanders up the aisle like a drunken sumo wrestler and slams his ass into your head without even realizing it.
Going East to Europe: Stay up late the night before you leave dealing with last-minute issues. Get on the flight surly and tired--it's important NOT to be all well-rested or you won't sleep. If you don't fall aspleep immediately drink two-four glasses of wine or scotch immediately. Fall asleep for the first four hours. Wake up, check out Greenland if it' s on, if not go back to sleep. If you're flying into Heathrow recognize that you've really blown it and start drinking when you wake up, it's the only way to deal with that hell-hole. Frankfurt is better to connect through by FAR. Sleep on the second flight, usually short. You'll likely arrive either tired and hung over or having slept a lot if Greenland wasn't happening. Either way, you know what to do with a lousy morning, nothing new here. Drink coffee and water until about 13:00, then make sure you have something to do--go walking, get into an argument with an Israeli or German, but you've got to keep moving or will fall asleep. Drink your first Red Bull now. Drink another RB with alcohol around 17:00. It's like an elephant getting attacked, you've just got to keep your momentum up. You'll feel confused, wired and likely be able to make it to at least 23:00 before totally crashing, wake up the next morning good to go. It works for me.
Going west (home from Europe): Easy, drink a coffee just before you land, a Red Bull ASAP when you land and as needed, make it to 23:00, sleep.
Asia: It's going to be a mess, but welcome the chaos. Sleep as much as possible on the flights, get off the last flight not knowing which way is up, drink Red Bull until it's 23:00 local, crash. I actually find Asia not too bad if you just immediately set your watch to local time and keep moving. Try running across a busy street for a quick adrenaline hit, works for me anywhere in Asia. Get a moto-taxi ride and offer the driver an extra $5 to haul ass down the busiest street in town, no way in hell you're sleeping after that. Most big Asian cities have some sort of fight event every night; these will absolutely keep you awake. Seek out the weird sections of town, keep walking no matter what. If you arrive at midnight stop drinking coffee/RB at least six hours before landing (you'll know this because set your watch to the destination time immediately when getting on the last flight). Sleep as best you can, then follow the plan for day one for the first full day in the country. Do not sleep, extreme measures as listed above may be called for.
Most novices make the error of not fighting through the tiredness when they arrive in the new time zone and give in to a nap, which screws up their sleep patterns. Do not do this, it's weak and you will pay. If you wake up at 3:00 a.m. local just lie there and rest. Don't stress about not sleeping, just chill out. You're likely actually wasted from the travel, often you can go back to sleep if you just relax in the nice bed and think about how long the next day is going to be and how it's dark and it sure is nice in bed.... Do not read, do not get up, just chill.
Credit Card: CIBC Aerogold Visa, Air Canada is still the dominant airline. CIBC is a PITA, pay on-line so they don't dick you with "late" charges. I hate them but they are the only credit card that links to Air Canada.
Upgrades: Buy "B" class tickets if possible, these can be upgraded if you're an Air Canada Elite with upgrade certificates. Often don't cost much more...
Customs: ALWAYS stay behind the Red/Yellow line until they wave you forward. Have your passport, declaration slip, etc. completely organized, and hand it to them with the correct page turned their direction and open so they don't have to futz. Take two minutes to straighten your clothes and generally present an "organized but tired guy coming off a flight" rather than, "Dope fiend strung out waiting for next fix" look. Do not wear sunglasses, remove your hat, show you're paying close attention to them and not seeing through them to your destination. Indecision and confusion are clear signs you're hiding something, take two minutes on the flight to know what you are doing in the country you are visiting and came from, what you have in your bags, where you are going, why. Know what you have to declare, write that on the paper with specific values for each item if there's room. Be prepared and everything will go smoother. If you make an error on the form show regret, don't blame the "stupid" form. No matter what stay relaxed and "open" with your body language and manner. Act like you really want into the country but don't know the rules, 'cause you don't. Do not use slang, do not use big words, do not make political comments of any sort. Don't be subservient, guards smell blood, just act like this is a professional environment and doing the job well is important to you. A lot of people act like customs is a "stupid formality;" this is true to some extent, but to customs officials it's their job and they are damn serious about doing it well, try to meet that mental state head-on and you will be so far ahead of the average clown that you'll skate through. I've watched so many people show up at customs with loose gear sticking out of their bags, no passport in hand (what the hell did they think they were going to need at the little window???), sunglasses and hats on, bad attitude. I'd say customs was justified in sending these fools into the back room.
Canadian Customs: Say "Good morning," (or whatever) look them in the eye, smile, follow their lead. I haven't been stopped once in about 100 trips through there.
US Customs: Look them in the eye, but pretend they are your proctologist and you have bowel cancer. Sometimes they will relax right away, follow their lead. Do NOT make any jokes until they do, then laugh if they do. It's like US customs inspectors have two settings--one is all friendly and you're the football bud from high school, the other is pissed off, failed prison guard. You don't know what you're going to get. Overall US customs is casual, but follow the inspector's lead closely. Know the visa/stamps in your passport well, especially if you've been to any "suspect" countries (any country other than Canada and the US), and be prepared to answer a question about why you found it necessary to visit a communist country such as Norway...
Above all, never, ever lose your cool. You can be seeing red, but as soon as you express that logical and fully justified emotion every travel employee opens the, "how to deal with problem travelers" scenario sheet they've been trained in and you will get no respect and nothing done. But do be prepared to be persistent, especially with upgrades or baggage problems. Just smile, keep saying nice but clear things, sooner or later you'll often end up with what you want simply because you didn't melt down and kept standing there or trying other agents until the agents started to get annoyed and it became easier to solve the problem than fight it... Always smile and say hello/good morning to every person in the travel game, I'm always amazed by how much some basic courtesy will solve huge problems. Be human, travel is inhuman but connecting with the people in the game on a human level changes the paradigm for everyone. Ooooohmmmmm...
Happy travels.
General Seating Notes: Window seats on the left going to Europe so you can check out Baffin/Greenland and the Arctic. Reverse on the way home, try and avoid being over the wing so you have a better view. Amazing, stunning panorama when it's clear, which it is a lot. I like the bulkhead seat forward if I can get it. Exit rows can be good too, but are often over the wing. Wear a hoody, bring noise-canceling headphones and music. I have the Bose, they're expensive but worth it. The QC2 are better than the QC3, block more sound. I try to always meet the person in the seat next to me no matter how much they look like a person I'd avoid normally, I've made some good contacts this way. But some people confuse proximity with intimacy and will talk your head off. Deal with the annoyingly talkative person by pulling your hoody over your head, turning up the music and making facial tics while mentioning something about altitude and brain issues. You'll be left alone.
Jet Lag: Easier going west than east until you get to about Japan, then it doesn't much matter, you're hooped. Here's the tried and true Gadd system:
Any direction: Drink water before you get on the flight, then a liter for every four hours in the air. More than this and you're in the bathroom too much, doesn't seem to help. Less than this and you'll add dehydration to your problems. Consistent liquids are important, drinking a liter at a time doesn't work. If you're going to drink alcohol do it immediately and heavily, then fall asleep just like normal. Do not drink coffee until the end of any flight. When you get on the flight notice if it's full or not--usually it is these days, but sometimes there will be open rows. Wait until the cabin attendants start closing bins, then pull a sprint into an open row, act agressive and dangerous if anyone is even thinking about sharing your row. Take your shoes off and put them on a vacant seat in the row, start slobbering, whatever it takes to defend that space.
Sleeping: Assuming you haven't managed to snake a fully vacant row, which is pretty rare, the bulkhead window seat is the best. The tray table flips out of the arm rest and slides pretty far forward, put your carry-on bag on it as a pillow and sleep. Best sleeping position outside of the Rich class up front, I've managed a solid seven hours of REM sleep with this system. Otherwise bring a warm jacket on board, put that on over the hoody when the pilot drops the temperature to sedate the cattle, steal some pillows to fill the gap between the seat and the wall, lean in and zonk. Works pretty good. Aisle seats are really bad for sleeping in--you get woken up every time the pregnant lady (justifiably!) needs to visit the bathroom and everytime the fat bastard wanders up the aisle like a drunken sumo wrestler and slams his ass into your head without even realizing it.
Going East to Europe: Stay up late the night before you leave dealing with last-minute issues. Get on the flight surly and tired--it's important NOT to be all well-rested or you won't sleep. If you don't fall aspleep immediately drink two-four glasses of wine or scotch immediately. Fall asleep for the first four hours. Wake up, check out Greenland if it' s on, if not go back to sleep. If you're flying into Heathrow recognize that you've really blown it and start drinking when you wake up, it's the only way to deal with that hell-hole. Frankfurt is better to connect through by FAR. Sleep on the second flight, usually short. You'll likely arrive either tired and hung over or having slept a lot if Greenland wasn't happening. Either way, you know what to do with a lousy morning, nothing new here. Drink coffee and water until about 13:00, then make sure you have something to do--go walking, get into an argument with an Israeli or German, but you've got to keep moving or will fall asleep. Drink your first Red Bull now. Drink another RB with alcohol around 17:00. It's like an elephant getting attacked, you've just got to keep your momentum up. You'll feel confused, wired and likely be able to make it to at least 23:00 before totally crashing, wake up the next morning good to go. It works for me.
Going west (home from Europe): Easy, drink a coffee just before you land, a Red Bull ASAP when you land and as needed, make it to 23:00, sleep.
Asia: It's going to be a mess, but welcome the chaos. Sleep as much as possible on the flights, get off the last flight not knowing which way is up, drink Red Bull until it's 23:00 local, crash. I actually find Asia not too bad if you just immediately set your watch to local time and keep moving. Try running across a busy street for a quick adrenaline hit, works for me anywhere in Asia. Get a moto-taxi ride and offer the driver an extra $5 to haul ass down the busiest street in town, no way in hell you're sleeping after that. Most big Asian cities have some sort of fight event every night; these will absolutely keep you awake. Seek out the weird sections of town, keep walking no matter what. If you arrive at midnight stop drinking coffee/RB at least six hours before landing (you'll know this because set your watch to the destination time immediately when getting on the last flight). Sleep as best you can, then follow the plan for day one for the first full day in the country. Do not sleep, extreme measures as listed above may be called for.
Most novices make the error of not fighting through the tiredness when they arrive in the new time zone and give in to a nap, which screws up their sleep patterns. Do not do this, it's weak and you will pay. If you wake up at 3:00 a.m. local just lie there and rest. Don't stress about not sleeping, just chill out. You're likely actually wasted from the travel, often you can go back to sleep if you just relax in the nice bed and think about how long the next day is going to be and how it's dark and it sure is nice in bed.... Do not read, do not get up, just chill.
Credit Card: CIBC Aerogold Visa, Air Canada is still the dominant airline. CIBC is a PITA, pay on-line so they don't dick you with "late" charges. I hate them but they are the only credit card that links to Air Canada.
Upgrades: Buy "B" class tickets if possible, these can be upgraded if you're an Air Canada Elite with upgrade certificates. Often don't cost much more...
Customs: ALWAYS stay behind the Red/Yellow line until they wave you forward. Have your passport, declaration slip, etc. completely organized, and hand it to them with the correct page turned their direction and open so they don't have to futz. Take two minutes to straighten your clothes and generally present an "organized but tired guy coming off a flight" rather than, "Dope fiend strung out waiting for next fix" look. Do not wear sunglasses, remove your hat, show you're paying close attention to them and not seeing through them to your destination. Indecision and confusion are clear signs you're hiding something, take two minutes on the flight to know what you are doing in the country you are visiting and came from, what you have in your bags, where you are going, why. Know what you have to declare, write that on the paper with specific values for each item if there's room. Be prepared and everything will go smoother. If you make an error on the form show regret, don't blame the "stupid" form. No matter what stay relaxed and "open" with your body language and manner. Act like you really want into the country but don't know the rules, 'cause you don't. Do not use slang, do not use big words, do not make political comments of any sort. Don't be subservient, guards smell blood, just act like this is a professional environment and doing the job well is important to you. A lot of people act like customs is a "stupid formality;" this is true to some extent, but to customs officials it's their job and they are damn serious about doing it well, try to meet that mental state head-on and you will be so far ahead of the average clown that you'll skate through. I've watched so many people show up at customs with loose gear sticking out of their bags, no passport in hand (what the hell did they think they were going to need at the little window???), sunglasses and hats on, bad attitude. I'd say customs was justified in sending these fools into the back room.
Canadian Customs: Say "Good morning," (or whatever) look them in the eye, smile, follow their lead. I haven't been stopped once in about 100 trips through there.
US Customs: Look them in the eye, but pretend they are your proctologist and you have bowel cancer. Sometimes they will relax right away, follow their lead. Do NOT make any jokes until they do, then laugh if they do. It's like US customs inspectors have two settings--one is all friendly and you're the football bud from high school, the other is pissed off, failed prison guard. You don't know what you're going to get. Overall US customs is casual, but follow the inspector's lead closely. Know the visa/stamps in your passport well, especially if you've been to any "suspect" countries (any country other than Canada and the US), and be prepared to answer a question about why you found it necessary to visit a communist country such as Norway...
Above all, never, ever lose your cool. You can be seeing red, but as soon as you express that logical and fully justified emotion every travel employee opens the, "how to deal with problem travelers" scenario sheet they've been trained in and you will get no respect and nothing done. But do be prepared to be persistent, especially with upgrades or baggage problems. Just smile, keep saying nice but clear things, sooner or later you'll often end up with what you want simply because you didn't melt down and kept standing there or trying other agents until the agents started to get annoyed and it became easier to solve the problem than fight it... Always smile and say hello/good morning to every person in the travel game, I'm always amazed by how much some basic courtesy will solve huge problems. Be human, travel is inhuman but connecting with the people in the game on a human level changes the paradigm for everyone. Ooooohmmmmm...
Happy travels.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
If you paddle whitewater check this out
Or even if you don't, just a great tale!
Nutters. May we all get a day or two like this in our lives.
Nutters. May we all get a day or two like this in our lives.
Elbow, Climate Change
Well, there's been a change in treatment on the elbow. I had some deep Active Release Therapy done last week and am going in today and Friday for more. Thanks to everyone who wrote in about different elbow treatments, I'm trying the ART route. My elbow was pretty sore over the weekend, but feels different today--less sharp pain, more just sore. I'm hoping different is good, I'll write more about this as it progresses. I'm getting the work done in Calgary, thanks very much to Keith and now James at Adjust Your Health for organizing the sessions. One thing I'm very happy with is the knowledge base James has--he can isolate tendons and muscles in a way I've never seen/felt before, and communicate what he's doing. After a fair amount of ultrasound and other treatments I'm a bit skeptical on the whole treatment program, so I'll withhold judgement until I see results, but something is different for sure.
Here's an interesting article on what affect jet and other pollution is having on our atmosphere. Nine Eleven took all the jet traffic out of the sky in North America for three-five days, these guys did some interesting research that's counter-intuitive..
The interesting part is that particulate in the air from jets and other pollution has been causing "Global Dimming," or reducing the amount of sunlight that hits the ground. At the same time there has been "Global Warming," which is primarily caused by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. The wild thing is that "Global Dimming" may have been dramatically reducing the effects of the carbon dioxide and global warming; if we get better at reducing particulate in the air then global warming may accelerate like crazy... The last third of the article is the most interesting. I'm not convinced that the models of global warming are "accurate," but I am convinced that throwing truly massive amounts of new variables into the atmosphere is a really bad idea. I look at it like a very old bridge that no one really knows the strength of--it might be fine with massive semi-trailers driving across it, or might not, but testing the theory with buses full of school kids first probably isn't such a good idea. In my experience, messing with the natural world is pretty much guaranteed to produce some sort of result, but maybe not the one we predicted. Dams to do flood control for farmland do indeed stop floods, but also end up dramatically increasing the salt concentrations on the un-washed lands downstream... There is no doubt that humans are messing with the atmosphere on a scale never seen before, the question is what' going to happen. I'm pretty sure we'll be living in interesting times climatically within the next 20 years or so, I just don't know what form of interesting it's going to be.
Best,
WG
Here's an interesting article on what affect jet and other pollution is having on our atmosphere. Nine Eleven took all the jet traffic out of the sky in North America for three-five days, these guys did some interesting research that's counter-intuitive..
The interesting part is that particulate in the air from jets and other pollution has been causing "Global Dimming," or reducing the amount of sunlight that hits the ground. At the same time there has been "Global Warming," which is primarily caused by greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. The wild thing is that "Global Dimming" may have been dramatically reducing the effects of the carbon dioxide and global warming; if we get better at reducing particulate in the air then global warming may accelerate like crazy... The last third of the article is the most interesting. I'm not convinced that the models of global warming are "accurate," but I am convinced that throwing truly massive amounts of new variables into the atmosphere is a really bad idea. I look at it like a very old bridge that no one really knows the strength of--it might be fine with massive semi-trailers driving across it, or might not, but testing the theory with buses full of school kids first probably isn't such a good idea. In my experience, messing with the natural world is pretty much guaranteed to produce some sort of result, but maybe not the one we predicted. Dams to do flood control for farmland do indeed stop floods, but also end up dramatically increasing the salt concentrations on the un-washed lands downstream... There is no doubt that humans are messing with the atmosphere on a scale never seen before, the question is what' going to happen. I'm pretty sure we'll be living in interesting times climatically within the next 20 years or so, I just don't know what form of interesting it's going to be.
Best,
WG
Monday, January 22, 2007
Training and Geekery
Training:
The elbow seems to have reached some sort of sticking point; not getting better, not getting worse. I can sort of climb on it if I'm gentle (going at all hard puts it back a step for sure), but total rest seems to make it much more painful and "creaky." Last night I went back into the weight room for the first time, avoided any power movements on my elbow but hammered on the rest, damn good. There's just something so overwhelmingly positive about blasting your body, I'm typing with sore muscles for the first time in a month, hell yeah! And the elbow feels about the same... Maybe I'm being stupid, but my latest theory is that I likely have so much scar tissue from training over the years that resting just "sets" that stiff tissue and generally makes thing worse. Massage seems to help the most, so I'm doing that while driving and resting, plus ice, see what happens...
Geekery:
Playing WMV (windows meda files) on a Mac has always really annoyed me. Quicktime is a far superior format because you can pause it mid-video, scroll back and forth within the player without causing malfunctions, etc. WMV files play slightly better on a PC, but still suck compared to Quicktime (especially when playing WMV files within internet sites). The solution for Macs is to get Flip4Mac, which plays WMV files from within Quicktime. Full Quicktime function, way better than Windows Media Player. You can upgrade for $29 and then use most of the Quicktime Pro functions too, pretty cool.
Geek (or, as I've been admonished, "Nerd") mode off.
The elbow seems to have reached some sort of sticking point; not getting better, not getting worse. I can sort of climb on it if I'm gentle (going at all hard puts it back a step for sure), but total rest seems to make it much more painful and "creaky." Last night I went back into the weight room for the first time, avoided any power movements on my elbow but hammered on the rest, damn good. There's just something so overwhelmingly positive about blasting your body, I'm typing with sore muscles for the first time in a month, hell yeah! And the elbow feels about the same... Maybe I'm being stupid, but my latest theory is that I likely have so much scar tissue from training over the years that resting just "sets" that stiff tissue and generally makes thing worse. Massage seems to help the most, so I'm doing that while driving and resting, plus ice, see what happens...
Geekery:
Playing WMV (windows meda files) on a Mac has always really annoyed me. Quicktime is a far superior format because you can pause it mid-video, scroll back and forth within the player without causing malfunctions, etc. WMV files play slightly better on a PC, but still suck compared to Quicktime (especially when playing WMV files within internet sites). The solution for Macs is to get Flip4Mac, which plays WMV files from within Quicktime. Full Quicktime function, way better than Windows Media Player. You can upgrade for $29 and then use most of the Quicktime Pro functions too, pretty cool.
Geek (or, as I've been admonished, "Nerd") mode off.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Equalizing belays
The whole concept of equalizing belay anchors has been discussed heavily lately, both over on rockclimbing.com and also on supertopo.com. I've also had some correspondance with Jim Ewing over at Sterling, who did much of the actual lab work referenced. The basic concept is that it's very difficult to effectively equalize multiple pieces in a belay, and that shock loading when one piece pulls is surprisingly minimal. We all want to do the "right" thing when building anchors, but as I've written previously, the "right" thing often isn't. This picture is lifted from supertopo.com, where a user lifted it from John Long's new book (I still need to buy a copy of that, hopefully he won't mind posting it here as it's promo for his book--I've known Long for years, he's not the sort of individual you really want pissed at you, not because of his iron addiction but because he flips words with style). I thought people might enjoy seeing the data, when I got it from Jim it wasn't in a viewer-friendly format. I find the whole discussion sort of humorous because we all used the "sliding X" years ago, then were told that the cordellette was plus bon, now it's pretty clear that the old sliding X is pretty darn good in comparison. I've played with the "equallette," overall it seems like it's more prone to mis-rigging and requires more biners than I'm likely to carry for its performance advantage over a simple sliding X. Might use it on nice sunny days when I have unlimited time to set up an anchor, but for winter climbing it's a right pain. One of the main problems with cordellettes is that the central knot often becomes set for the day after only one use, I see the equalette as being worse. At least with a sliding X frozen knots aren't a problem. I'll likely go with a sliding X with the biner clipped directly into the rope, and the rope then clipped into a third piece as a "All hell breaks loose" backup to the two primary pieces. Or something else depending on what the situation callls for, the bottom line is that no one system for building belays will be the best for all possible circumstances. I'll continue to carry a cordellette as they are very useful for slinging pillars or other features, chopping up for V-threads, rigging rap anchors, etc., but less useful than I always thought for building equalized anchors.
All of this discussion has also changed my viewpoint that tying together some "OK" pieces will make a "really good" belay. I'm now more interested in having at least one "bomber" piece in the belay, and then backing that up with with at least one and hopefully two "OK" or better pieces. I've always built my rap anchors around one "bomber" piece (Abalakov or super solid pin/nut/bush/whatever) with a backup, I'm starting to look at belays more like this given how relatively poorly even the best equalized anchor works in the lab. In combat situations systems are likely to work even less well in my experience. Lots of good gear is a good thing, this whole climbing thing is pretty unpredictable when it comes right down to it. I'm very fond of 3.5 inch stainless bolts that I've placed, grin.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Gear Testing
I've been doing a fair amount of that lately despite my injured elbow. I can still get out for a quick whack on the icicles, so I've been testing new tools, screws and some clothing also, good fun. It's fun to work on gear that I really care about, and sometimes make a real difference to future product. There are few things more satisfying than to be using a commercial product and see one of my little tweaks in action on it, whether it's a feature or a clean piece of material lacking a "feature." Probably the biggest battle in product testing for me was learning that what I want, what Joe and Jill consumer want, and what the designer wants just won't mesh all that well a lot of the time. We as consumers often have a tendency to look at a product and think, "Is this the best gear?" when the real questions are, "What was this product designed to do?" and "What do I do?" Clothing and climbing gear is slowly becoming more and more specialized; I was looking through an ancient catalog the other day and there were about three pieces in the "Jackets" section, and about four types of carabiners. You know what the average shop looks like now, and likely own a jacket for light aerobic activities, one for pure rain, one for dog walking, etc. The point of this is that we have to understand our own needs pretty well in order to buy anything appropriate. When I'm product testing I almost have to act--today I'll be a grade 4 ice climber with a swing based on climbing four days a year. Tomorrow I'll be a grade 6 ice climber with access to pro deals, the day after a novice looking for that one harness that will do everything well enough. The funny thing is that we as testers and manufacturers become so wrapped up in our line segmentation that we can forget that the consumer often isn't as educated as we are, or to put it another way, we're worrying about tenths of grams on an ice screw hanger when the consumer is thinking, "Ah, it costs a bit more and the teeth look pretty sharp." And, just as women bought men's boots for years because there was a perception that the women's footwear was detuned (it often was back in the day), no consumer wants to buy the "low end" gear even if it will work better for them as well as cost less. I often have novice ice climers coveting a tool like the Fusion or another high pick angle tool, which will be a nightmare for them to climb ice with. High pick-angle tools are great weapons for hard mixed climbs or in very experienced hands, but the Reactor will climb pure ice a hell of a let better, cost less and make the whole experience more fun for the vast majority of climbers. So somehow consumers have to figure out what the designer made the product to do, and match that with what the consumer will actually do with it. I think one of the greatest improvments in design and sales could come not from more advanced technology, but better educational information on the packaging. Computer manufacturers are the worst at this--the average Dell ad has about 20 numbers in it, when what's really needed is more information on what the XX375B7 graphics card does, and who might want to buy it. A gamer might need that power, but Stewart who writes emails and surfs for Brazilian Tree Frog photos likely won't... His graphics card money could be better spent on an extra inch of monitor space. Apple is currently doing well because they seem better at matching their products with what users actually do rather than focusing on the materials in the box (and they charge more for often less). In clothing we tend to focus on the ideal of the high end, but wrecking a $600 super-light alpine jacket while tree skiing in a resort is a waste of money and likely aggravating to the consumer who maxed his credit card to buy it. The over-built, heavier jacket would do a better job even though it costs less. But manufacturers keep selling the high end, and we as consumers keep lusting after it without understanding what the designer was thinking or what we actually need our gear to do. I read internet reviews of gear a lot (both outdoor and other categories), they can be useful, but when I read an epinions review of a Ford F 350 diesel truck where the new owner is pissed because it won't fit into his office job parking space so the truck "sucks" I feel a familiar flash of sympathy both for the owner and for the truck's designer. Any successful gear purchase, whether outdoor or computers, starts with understanding what the product was designed to do and then what the purchaser is actually going to do with it. If someone were to start a really good web site devoted to very intensive gear reviews based on education rather than purely how "performance" oriented the gear was I think it could be really successful.
Right, off to test some more protos, today I get to be a financially empowered individual who wants the "statement" equipment. But first I'm gonna chop some ice off my sidewalk with the BD proto ice tool and change my van's oil in the new Arc'teryx jacket, grin, gotta make sure the dirt bag with a pro deal form will like it too.
Right, off to test some more protos, today I get to be a financially empowered individual who wants the "statement" equipment. But first I'm gonna chop some ice off my sidewalk with the BD proto ice tool and change my van's oil in the new Arc'teryx jacket, grin, gotta make sure the dirt bag with a pro deal form will like it too.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Religion and "Wow!"
Thanks for the comments and emails on the Religion topic. I'm getting ready for the show tonight plus some other stuff, but wanted to note that looking for spiritual answers and through that mental exercise feeling connected to the world is something I am very much interested in. Mocking someone else's attempt at spirituality is often a defense mechanism for one's own beliefs rather than an attempt at understanding and sharing the joy of being alive together as humans. I've been reading more Buddhist writing lately, a big part of that is questioning and thinking rather than trying to work in absolutes. Absolutes are limiting and not much fun; thinking and growing mentally are far more engaging, at least when I stop being a lazy bastard and work at it...
Anyhow, I know that there are powerful experiences in life that resonate more deeply with us as individuals than others. Those moments where we all go, sometimes silently and sometimes at the top of our lungs, "Wow!" Whether we attribute those moments to God, the Flying Spaghetti Monster (there's actually a religion on that too, Google it...) or just our visceral response to the amazing world we live in is perhaps less relevant than feeling the moments move us. The "grit" of daily life sometimes wears away at me, those moments are what help rebuild at least me. Some friends of mine just sent some photos of climbing in the Austrian mountains this morning, I just know they were having some great "Wow!" moments. May we all have more of these.
WG
Anyhow, I know that there are powerful experiences in life that resonate more deeply with us as individuals than others. Those moments where we all go, sometimes silently and sometimes at the top of our lungs, "Wow!" Whether we attribute those moments to God, the Flying Spaghetti Monster (there's actually a religion on that too, Google it...) or just our visceral response to the amazing world we live in is perhaps less relevant than feeling the moments move us. The "grit" of daily life sometimes wears away at me, those moments are what help rebuild at least me. Some friends of mine just sent some photos of climbing in the Austrian mountains this morning, I just know they were having some great "Wow!" moments. May we all have more of these.
WG
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Slideshow in Calgary Thursday night, Religion
I'm doing a show Thursday (tomorow night) in Calgary as a benefit for the Canadian World Championship Paragliding Team. It's turned into a really well-organized event, 20 foot screen etc., fired up to see many friends there and meet some new people too! Some beer will be consumed, it's at Shanks in the Northwest (link to map).
Religion/faith: I've had a bunch of great email responses in response to the recent fatalities in climbing, thanks, these responses mean a lot to me. Several of them have been from various Christian viewpoints; I'm all for anyone practicing any sort of religion that doesn't damage other people. Several of my friends are fairly devout, which makes long drives more fun as we always have a "default" conversation topic that can eat up the road. I'm pretty sure most religions are fabricated without divine intervention, while most of those who believe seem positive that God had a role. I find this somewhat humorous, as the followers of each sect are all certain that the others, along with me, are doomed. From this alone I've come to the conclusion that faith is something I have little faith in. Maybe I'm just a heartless skeptic, but I have the same problem with a lot of "new age" stuff (Iridology, homeopathy, aura adjustment, there's a long list of stuff people have faith in without much in the way of evidence). I do think a more wholistic viewpoint toward physical and mental health is called for (fighting heart disease in its latter stages misses the point of why we get heart disease in the first place for example), but that's a relatively simple cause and effect relationship (whether genes or McDonalds). Anyhow, I found a great collection of quotes about religion and faith on a Craigslist site, pasted 'em here for your amusement. As always, I welcome any conversation pro or con about life, the most interesting sport of all.
"It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science." [Darwin]
"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." [Voltaire]
"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism." [Einstein]
"Faith means not wanting to know what is true." [Nietzsche]
"I cannot believe in the immortality of the soul.... No, all this talk of an existence for us, as individuals, beyond the grave is wrong. It is born of our tenacity of life – our desire to go on living … our dread of coming to an end." [Edison]
"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." [Lincoln]
"Religion is a byproduct of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity?" [Arthur C. Clarke]
"Religions are all alike – founded upon fables and mythologies." [Thomas Jefferson]
"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile." [Kurt Vonnegut]
"Religion is based . . . mainly on fear . . . fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. . . . My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race." [Bertrand Russell]
Religion/faith: I've had a bunch of great email responses in response to the recent fatalities in climbing, thanks, these responses mean a lot to me. Several of them have been from various Christian viewpoints; I'm all for anyone practicing any sort of religion that doesn't damage other people. Several of my friends are fairly devout, which makes long drives more fun as we always have a "default" conversation topic that can eat up the road. I'm pretty sure most religions are fabricated without divine intervention, while most of those who believe seem positive that God had a role. I find this somewhat humorous, as the followers of each sect are all certain that the others, along with me, are doomed. From this alone I've come to the conclusion that faith is something I have little faith in. Maybe I'm just a heartless skeptic, but I have the same problem with a lot of "new age" stuff (Iridology, homeopathy, aura adjustment, there's a long list of stuff people have faith in without much in the way of evidence). I do think a more wholistic viewpoint toward physical and mental health is called for (fighting heart disease in its latter stages misses the point of why we get heart disease in the first place for example), but that's a relatively simple cause and effect relationship (whether genes or McDonalds). Anyhow, I found a great collection of quotes about religion and faith on a Craigslist site, pasted 'em here for your amusement. As always, I welcome any conversation pro or con about life, the most interesting sport of all.
"It appears to me (whether rightly or wrongly) that direct arguments against christianity and theism produce hardly any effect on the public; and freedom of thought is best promoted by the gradual illumination of men's minds which follows from the advance of science." [Darwin]
"If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities." [Voltaire]
"I cannot imagine a God who rewards and punishes the objects of his creation, whose purposes are modeled after our own -- a God, in short, who is but a reflection of human frailty. Neither can I believe that the individual survives the death of his body, although feeble souls harbor such thoughts through fear or ridiculous egotism." [Einstein]
"Faith means not wanting to know what is true." [Nietzsche]
"I cannot believe in the immortality of the soul.... No, all this talk of an existence for us, as individuals, beyond the grave is wrong. It is born of our tenacity of life – our desire to go on living … our dread of coming to an end." [Edison]
"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma." [Lincoln]
"Religion is a byproduct of fear. For much of human history, it may have been a necessary evil, but why was it more evil than necessary? Isn't killing people in the name of God a pretty good definition of insanity?" [Arthur C. Clarke]
"Religions are all alike – founded upon fables and mythologies." [Thomas Jefferson]
"Say what you will about the sweet miracle of unquestioning faith, I consider a capacity for it terrifying and absolutely vile." [Kurt Vonnegut]
"Religion is based . . . mainly on fear . . . fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand. . . . My own view on religion is that of Lucretius. I regard it as a disease born of fear and as a source of untold misery to the human race." [Bertrand Russell]
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Hari Berger by Simone Moro
A friend sent me some words about Hari from Simone Moro. I saw Simone speak at Banff this year, great show, and his words below put a lot of what I've been thinking about into a clearer form. I think all of us who wrestle with the risk and reward of our sports have had similar thoughts. Thanks Simone.
FOR HARALD BERGER
by Simone Moro
"My mobile phone was off, I had almost completely cut myself off from the thousands of things I need to do prior to departing for the Karakorum. I wanted to concentrate of the final things concerning comunication, internet, satellite phones. But as soon as I reconnected to the outside world, towards evening, the disasterous news hit me. It rendered me speechless, it took my breath away for a few ceaseless instances. But the giant block of ice which hit Harald Berger at 14:15 at Flachgau, close to Salzburg, left no room for escape. In a few hours time he would have become a father... It all came to an end beneath 150 tons of ice. For ever.
When a friend dies, someone you know, someone with whom you've worked together, who you had met a few days ago and had heard on the phone and by email just a few hours ago, you realise just how fragile and ephemeral the cords are on which our destiny rely. Harald had not wanted to go to Mexico two weeks ago for a sponsor we have in common so as to not leave his wife at home, he hadn't come to Chamonix for the same reason. He had almost completely quit base jumping so as to avoid unecessary risks, in other words, he had decided to steer clear of danger and he had decided to stay at home in 2007 without projects for distant travels. But seeking refuge, protection, is useless because destiny, once again, travelled on a different frequency, abiding a completely different logic.
Harald was a true athlete, a formidable man, careful. Despite his three victories in the ice climbing world cup he still wanted to learn and to listen, not just to show and demonstrate what he was capable of. Rock, ice, air - these were the elements in which he dreamed and which made him dream. We've now got to live with just these. Dreams and thoughts. Because the reality is that Harald has closed his book of life, after 34 years of pages and an immense desire and ideas to write more, exalting and full. There is no end, no moral, no explanation with which to close these thoughts, to help accept what happened in such a cruel way to Hari, his life companion and his child which will be born shortly.
Once again I ascertain that life must really be lived to the full, intensely and in every single instant, without putting our spaces and exalting, full moments too far off into the future. All I can do today is salute you and pray for you. Staying close to your companion and your future child is what we can promise in our greeting. Bye Harald."
Simone Moro
FOR HARALD BERGER
by Simone Moro
"My mobile phone was off, I had almost completely cut myself off from the thousands of things I need to do prior to departing for the Karakorum. I wanted to concentrate of the final things concerning comunication, internet, satellite phones. But as soon as I reconnected to the outside world, towards evening, the disasterous news hit me. It rendered me speechless, it took my breath away for a few ceaseless instances. But the giant block of ice which hit Harald Berger at 14:15 at Flachgau, close to Salzburg, left no room for escape. In a few hours time he would have become a father... It all came to an end beneath 150 tons of ice. For ever.
When a friend dies, someone you know, someone with whom you've worked together, who you had met a few days ago and had heard on the phone and by email just a few hours ago, you realise just how fragile and ephemeral the cords are on which our destiny rely. Harald had not wanted to go to Mexico two weeks ago for a sponsor we have in common so as to not leave his wife at home, he hadn't come to Chamonix for the same reason. He had almost completely quit base jumping so as to avoid unecessary risks, in other words, he had decided to steer clear of danger and he had decided to stay at home in 2007 without projects for distant travels. But seeking refuge, protection, is useless because destiny, once again, travelled on a different frequency, abiding a completely different logic.
Harald was a true athlete, a formidable man, careful. Despite his three victories in the ice climbing world cup he still wanted to learn and to listen, not just to show and demonstrate what he was capable of. Rock, ice, air - these were the elements in which he dreamed and which made him dream. We've now got to live with just these. Dreams and thoughts. Because the reality is that Harald has closed his book of life, after 34 years of pages and an immense desire and ideas to write more, exalting and full. There is no end, no moral, no explanation with which to close these thoughts, to help accept what happened in such a cruel way to Hari, his life companion and his child which will be born shortly.
Once again I ascertain that life must really be lived to the full, intensely and in every single instant, without putting our spaces and exalting, full moments too far off into the future. All I can do today is salute you and pray for you. Staying close to your companion and your future child is what we can promise in our greeting. Bye Harald."
Simone Moro
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Ouray Results
My girlfriend, Kim is down in Ouray judging and teaching clinics, it sounds like it's the usual fun time, wish I were there! Injuries suck.
Anyhow, the results are up on the web. I was happy to see my bud Evegeny win (not super surprising, he's a strong guy!), and also very happy to see Audrey Gariepy take second overall. Audrey is a very strong young Quebec climber--she is also a she, grin, so fantastic result for her! Rich Marshall was third overall, striking a solid blow for all climbers on the dark side of 40, nice work Rich!
WG
Anyhow, the results are up on the web. I was happy to see my bud Evegeny win (not super surprising, he's a strong guy!), and also very happy to see Audrey Gariepy take second overall. Audrey is a very strong young Quebec climber--she is also a she, grin, so fantastic result for her! Rich Marshall was third overall, striking a solid blow for all climbers on the dark side of 40, nice work Rich!
WG
Friday, January 12, 2007
Ice Screw Testing
I met the guys doing some human "crash test dummy" testing with ice screws when I was in Ouray last year. They've put together a nice trailer of hucking themselves off various ice climbs (link below). The fact that most of the ice screws held is encouraging for sure, but a few notes:
-No crampons on the test falls. My biggest concern with falling off while ice climbing isn't that a seemingly good screw will blow, but that I'll catch my crampons on the way down. I've done a few rescues involving various smashed lower appendages, and had several friends toast their ankles from even relatively short falls. The problem is that the crampons tend to bite in, and then either rip hell out of various soft tissue attachments or bones as the climber falls by. I've also seen climbers flipped upside down really violently as their crampons catch and the climber does a fast 180 around the frontpoints and smacks his head into the ice... This happens in the video even without crampons on.
-Very controlled setting. No ledges to hit, relatively smooth ice. Not really your typical fall scenario.
I think testing ice screws for holding power is good, we do a lot of it at Black Diamond, but the focus of the trailer seems to be on learning to trust ice screws to hold falls. That's sort of interesting, but equating the sorts of falls in the video with those experienced in combat really misses the point that falling on ice climbs is a really bad idea, even if the screw holds. My own personal maxim is that if I don't believe fairly strongly that I can climb the pitch without falling then I back off. I don't think I would have lasted this long while ice climbing if I were operating under the assumption that a fall is an acceptable outcome on an ice climb. It's almost always possible to simply stop and hang off a tool while ice climbing, there's no reason to be whipping off (either clip into the hole in the spike or loop a sling over the lower hook if it's a leashless tool if the pump starts to interfere with safe climbing).
Still, definitely worth watching this video, and good work by the guys involved. I love redneck engineering and this is classic, plus it's well-shot.
PS--thank to Brian Spreadbury for sending me the link, I lost it somewhere.
-No crampons on the test falls. My biggest concern with falling off while ice climbing isn't that a seemingly good screw will blow, but that I'll catch my crampons on the way down. I've done a few rescues involving various smashed lower appendages, and had several friends toast their ankles from even relatively short falls. The problem is that the crampons tend to bite in, and then either rip hell out of various soft tissue attachments or bones as the climber falls by. I've also seen climbers flipped upside down really violently as their crampons catch and the climber does a fast 180 around the frontpoints and smacks his head into the ice... This happens in the video even without crampons on.
-Very controlled setting. No ledges to hit, relatively smooth ice. Not really your typical fall scenario.
I think testing ice screws for holding power is good, we do a lot of it at Black Diamond, but the focus of the trailer seems to be on learning to trust ice screws to hold falls. That's sort of interesting, but equating the sorts of falls in the video with those experienced in combat really misses the point that falling on ice climbs is a really bad idea, even if the screw holds. My own personal maxim is that if I don't believe fairly strongly that I can climb the pitch without falling then I back off. I don't think I would have lasted this long while ice climbing if I were operating under the assumption that a fall is an acceptable outcome on an ice climb. It's almost always possible to simply stop and hang off a tool while ice climbing, there's no reason to be whipping off (either clip into the hole in the spike or loop a sling over the lower hook if it's a leashless tool if the pump starts to interfere with safe climbing).
Still, definitely worth watching this video, and good work by the guys involved. I love redneck engineering and this is classic, plus it's well-shot.
PS--thank to Brian Spreadbury for sending me the link, I lost it somewhere.
Kandersteg Ice Fest, Travel Round two
Just returned from the Kandersteg Ice Festival, a really fun event in Switzerland. Sean Isaac and I did "Canadian Ice" shows in English to the huge crowd, good fun. Unfortunately there was very little ice, people were dry tooling in the mud at the local crags and generally looking a bit aggravated, but the festival still had great attendance. I ended up climbing during my clinics on the drytool walls, which didn't do my elbow any good--I just can't resist climbing when it's right in front me. I did manage to refrain from the drytool competition, which was incredible. I think the ice-festival model is the future for winter climbing competitions--Ouray, Festiglace and Kandersteg are all based on participation from the public and a "party" vibe, this just works a lot better than the World Cup style events. The Euro level is really high; Marcus won for the men and Ines for the women, they are both in good form and really getting after it. Ines has decided to quit the world cup and focus on her trips, but I think Marcus will be hard to beat on the world cup (although my bud Albert may be giving him a good run for the money!).
The travel back was pretty much a reprise of the trip over, except I was able to avoid Heathrow Hell. I had to pay an extra $50, I regard that as money very well spent. Unfortunately there was still some good travel hell--the flight back west from Europe is normally slow as it's into the prevailing wind, but the winds were stronger than normal so Zurich to Toronto was supposed to be an 11 hour flight. We flew over Greenland, you could see the snow getting whipped off the peaks in wild plumes for hundreds of K, definitely wind. And of course once we were all loaded onto the plane there was a malfunction of some kind, so we sat there for three hours with "updates" every 15 minutes. All told I spent about 14 hours on that flight, about the same as going to Australia... Missed the connection in Toronto and ended up on the red-eye, finally got home at around two in the morning, or 10 in the morning Euro time. Nothing like a 24-hour travel session to ruin the brain, but worth it to see the energy in Switzerland.
The travel back was pretty much a reprise of the trip over, except I was able to avoid Heathrow Hell. I had to pay an extra $50, I regard that as money very well spent. Unfortunately there was still some good travel hell--the flight back west from Europe is normally slow as it's into the prevailing wind, but the winds were stronger than normal so Zurich to Toronto was supposed to be an 11 hour flight. We flew over Greenland, you could see the snow getting whipped off the peaks in wild plumes for hundreds of K, definitely wind. And of course once we were all loaded onto the plane there was a malfunction of some kind, so we sat there for three hours with "updates" every 15 minutes. All told I spent about 14 hours on that flight, about the same as going to Australia... Missed the connection in Toronto and ended up on the red-eye, finally got home at around two in the morning, or 10 in the morning Euro time. Nothing like a 24-hour travel session to ruin the brain, but worth it to see the energy in Switzerland.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Modern Travel
I’m in Switzerland for the Black Diamond Kandersteg Ice Festival, one of the bigger Euro Festivals and always a good time. It’s a really short trip--I don’t like this sort of mad travel, but some swirling combination of schedule, an injured elbow, airline tickets and life landed me in Switzerland for the weekend. Worse things could happen. But before I write about the best iceless ice festival I’ve ever been to I need to discuss travel in the post-911 era.
On the flight over to London I’m bumped to business class thanks to sitting on lots of other airplanes. Air Canada’s business class is called “Executive First,” which is nicer than the cattle call on the back of the plane I normally ride. I get a hot meal, free drinks, a reasonable seat with some leg room and the biggest luxury of all, a small ditty bag with various “in-flight essentials.” All of this added up to a pretty tolerable flight, but then it hit me: when I first started traveling internationally all of the things I was currently enjoying in business class used to be part of coach class travel… Years ago I flew full first class back from Europe, and remember the insane full bottles of scotch, near one-on-one service from the staff, and the overall comfort. This business class wasn’t nearly on par with that, yet my ticket said executive first. Overall airline travel today sucks in comparison with what it used to be. But it’s not just the in-flight creature comforts that make the difference, it’s the attitude of everyone involved in the process, including me. Travel used to be relaitvely rare and a bit of an occasion for most people, now it’s an A to B process done as cheaply as possible. Lower-cost travel has opened up the world to many of us who likely couldn’t afford it otherwise, but the experience is only slightly less odious than going to the dentist.
This trip started in the Calgary airport security line. I’m traveling with only my boots, harness and helmet to make it all work as a carry-on (land in Zurich at 4:30 p.m., drive three hours, show at 8:00, not a lot of time to collect bags). While in line we are repeatedly admonished to put all of our gels and liquids into a single clear plastic bag. Not two bags, one, of the supplied size only. Which my contact lens solution doesn’t quite fit into. The bottle is half-full, but the container is over 100ml, so a dour security guard informs me that it’s too big as the bottle says 150ml. I point out that it’s less than half full, so it can’t possibly have more than 100ml in it. Nope, rules are rules, I have to either check it or toss it into the bin with all the other dangerous substances such as water bottles. I ask if I could dump out all the solution and take the bottle perhaps? Yes, this would be OK, empty bottles aren’t dangerous. And if I had a container to hold the solution could I put it into that? I’m eyeing my travel mug and thinking I’ll pour the solution into there, then pour it back into the bottle once I’ve survived security. But no, less than 100ml of contact solution in an open container isn’t allowed. So if I had a screw-on lid for my mug that would be OK? The security guard is getting frustrated and tells me to “follow the rules or I’ll become a problem passenger requiring more screening… I surrender the solution.
During the whole 20-minute security process I have to deal with getting told about three times that I’m at the wrong security gate for my flight. Yes, I’m aware of that, but you can move from terminal to termainal on the far side of security, and the “idiots who travel too much special holding area,” also known as the Gold status lounge, is in the A terminal… I point this out and am allowed to proceed toward the contact lens solution confiscation point. After about five people in line in front of me figure out that the metal detector does indeed detect metal, so that huge crucifix dangling around their necks might just set it off, or possibly the numerous metal rings on their fingers, or the Frisbee-sized belt buckle… I’m always amazed that person after person fails to figure this out. The whole vibe is suspicious and rude, and I suspect, largely ineffective. I can think of a half-dozen ways to get explosives or serious weaponry through the “security,” and that’s just while standing in line for it.
Finally I’m in my seat on the plane. It’s a good thing they took away my dangerous contact solution (Slate did a great piece on how it’s basically impossible to brew up a good bomb by combining liquids on a plane…), I just feel so much safer. I’m also strangely comforted by the fact that I get a plastic knife to cut my chicken up with—never mind that I’m given a large glass tumbler for my scotch, and that there are numerous wine bottles on hand. Now I’m no expert on weapons, but I’ve always feared a broken bottle in a bar situation, and I’ve cut myself on enough broken glasses while dishwashing to have a healthy respect for broken glass. I can’t bring a contact lens solution on board, but I’m given all the raw materials to make a hell of an effective knife? I briefly contemplate smashing my glass to have a more appropriate edge for dealing with the chicken, but that might lead to the plane being grounded so I could be wrestled off by local security forces…
The flight goes by peaceably, and after about ten hours I land in the worst damn airport in the world, Heathrow. We stand in line to get in line for the shuttle to the other terminal, stand in line to get on the escalator to stand in line for passport control, then stand in line for 45 minutes to go through security--again. And despite it being winter, the British have somehow figured out how to keep it jungle-hot, just what you need when nursing a free-booze hang over after being up for 30 hours straight. An old woman is visibly wilting in front of me, yet is treated like a potential terrorist when she politely asks a guard if she could sit for a bit on a chair just outside the maze while waiting her turn. I have to ask the guard if he would treat his own mother this way, it’s just wrong, a minor glare-fest ensues. The guard gets his back when I have to stuff my computer bag into my climbing pack to meet the one-bag rule, which doesn’t apply to the first-class passengers in a special line… I’ve already taken the computer out, and when the bag doesn’t quite fit into the “one bag only” box I start kicking the shit out of it until it does. The head of security comes over and decides my bag is OK, but it takes about five minutes to get my bag out of the “no bag bigger than this” cave I’ve just stuffed it into. I’m starting to almost enjoy the process. We used to be able to take two bags on, and I’ve always played by the rules of keeping them reasonably sized. Now it’s one bag, unless you’re a woman with a huge purse, a pet dog in a little mesh box and a carry-on with this season’s full Dior fashion line in it. The dog is OK with me.
Finally I’m in the line to stand in line for the next stage of security; a vast maze lies in front of me, which we all dutifully shuffle back and forth through like rats trying to find the reward. The guards and passengers are all surly; there’s a strong sense of futility and barely-restrained hostility permeating the atmosphere. Occasionally someone will break and start yelling at the security guards, only to be whisked off to wherever surly passengers are taken. I joke with a sun-baked surfer about the whole situation until the guards take notice of someone potentially having fun with the madness and start eyeing us up. We pull our sheep costumes back into place and keep our eyes downward lest we arouse the interest of the rubber-finger clad… It takes a full two hours to finally get through it all, and by the time I arrive at the next gate I’ve really had it with the British empire. Still, I’m loads better off than the old Sikh guy in front of me waiting to get into the waiting area at the gate—he makes the mistake of asking if he has enough time to get some food before the flight leaves. Another failed prison guard tells him “No, the flight leaves in 15 minutes, get in now or be denied boarding." Then we sit in the holding area for an hour because the plane is late. The Sikh had to be hungry to even ask about eating British airport food, so another hour could have killed him. I’m seriously surprised there isn’t more insanity in the airports from passengers driven over the brink.
Whatever you do, avoid Heathrow if at all possible, it’s a soul-choking mix of British clerk hell and old Soviet-style endless cues to stand in line for the next cue. I’ve flown through London three times in the last three years, apparently I forget the sheer idiocy of it all after about 364 days.
The only fun part of the trip comes when I drop a bunch of change on the floor and the muslim guy behind me directs his kids as they scoop it all up and offer it back. It’s pretty cool, I give all the change to the kids not because they look like they need it but because they figure out it’s Canadian and are psyched on it. A rare moment of humanity in the cluster of modern travel….
Next report: Kandersteg, which had almost no ice but sure was fun!
I’m in Switzerland for the Black Diamond Kandersteg Ice Festival, one of the bigger Euro Festivals and always a good time. It’s a really short trip--I don’t like this sort of mad travel, but some swirling combination of schedule, an injured elbow, airline tickets and life landed me in Switzerland for the weekend. Worse things could happen. But before I write about the best iceless ice festival I’ve ever been to I need to discuss travel in the post-911 era.
On the flight over to London I’m bumped to business class thanks to sitting on lots of other airplanes. Air Canada’s business class is called “Executive First,” which is nicer than the cattle call on the back of the plane I normally ride. I get a hot meal, free drinks, a reasonable seat with some leg room and the biggest luxury of all, a small ditty bag with various “in-flight essentials.” All of this added up to a pretty tolerable flight, but then it hit me: when I first started traveling internationally all of the things I was currently enjoying in business class used to be part of coach class travel… Years ago I flew full first class back from Europe, and remember the insane full bottles of scotch, near one-on-one service from the staff, and the overall comfort. This business class wasn’t nearly on par with that, yet my ticket said executive first. Overall airline travel today sucks in comparison with what it used to be. But it’s not just the in-flight creature comforts that make the difference, it’s the attitude of everyone involved in the process, including me. Travel used to be relaitvely rare and a bit of an occasion for most people, now it’s an A to B process done as cheaply as possible. Lower-cost travel has opened up the world to many of us who likely couldn’t afford it otherwise, but the experience is only slightly less odious than going to the dentist.
This trip started in the Calgary airport security line. I’m traveling with only my boots, harness and helmet to make it all work as a carry-on (land in Zurich at 4:30 p.m., drive three hours, show at 8:00, not a lot of time to collect bags). While in line we are repeatedly admonished to put all of our gels and liquids into a single clear plastic bag. Not two bags, one, of the supplied size only. Which my contact lens solution doesn’t quite fit into. The bottle is half-full, but the container is over 100ml, so a dour security guard informs me that it’s too big as the bottle says 150ml. I point out that it’s less than half full, so it can’t possibly have more than 100ml in it. Nope, rules are rules, I have to either check it or toss it into the bin with all the other dangerous substances such as water bottles. I ask if I could dump out all the solution and take the bottle perhaps? Yes, this would be OK, empty bottles aren’t dangerous. And if I had a container to hold the solution could I put it into that? I’m eyeing my travel mug and thinking I’ll pour the solution into there, then pour it back into the bottle once I’ve survived security. But no, less than 100ml of contact solution in an open container isn’t allowed. So if I had a screw-on lid for my mug that would be OK? The security guard is getting frustrated and tells me to “follow the rules or I’ll become a problem passenger requiring more screening… I surrender the solution.
During the whole 20-minute security process I have to deal with getting told about three times that I’m at the wrong security gate for my flight. Yes, I’m aware of that, but you can move from terminal to termainal on the far side of security, and the “idiots who travel too much special holding area,” also known as the Gold status lounge, is in the A terminal… I point this out and am allowed to proceed toward the contact lens solution confiscation point. After about five people in line in front of me figure out that the metal detector does indeed detect metal, so that huge crucifix dangling around their necks might just set it off, or possibly the numerous metal rings on their fingers, or the Frisbee-sized belt buckle… I’m always amazed that person after person fails to figure this out. The whole vibe is suspicious and rude, and I suspect, largely ineffective. I can think of a half-dozen ways to get explosives or serious weaponry through the “security,” and that’s just while standing in line for it.
Finally I’m in my seat on the plane. It’s a good thing they took away my dangerous contact solution (Slate did a great piece on how it’s basically impossible to brew up a good bomb by combining liquids on a plane…), I just feel so much safer. I’m also strangely comforted by the fact that I get a plastic knife to cut my chicken up with—never mind that I’m given a large glass tumbler for my scotch, and that there are numerous wine bottles on hand. Now I’m no expert on weapons, but I’ve always feared a broken bottle in a bar situation, and I’ve cut myself on enough broken glasses while dishwashing to have a healthy respect for broken glass. I can’t bring a contact lens solution on board, but I’m given all the raw materials to make a hell of an effective knife? I briefly contemplate smashing my glass to have a more appropriate edge for dealing with the chicken, but that might lead to the plane being grounded so I could be wrestled off by local security forces…
The flight goes by peaceably, and after about ten hours I land in the worst damn airport in the world, Heathrow. We stand in line to get in line for the shuttle to the other terminal, stand in line to get on the escalator to stand in line for passport control, then stand in line for 45 minutes to go through security--again. And despite it being winter, the British have somehow figured out how to keep it jungle-hot, just what you need when nursing a free-booze hang over after being up for 30 hours straight. An old woman is visibly wilting in front of me, yet is treated like a potential terrorist when she politely asks a guard if she could sit for a bit on a chair just outside the maze while waiting her turn. I have to ask the guard if he would treat his own mother this way, it’s just wrong, a minor glare-fest ensues. The guard gets his back when I have to stuff my computer bag into my climbing pack to meet the one-bag rule, which doesn’t apply to the first-class passengers in a special line… I’ve already taken the computer out, and when the bag doesn’t quite fit into the “one bag only” box I start kicking the shit out of it until it does. The head of security comes over and decides my bag is OK, but it takes about five minutes to get my bag out of the “no bag bigger than this” cave I’ve just stuffed it into. I’m starting to almost enjoy the process. We used to be able to take two bags on, and I’ve always played by the rules of keeping them reasonably sized. Now it’s one bag, unless you’re a woman with a huge purse, a pet dog in a little mesh box and a carry-on with this season’s full Dior fashion line in it. The dog is OK with me.
Finally I’m in the line to stand in line for the next stage of security; a vast maze lies in front of me, which we all dutifully shuffle back and forth through like rats trying to find the reward. The guards and passengers are all surly; there’s a strong sense of futility and barely-restrained hostility permeating the atmosphere. Occasionally someone will break and start yelling at the security guards, only to be whisked off to wherever surly passengers are taken. I joke with a sun-baked surfer about the whole situation until the guards take notice of someone potentially having fun with the madness and start eyeing us up. We pull our sheep costumes back into place and keep our eyes downward lest we arouse the interest of the rubber-finger clad… It takes a full two hours to finally get through it all, and by the time I arrive at the next gate I’ve really had it with the British empire. Still, I’m loads better off than the old Sikh guy in front of me waiting to get into the waiting area at the gate—he makes the mistake of asking if he has enough time to get some food before the flight leaves. Another failed prison guard tells him “No, the flight leaves in 15 minutes, get in now or be denied boarding." Then we sit in the holding area for an hour because the plane is late. The Sikh had to be hungry to even ask about eating British airport food, so another hour could have killed him. I’m seriously surprised there isn’t more insanity in the airports from passengers driven over the brink.
Whatever you do, avoid Heathrow if at all possible, it’s a soul-choking mix of British clerk hell and old Soviet-style endless cues to stand in line for the next cue. I’ve flown through London three times in the last three years, apparently I forget the sheer idiocy of it all after about 364 days.
The only fun part of the trip comes when I drop a bunch of change on the floor and the muslim guy behind me directs his kids as they scoop it all up and offer it back. It’s pretty cool, I give all the change to the kids not because they look like they need it but because they figure out it’s Canadian and are psyched on it. A rare moment of humanity in the cluster of modern travel….
Next report: Kandersteg, which had almost no ice but sure was fun!
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Pick Filing and Hyalite
David d. sends the following:
Speaking of oddball but interesting stuff, here's a guy with a sense of
mission and 'way too much time on his hands. If I had to do this, I'd NEVER
get climbing. Some different approaches pick shape, though...
http://www.summitpost.org/article/179394/so-you-want-to-sharpen-your-tools-e
h.html
Generally good info, although I disagree with his "bipod" idea as shown in figure 25, at least in his photos with that pick--the first tooth will cause the tip to "rocker" off small holds, not what you want for thin edges. Figure 26 shows a better pick for mixed. I also don't like notching the top of my pick so far down toward the tip, makes it get stuck in ice and likely weaker for agressive camming. It's the top of the pick above the pick clamp that contacts the rock during stein pulls, that's most important. But overall good info and nice piece, thanks to Dd for the tip and JScoles for putting the article up (and no cursing as suggested in the article, grin!).
-WG
Speaking of oddball but interesting stuff, here's a guy with a sense of
mission and 'way too much time on his hands. If I had to do this, I'd NEVER
get climbing. Some different approaches pick shape, though...
http://www.summitpost.org/article/179394/so-you-want-to-sharpen-your-tools-e
h.html
Generally good info, although I disagree with his "bipod" idea as shown in figure 25, at least in his photos with that pick--the first tooth will cause the tip to "rocker" off small holds, not what you want for thin edges. Figure 26 shows a better pick for mixed. I also don't like notching the top of my pick so far down toward the tip, makes it get stuck in ice and likely weaker for agressive camming. It's the top of the pick above the pick clamp that contacts the rock during stein pulls, that's most important. But overall good info and nice piece, thanks to Dd for the tip and JScoles for putting the article up (and no cursing as suggested in the article, grin!).
-WG
Friday, December 29, 2006
Charlie too. What the hell are we doing?
Charlie Fowler and Chris Boskoff went missing about a month ago in China. Their friends helped organize a massive search effort, which eventually found Charlie's body a few days ago. Chris is likely in the same area. The duo were two of the most motivated climbers around, and losing two more good people is again really sad. I've known Charlie for so long that I've forgotten where and when I met him, he's just always been around in the climbing world. A couple of years ago we worked a film job in the desert together, and snuck off to go climbing on a down day. The rock was pretty bad but we sure had fun, including downclimbing a reasonably hard corner because we couldn't find a solid anchor and didn't want to leave evidence of our passage on the cliff. On that same film job I pulled onto the top of a wild tower after a "safety scout," while Charlie had been helicoptered onto the top to do some rigging for a film crew. The last time I'd been up there the top of the tower had hosted a really ugly cluster of manky bolts, horrendously weathered drilled angles and some weird old bits all tied together with yards of ugly webbing. I pulled over the top to find two very, very solid but well-camouflaged anchors, and all the mess perfectly cleaned up, a much more elegant solution but perhaps controversial due to the tower's location (we were there legally). Charlie looked at me, looked at the anchors, and said in his unmistakable Charlie voice, "Well, those sure do look nice. Wonder how old they are?" The desert wind hadn't blown the dust away yet, I about fell off the top laughing as Charlie just slyly grinned. We sat up there in the sky for a while grooving on the amazing place and life before the film circus started again, it was nice. I'm sad that Charlie's gone, but he died with his boots on after a pretty damn solid life by anyone's standards. I'll grieve for him, but also laugh a bit more thinking about Charlie being Charlie. I'm looking forward to getting into the desert dust again, I know it has some Charlie mixed in it.
Some of Charlie's friends are sharing stories here.
I've been depressed over the loss of Hari Berger for the last week, it just rips me up to imagine Kirsten and Zoe without Hari. Now this, and following the loss of Todd this fall, Sue and Karen in the spring, and some other people I knew less well but who were also once vital parts of the adventure world. 2005 was also a hard year on my friends, stacking 2006 on top of it is near-incomprehensible. I'm not sure how to sort this all out, it's going to take some time to make emotional and intellectual sense of such horrific carnage. It's like someone repeatedly blasted the well-woven fabric of our community with a shotgun. Hari, Karen, Sue, and Charlie were all likely at the Ouray Ice Festival a few years ago, now they are all gone. Here's to hoping 2007 is a better year, play safe enough.
Some of Charlie's friends are sharing stories here.
I've been depressed over the loss of Hari Berger for the last week, it just rips me up to imagine Kirsten and Zoe without Hari. Now this, and following the loss of Todd this fall, Sue and Karen in the spring, and some other people I knew less well but who were also once vital parts of the adventure world. 2005 was also a hard year on my friends, stacking 2006 on top of it is near-incomprehensible. I'm not sure how to sort this all out, it's going to take some time to make emotional and intellectual sense of such horrific carnage. It's like someone repeatedly blasted the well-woven fabric of our community with a shotgun. Hari, Karen, Sue, and Charlie were all likely at the Ouray Ice Festival a few years ago, now they are all gone. Here's to hoping 2007 is a better year, play safe enough.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Berger Family Fund Raisers, Happy Solstice
I'm heading over to the Kandersteg Ice Festival in Switzerland next week, always a fun event. Black Diamond Europe is giving all the proceeds from the slide shows to the Berger family, amazing generosity, thanks! If you're in Europe I hope to see you at the shows, should be fun!
There are a lot of people working to raise small and large bits of money on both sides of the Atlantic, somehow this is in keeping with the true spirit of celebrating life, friends and family at this time of year. I like Christmas too--almost every culture has some sort of winter solstice celebration. The cool thing is that from here on out every day is a bit longer, yeah!
best,
WG
Training: Ran like a SOB in the dark last night, best run of the year so far. I've been really into night running lately, cruising through the woods by headlamp, great time to think and just let the night trail roll by. I've always liked running at night, it feels more free somehow, plus the hills seem shorter when you can't see the top of 'em... Chili Dog also seems to like it, chases the headlamp beam along the trail in front of me. Then of course too much eggnog at night, grin. Elbow slowly improving, rest seems to do more than anything else, plus drinking copius amounts of water all day and hydrations beers at night.
There are a lot of people working to raise small and large bits of money on both sides of the Atlantic, somehow this is in keeping with the true spirit of celebrating life, friends and family at this time of year. I like Christmas too--almost every culture has some sort of winter solstice celebration. The cool thing is that from here on out every day is a bit longer, yeah!
best,
WG
Training: Ran like a SOB in the dark last night, best run of the year so far. I've been really into night running lately, cruising through the woods by headlamp, great time to think and just let the night trail roll by. I've always liked running at night, it feels more free somehow, plus the hills seem shorter when you can't see the top of 'em... Chili Dog also seems to like it, chases the headlamp beam along the trail in front of me. Then of course too much eggnog at night, grin. Elbow slowly improving, rest seems to do more than anything else, plus drinking copius amounts of water all day and hydrations beers at night.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Help Kirsten and Zoe Berger
Albert Leichtfried is a good friend of the Berger family, and is helping to fund raise for them. There is information up on his site about how to help if you can.
There is also some talk of a fund-raiser at Ouray, I'll post details as they develop.
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Here is the direct information from Albert in case that link isn't working:
According to the words of Kirsten I would like to inform you, that the dougther of Hari Berger and Kirsten Buchmann was born this night at 0.31 AM and is well and healthy. The name Zoe was given after the wish of her father Hari.
To improve the critical financial situation of Kirsten and Zoe two fund raiser are set now, from friends of hari and from the guide association. See the accounts below.
Please help them to improve at least one of their worries!
Thank you!
Spendenkonto / fund raiser "Berger Harald - Spendenkonto"
Bank: Hypo Salzburg
BLZ/bank-nr.: 55000
Konto.Nr./account: 114 0000 1016
BIC: SLHYAT2S
IBAN: AT68 5500 0114 0000 1016
There is also some talk of a fund-raiser at Ouray, I'll post details as they develop.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the direct information from Albert in case that link isn't working:
According to the words of Kirsten I would like to inform you, that the dougther of Hari Berger and Kirsten Buchmann was born this night at 0.31 AM and is well and healthy. The name Zoe was given after the wish of her father Hari.
To improve the critical financial situation of Kirsten and Zoe two fund raiser are set now, from friends of hari and from the guide association. See the accounts below.
Please help them to improve at least one of their worries!
Thank you!
Spendenkonto / fund raiser "Berger Harald - Spendenkonto"
Bank: Hypo Salzburg
BLZ/bank-nr.: 55000
Konto.Nr./account: 114 0000 1016
BIC: SLHYAT2S
IBAN: AT68 5500 0114 0000 1016
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