April Banter

[RDM]

wxdude64 said

" I'm pretty sure you can basically ski where you want at A Basin, especially the 'East Wall' without them throwing a conniption fit like most places. Another that comes to mind is Jay Peak up in VT, course you get 'lost' and have to be helped out, THEN it becomes a different matter...... "

 

dude64 - yes, have some friends out west who love A Basin.  Never had the chance to ski there myself.  Most of my experience was in the Alps, Japan and East Coast US (plus a long vacation on the S. Island in NZ Heli-skiing - that was fantastic).  Used to go to Seven Springs a lot with a group of telemark skiers - they were a great group to hang out with.  Had some occasional "interesting" discussions with the ski patrol at 7sp who didn't like us going in the trees.  They didn't like much of anything anyone did who wasn't a ski patrol.  Had a real clique going on there.  Not like many resorts where the patrol is respected and rightfully so.  The patrol threatened to punch our tickets for a variety of reasons, including creating an avalanche danger - haha - avalanche danger at 7sp?   The owner of 7sp being from Europe thought the concept was silly and told the patrol to back off. 

In Europe you can essentially ski anyplace you want.  However, if you get injured off piste you better have good insurance or crawl back to the trail somehow.  Otherwise, it's gonna be very expensive for you to be taken off the hill.  Especially if they have to use a chopper.  About the only exceptions to free run of the terrain is in specially designated forests above villages/towns that are off limits to everyone given their special status for avalanche protection, where avalanches are a real threat. 

Overall the average relief of the terrain in the Alps is much more stark that in the US.  In the Rockies if you go down in the valleys you are still at 6, 7 or 8000 feet asl.  If you go down in the valleys in the Alps you are at an altitude of a couple thousand feet asl or less as is the case in Canton Valais in southern Switzerland.  Likewise, the apres-ski cusine and overall experience is amazing - on the trails and off...

 

[evaporativecooler]

17 hours ago, Vice-Regent said:

Ultimately it's up to the individual (nobody can convince or coerce you). I am surprised people eagerly accept such a society with open arms unquestioningly. I think change won't come fast enough for most due to the inertia of overpopulation. However I think it's more related to people being confined into cities and losing the connection with nature. Just use me as an example - I live in a rural coastal community and eagerly connect with nature.

I always enjoy sharing my experiences and realizations with Amwx in the hope that it will make you turn towards nature (which is a massive benefit for you). To borrow a term from my idol - "A social experiment in high strangeness". Climate activism groups are just echo chambers. Those who shall not be named that are mostly in the doomsday club.

Cities and overshoot are the pathway to destruction. You can be certain. It doesn't really connect with the narrative we've come accustomed to. It may now be possible to have a rich connected-ness and culture without the utilization of cities. In regards to overpopulation - less is more.

How you choose to look at these issues is ultimately up to you, but personally I think that in depth study is needed much more than action right now. The public conception of global warming is frankly, absurd. It's not monolithic GHG in = warmth. That's the current tendency, but the climate system works in ways that we can barely comprehend. Just to guestimate based on my current knowledge of the field, maybe less than 50 academics (a group I'm not even close to being a part of) actually grasp in a clear way. It's less undergrad thermo and more chaos theory + upper tier radiative physics and physical chemistry. 

Obviously raw GHG forcing is positive, but it's how the system reacts that determines our climate. You have to consider other anthropogenic forcings like aerosols (massive and uncertain impacts especially from organic + black carbon), land use changes (albedo changes from agriculture during the past few centuries dwarf that from urbanization), as well as system states that change cloud type and distribution (PDO's effect on stratiform vs convective cloud cover over the pacific is just one big potential forcing). It's forcing upon forcing upon forcing acting on different time scales and distributing heat between tropics/extratropics/poles and troposphere/stratosphere. Sometimes disequilibrium drive slow change, but if you push the train off the metaphorical tracks there can be massive jumps between system states on human time scales. 

We do need to get serious, but by serious I mean spending more money on serious research and diverting people who would go into things like particle physics that don't really impact our day to day lives into climate sciences. 

[showmethesnow]

Friday and Saturday at camp and temps reached 82 with plenty of sun. Wake up this morning to mist and showers with a temp of 42. Talk about a wake-up call.

 

[Vice-Regent]

1 hour ago, evaporativecooler said:

How you choose to look at these issues is ultimately up to you, but personally I think that in depth study is needed much more than action right now. The public conception of global warming is frankly, absurd. It's not monolithic GHG in = warmth. That's the current tendency, but the climate system works in ways that we can barely comprehend. Just to guestimate based on my current knowledge of the field, maybe less than 50 academics (a group I'm not even close to being a part of) actually grasp in a clear way. It's less undergrad thermo and more chaos theory + upper tier radiative physics and physical chemistry. 

Obviously raw GHG forcing is positive, but it's how the system reacts that determines our climate. You have to consider other anthropogenic forcings like aerosols (massive and uncertain impacts especially from organic + black carbon), land use changes (albedo changes from agriculture during the past few centuries dwarf that from urbanization), as well as system states that change cloud type and distribution (PDO's effect on stratiform vs convective cloud cover over the pacific is just one big potential forcing). It's forcing upon forcing upon forcing acting on different time scales and distributing heat between tropics/extratropics/poles and troposphere/stratosphere. Sometimes disequilibrium drive slow change, but if you push the train off the metaphorical tracks there can be massive jumps between system states on human time scales. 

We do need to get serious, but by serious I mean spending more money on serious research and diverting people who would go into things like particle physics that don't really impact our day to day lives into climate sciences. 

You would think they are making a particle that eats CO2 - something like Snowpiercer on steroids. Highly recommended movie. Really fits the era we are heading towards.

As for global warming and overpopulation. You would be hard-pressed to call it a subjective realization. There are alot of lunatics and bad actors in the world.

[RDM]

Cobalt said

"My dad has skiied in the Alps several times, and he's said it's unlike anything else in N. America. He wants to take me to Chamonix when I'm experienced enough, and from what I've seen on videos and such, the Alps are pretty sweet."

 

Cobalt,

Indeed, go if you get a chance.  And it's a good idea to get good first.  At least good by American standards because "good" here will just get you buy there. 

My family had an exchange student from Switzerland when I was in HS and again in college.  She's still like a sister to me and through here I met all kinds of great people.  Her dad (Hans) drove the cog train on "The Glacier Express" for a career.  Look up the Glacier Express.  That's one of the most memorable train experiences on earth and a pilgrimage for train enthusiasts.   I used to sit in front with Hans when going to Zermatt to ski for the weekend when I lived in Frankfurt, Germany.  It was too good to be true.  Didn't save much money my first time living in Germany, but I skied like crazy and have priceless memories. 

Chamonix is right up there.  If your dad skied Chamonix I am sure he has lots of stories, especially if he had good weather.  In Val d'Isere (a couple hours from Chamonix) there are over 200 lifts.  You can ski there for a week and still not take all the lifts in the entire resort.  Verbier, Switzerland has a cable car that holds 200 people going up to the top of Mont. Fort.  The view to the west over lake Geneva and eastern France is breathtaking.   Should have see the looks on the Swiss' faces when we started singing the Beverly Hillbilly's, Gilligan's Island tunes on the cable car...   Le Diablertes has a great glacier and the glacier in Hintertux, Austria is where the European ski teams practice in the summer.  It's more challenging in the summer than many US slopes in Winter.  Then there is Saas Fee - like Zermatt there's no cars allowed in town.  Crans Montana, St. Moritz, Davos, and those are just a few off the top of my head.  Many folks talk about Garmish Partenkirchen.  Popular place for Americans and on a clear day a decent view over Bavaria.  But still does not compare to Zermatt or Chamonix as far as ski-able terrain goes.  If you get lucky and go to Zermatt and to to the top of the Klein Matterhorn (the Little Matterhorn) the view of the Matterhorn and to the South into Italy is unbelievable - from 13,800' asl. Get up there on a clear day you'll never forget it the rest of your life. 

Hope you have a chance to get over there soon. 

 

[SilentTalkie]

Listening to the rain after the storms rolled through, we heard a boom and I thought it was odd without any lightning flash. Turned  out to be a plane crash in the mountain behind us. http://www.newsplex.com/content/news/Emergency-crews-respond-to-plane-crash-near-Crozet-479826173.html

[nw baltimore wx]

The Caps deserve to be trolled. Ji-saster.

[Jandurin]

14 hours ago, Vice-Regent said:

You would think they are making a particle that eats CO2 - something like Snowpiercer on steroids. Highly recommended movie. Really fits the era we are heading towards.

As for global warming and overpopulation. You would be hard-pressed to call it a subjective realization. There are alot of lunatics and bad actors in the world.

snowpiercer is too funny

[MN Transplant]

9 hours ago, SilentTalkie said:

Listening to the rain after the storms rolled through, we heard a boom and I thought it was odd without any lightning flash. Turned  out to be a plane crash in the mountain behind us. http://www.newsplex.com/content/news/Emergency-crews-respond-to-plane-crash-near-Crozet-479826173.html

Wow.  Would be interesting to find out why someone in a small plane chose to go out in bad weather and after dark.

[psuhoffman]

On 4/14/2018 at 9:58 PM, North Balti Zen said:

I think you all who b**ch over seasonal spring temps should stfu and move to Maine. 

Wait...I thought you were advocating we "let people be unhappy and complain" just a week ago?  Now it's complaining you don't agree with and they should stfu?  Which is it?  Either everyone is entitled to complain without ridicule or not I'm not down with selective enforcement based on the kind of complaining we prefer. 

My take as long as it's not derailing the forecast discussion threads who cares. Let anyone complain but also let people comment about their complaints. It's a public forum. People will have opinions. You can't expect to post and then not get any reaction. Some will be unhappy with the weather. Some will comment that their being silly. Some will disagree. Whatever. I fail to see how any of that is a big deal. 

[psuhoffman]

On 4/15/2018 at 7:33 AM, North Balti Zen said:

Because literally there is a group that targets people like subtropic who like warmer weather and tell him to go elsewhere. It’s not funny or kind. The orthodoxy from that group is to embrace cold (the coldest) weather at all costs and make it crappy to post here for those who are okay with seasonal temps in their own season. And, frankly, saying so leads to stuff like your passive aggressive post to me. Either people are celebrating cold no matter what so they can fit in or they are told in various ways to shut up and/or post elsewhere. Like you just did with your windmills swipe. 

I don't poke fun at subtropics because he likes warmth. There are plenty on here that do and I've never said a word about it or at them. They will attest to that. But subtropics goes on and on with non stop constant whining no matter what and often his points don't even make sense. Plus he will sometimes say things he knows will irk people.  I'm poking fun at those things. I could care less about his or anyone else's preferences.   I do poke fun at the people in here that are miserable ALL the time and seem to do nothing but whine incessantly 99% of the time. But that's fair game. If they have the right to post their whiny nonsense everyday then I have the right to comment on it and joke about it. 

[psuhoffman]

21 hours ago, RDM said:

wxdude64 said

" I'm pretty sure you can basically ski where you want at A Basin, especially the 'East Wall' without them throwing a conniption fit like most places. Another that comes to mind is Jay Peak up in VT, course you get 'lost' and have to be helped out, THEN it becomes a different matter...... "

 

dude64 - yes, have some friends out west who love A Basin.  Never had the chance to ski there myself.  Most of my experience was in the Alps, Japan and East Coast US (plus a long vacation on the S. Island in NZ Heli-skiing - that was fantastic).  Used to go to Seven Springs a lot with a group of telemark skiers - they were a great group to hang out with.  Had some occasional "interesting" discussions with the ski patrol at 7sp who didn't like us going in the trees.  They didn't like much of anything anyone did who wasn't a ski patrol.  Had a real clique going on there.  Not like many resorts where the patrol is respected and rightfully so.  The patrol threatened to punch our tickets for a variety of reasons, including creating an avalanche danger - haha - avalanche danger at 7sp?   The owner of 7sp being from Europe thought the concept was silly and told the patrol to back off. 

In Europe you can essentially ski anyplace you want.  However, if you get injured off piste you better have good insurance or crawl back to the trail somehow.  Otherwise, it's gonna be very expensive for you to be taken off the hill.  Especially if they have to use a chopper.  About the only exceptions to free run of the terrain is in specially designated forests above villages/towns that are off limits to everyone given their special status for avalanche protection, where avalanches are a real threat. 

Overall the average relief of the terrain in the Alps is much more stark that in the US.  In the Rockies if you go down in the valleys you are still at 6, 7 or 8000 feet asl.  If you go down in the valleys in the Alps you are at an altitude of a couple thousand feet asl or less as is the case in Canton Valais in southern Switzerland.  Likewise, the apres-ski cusine and overall experience is amazing - on the trails and off...

 

I love A basin. It's small compared to other Colorado resorts but it's got some legit terrain and a laid back whatever attitude. Awesome in spring. It's also located in a good spot to combine with other resorts.  Keystone, Loveland, Breck, Copper, Winter Park, and Vail are all within an hour drive. 

[SilentTalkie]

3 hours ago, MN Transplant said:

Wow.  Would be interesting to find out why someone in a small plane chose to go out in bad weather and after dark.

It’s also the same mountain where a passenger plane crashed in 1959 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont_Airlines_Flight_349). 

[H2O]

GO post snow totals in the snow thread if you haven't.  

[wxdude64]

2 hours ago, psuhoffman said:

I love A basin. It's small compared to other Colorado resorts but it's got some legit terrain and a laid back whatever attitude. Awesome in spring. It's also located in a good spot to combine with other resorts.  Keystone, Loveland, Breck, Copper, Winter Park, and Vail are all within an hour drive. 

And it is basically a 'second home' to me since son lives there The back side of Abasin (Peru Creek/Chihuahua Trail/Lake area) is an awesome spot to hike/camp/snowshoe. Usually do something back in there every time I'm out to see son. If I can't get him on his cell a couple days I know where he is.....

[wxdude64]

1 hour ago, SilentTalkie said:

It’s also the same mountain where a passenger plane crashed in 1959 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piedmont_Airlines_Flight_349). 

Is that the one where there was only one survivor?

[SilentTalkie]

1 hour ago, wxdude64 said:

Is that the one where there was only one survivor?

That’s right. 

[Cobalt]

 

[nj2va]

Sun and 60s needs to return like now

[Fozz]

54 minutes ago, nj2va said:

Sun and 60s needs to return like now

I was fine with 45 and clouds yesterday, but I’m not looking forward to it tomorrow. It was nice to get a break from the summer heat but I’m ready for something more seasonable now. 65 and sunny would be just about perfect at this point. Maybe on Wednesday.

[Fozz]

4 hours ago, Cobalt said:

 

Very interesting... but let’s be honest, our climo would be way worse. Even if we’re not quite a desert, we’d be dry enough to make EastCoastNPZ’s yard look like a swamp. Also being on the windward side of the Atlantic would make us much milder in the winter.

[yoda]

1 hour ago, nj2va said:

Sun and 60s needs to return like now

Looks highs will be a few degrees either side of 60 for the next week or so 

[wxdude64]

3 minutes ago, yoda said:

Looks highs will be a few degrees either side of 60 for the next week or so 

About as good as it gets for spring in my book, looking forward to it. Course, it has flurried/snow showered now for 6+ hours here so......using the 'standard' measurement I figure Jon Jon has about 4-7 inches of new by now.

[nj2va]

I unfortunately went to game 2 of the caps series Sunday night. Hoping for a better outcome tonight but expecting a loss. I did love the massive Nats comeback last night though. 

[nw baltimore wx]

4 minutes ago, nj2va said:

I unfortunately went to game 2 of the caps series Sunday night. Hoping for a better outcome tonight but expecting a loss. I did love the massive Nats comeback last night though. 

I'm not sure why I still believe in this team. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment.

[nj2va]

2 hours ago, nw baltimore wx said:

I'm not sure why I still believe in this team. Maybe I'm just a glutton for punishment.

Sadistic, isn’t it?

[wxdude64]

50 minutes ago, nj2va said:

Sadistic, isn’t it?

Well, heading out the door for work in a couple, but Caps once again have a lead after two. Lets see if they can figure out a way to break the trend......I certainly hope so, although my Blackhawks are out this year, I'll watch all the hockey (especially playoffs) I can get and hope all series go 6 or 7 games!

[nj2va]

Sad to hear the news of former First Lady Barbara Bush’s passing. She was the epotime of class and grace. 

[BTRWx's Thanks Giving]

Shout out to Bastardi for nailing this pattern!

[nw baltimore wx]

5 minutes ago, wxdude64 said:

Well, heading out the door for work in a couple, but Caps once again have a lead after two. Lets see if they can figure out a way to break the trend......I certainly hope so, although my Blackhawks are out this year, I'll watch all the hockey (especially playoffs) I can get and hope all series go 6 or 7 games!

Playoff hockey is pretty cool.