Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

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rickinco123
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by rickinco123 »

CO Native wrote:OK, a couple of posts now have alluded to the idea that it is irresponsible to call SAR in conditions that are potentially dangerous. Give me a break. If you think you or anyone else might need help don't hesitate to call. We are all volunteers, we do have wives and kids, but leave the go/no-go decision to us. No one puts our lives in danger but ourselves. We are trained to find safe ways of carrying out our missions. (For instance if necessary Alpine Rescue could have triggered the hangfire and entered the scene once the danger was mitigated.) Give us the chance to find a safe way to help. We are well aware of the risks and will only take on risk that we are willing to accept.
My point is that people will and should call SAR, especially in a well traveled area like Grey's Torrey's. We need to weigh how are actions might affect others especially in popular areas. Same goes for knocking rocks or debris down in the summer time.

Just to be clear, if you suspect someone might be in distress, call SAR. Sorry if anyone got the wrong idea from my posts.
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by skiwall »

Gahugafuga wrote: You know, I was skeptical that I would learn anything from this thread but I stand corrected. Unfortunately it had nothing to do with avalanche avoidance and everything to do with plate tectonics. On second thought, any word on whether the Wasatch fault is going to lurch this winter, jfox?
It will probably go just when I get to the bottom of Coalpit Headwall.
"A good woman knows her place is in the backcountry." - PW '08
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by rickinco123 »

cheeseburglar wrote: He should be scared! I knew two people who died in an avalanche that was triggered by natural causes, probably a warming snowpack in the afternoon. They were considered experts. Sometimes you can't get across those runout zones fast enough or just don't take them seriously. They had been backcountry skiing much longer than Mr. Waffles has been alive, and about as long as the Rick has been alive. That's the nature of risk, sometimes the odds catch up to you.
About 12 years I had a co-worker who went home to New Zealand and died in a natural avalanche, I think it was seismic in nature. I wasn't close, just beers after work here and there, but it makes you think.
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by gb »

skiwall wrote: Impressive that they have a code for natural-earthquake. Has that happened? Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time....

Way, way off topic at this point, but.... Probably the most famous avalanche caused by an Earthquake was the one that came off Huascaran (Peru's highest) and completely buried the town of Yungay. 10's of thousands died. Image
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by Gahugafuga »

skiwall wrote: It will probably go just when I get to the bottom of Coalpit Headwall.
On the bright side it would buff out the 20' rappel in the exit slot.

Not that anyone here knows what we're talking about now. :mrgreen:
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by Brian Kimball »

ThinAir-

I never compared skiing Dead Dog to Alex's climbing resume...I said if your name is Alex then skiing Dead Dog in February is more dangerous then free soloing Moonlight Buttress. That has nothing to do with the fact the homeboy Honnbold is a rookie when it comes to big mountain ski descents. It has to do with the fact that anyone who is skiing Dead Dog right now has a big chance of getting smoked. Where as if you are Alex there is almost ZERO chance that your going fall on something like Moonlight Buttress let alone Astroman and The Rostrum because to him those climbs seriously feel like 5.9 and 5.7!

You can ask Alex for yourself and he will tell you that it is absolutely hilarious that people think his Astroman/Rostrum solos put him in any kind of "elite class". Those climbs, in terms of difficulty, are a complete joke to a climber of his caliber-total yawner.

Maybe elite is not the right term for a couple of 5.11 free solos that took him a few hours one morning before lunch. It is not like it was hard or scary for him at all, it is a big deal to most people but to him it is a joke.

His Half Dome solo that might be a different story but it is still not an elite level free climb by any means. Golden Gate in a day now that is a little more of an semi-elite level big wall free climbing achievement. But when you look at what the super elite Tommy Caldwell is doing...stuff like Magic Mushroom Grade VI-5.14a in a day well now that is in the "elite class". Didn't Chris Sharma just on-site some 5.14b in Spain? Free soloing is just an easy way for a sponsored climber to get attention while climbing stuff that they know they would never fall on in a million years. Personally I have come to think of it as a joke and pretty lame but people seem to eat thit stuff up.

One day Alex just might become a more accomplished all around climber then someone like Tommy Caldwell but then again 5.14d/5.15a first ascents, Magic Mushroom in a day and V13 boulder problems are pretty hard to top-especially when Alex's first V10 boulder problems where about a week ago.

ThinAir- do you care to explain this D13 rating system to me by chance because I would love to learn what the hell it is you are talking about. Is D13 kinda like 5.11 or is it more like 5.13r/x? I would really appreciate it.
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by gb »

Brian Kimball wrote:
ThinAir- do you care to explain this D13 rating system to me by chance because I would love to learn what the hell it is you are talking about. Is D13 kinda like 5.11 or is it more like 5.13r/x? I would really appreciate it.

Here you go: http://www.wildsnow.com/articles/rating ... ystem.html
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

But I'd put Dead Dog at D11 or D12, rather than D13 as indicated on Lou's site. Sure, there can be a quick 50* pitch at the start but it's usually very short and clean.

Plus, I'd put the Longs North Face route above Dead Dog.
"When I go out, I become more alive. I just love skiing. The gravitational pull. When you ski steep terrain... you can almost get a feeling of flying." -Doug Coombs
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by ThinAir »

Brian Kimball wrote:
You can ask Alex for yourself and he will tell you that it is absolutely hilarious that people think his Astroman/Rostrum solos put him in any kind of "elite class". Those climbs, in terms of difficulty, are a complete joke to a climber of his caliber-total yawner.

Maybe elite is not the right term for a couple of 5.11 free solos that took him a few hours one morning before lunch. It is not like it was hard or scary for him at all, it is a big deal to most people but to him it is a joke.
Elite is a relative term, so if you're underwhelmed with the Astroman/Rostrum ascents, its all good. Myself, I consider it Elite, particularly since the only other person to do it (at the time, not sure as of now) was Croft.

Quoting Katie Brown regarding the Astroman/Rostrum solos. "These routes are no joke. I've done them and I'd want to be roped up."
Quoting Alpinist regarding Moonlight. "One of the most impressive free solos ever achieved"

I guarantee you Alex doesn't think any of these ascents were a joke. Since he's your homie, why don't you ask him and get back to me.

Goldenboy,
Thanks for the assist. Ive enjoyed your TR's. Congrats on getting all those rowdy descents. South Face of Castle looks serious. Fun, but serious.

Bill,
Agreed.
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by jeffro »

BillMiddlebrook wrote:But I'd put Dead Dog at D11 or D12, rather than D13 as indicated on Lou's site. Sure, there can be a quick 50* pitch at the start but it's usually very short and clean.

Plus, I'd put the Longs North Face route above Dead Dog.
Have to agree with Bill on this one, having climbed them but not skied them. The angle at the top of the "Dead Dog" can approach 50 but the rest goes at 44 to 48 (depending upon the season) and is fairly clean. "Cables" on Longs is definitely steeper and more technical and a fall would carry more serious consequences.

Jeff
Last edited by jeffro on Wed Feb 18, 2009 8:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by cheeseburglar »

gb wrote: Way, way off topic at this point, but.... Probably the most famous avalanche caused by an Earthquake was the one that came off Huascaran (Peru's highest) and completely buried the town of Yungay. 10's of thousands died. Image
Nice photo of that event.

I don't think there is any valid comparison between ski descent rating systems and rock climbing ratings. Rock is rock, unless it's raining. Conditions change dramatically on ski descents, sometimes in a couple hours. For example, dead dog can be a pretty simple coulior to ski in the early morning in spring time. Nice soft slushy stable snow. Maybe some minor rock fall hazard. In the winter, not many people would go anywhere near it. Rock climbers don't change ratings based on conditions. I haven't heard of many people trying to climb 5.11 in the rain. Maybe a new extreme sport?
Do you guys know what routes Davenport skied? Most (maybe all?) of them weren't couliors.
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Re: Lost: Skis on Torrey's Peak/Ski Recovery Mission

Post by jeffro »

Here's Dav's "Ski The 14ers" site...

http://skithe14ers.com/

Jeff
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