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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3506 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2009 : 4:54 PM
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OMG, I have been doing it ALL wrong! I venture into the wilderness without any communication device! I often go on my own with little more than my wits and a map and compass, making it up as I go.
Rules? What rules? These are not roads. People need to nut up and take some responsibility for themselves. Yeah, I know all about how if we fuck up, we're endangering SARS, blah, blah, blah. But, if I want to take my snowshoes and try to solo some WI4 waterfall and plummet to my death, well, sucks to be me.
Okay, I'm all for educating people. I think part of the problem on the North Shore is that it's frikkin' Disney Land. People think it's some sanitized-for-your-protection theme park 'cause it's close to the road and the city. So, put up signs warning people that if they muck up here, Pluto ain't nearby to save 'em. You could DIE.
Or don't use signs. Darwin, are you there? |
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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2009 : 4:55 PM
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tzoflier is a known troll who will never respond logically.
don't respond, just ignore. |
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289 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2009 : 5:01 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by NathanC
"Consider the context, North Vancouver, the locale of three popular ski resorts, well served by cell phone coverage."
Seymour is BRUTAL for cell coverage. Though I know there are people that were lucky enough to have a call go through when they needed it.
The only place I have any coverage on Seymour at the top of Brockton Chair.
(I know some people get coverage just below the parking lot, near the maintenance bldg.)
Seymour parking lot - no coverage
Dog Mountain - some coverage if I stand just right and hold the phone high enough...
Brockton Point - no coverage
First Pump - some coverage, but not guaranteed
I haven't tried my cell anywhere north of First Pump, 'cause I just assumed it wouldn't work.
Maybe it's just my provider?
Anyone else have better experiences on Seymour?
I have a Rogers/Fido phone - I get no practically no coverage up/down the road, but get great coverage on and around the summit. Not just "bars" displayed but have placed/received plenty of calls on all three pumps. |
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122 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2009 : 5:20 PM
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Of course your mileage may vary (YMMV), but Northshore SAR has numerous recorded accounts of rescues with cell phone contacts originating well off the beaten path on Mount Seymour.
The epic rescue of Clubtreaders Simon, and Chris, whose distress call originated in the vicinity of Theta Lake, and more recently the winter of 2008 which saw several cell phone distress calls originate from this area too, demonstrate the utility of an essential cell phone on Mount Seymour.
"Thursday, December 25, 2008
Skiers Found! 3 for the Price of 2
North Shore Rescue made cell phone contact with them near Theta Lake in the North Shore Mountains of Vancouver."
http://www.northshorerescue.com/blog/2008/12/skiers-found-3-for-price-of-2.html
Map of Christmas Rescue on Seymour
http://www.northshorerescue.com/blog/uploaded_images/SeymourChristmas2008Rescue-786515.jpg
Note the remote wilderness of Theta Lake, and accounts of rescues with cell phone distress calls originating from this area. The cell phone coverage may be spotty, but history shows that there is sufficient coverage to establish a rescue call. If memory serves, Simon, had to do some running around until he found some cell reception.
Suicide Gully is another location on Mount Seymour where distress calls have originated from according to SAR accounts.
I personally would never entrust my rescue solely to a cell phone, but would carry one just in case the faint hope I could find a sweet spot in the coverage to at least ping the nearest cell tower, or send an SMS text msg, which has a higher degree of success than a voice call. A satellite based distress signalling device like a Spot Messenger is preferred, with a PLB being the gold standard for distress signalling. |
Edited by - tzoflier on 12/15/2009 5:32 PM |
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1067 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2009 : 5:29 PM
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| Telling people to 'follow the rules', while at the same time ignoring requests for intelligent discourse, does a dis-service to the whole culture of awareness and preparedness. But you're an idiot and you just don't care, do you? |
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3022 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2009 : 10:09 PM
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Bad time of the year for the inexperienced to be making mistakes.
This talk of snow and bad weather and pro's/con's of cell-phones[ I don't, BTW, own one , yet ] has me wondering a little off-thread here , but not by much > did those two guys lost on Mt.Hood, celling for help and sudden silence, one dead buddy,all experienced, this past weekend, get found ? I know that a lot of S.A.R. were involved, foul weather and the hope they had hunkered down in a self made snow cave , was the hope. |
Edited by - cambium on 12/15/2009 10:10 PM |
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289 Posts |
Posted - 12/15/2009 : 10:26 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by cambium
Bad time of the year for the inexperienced to be making mistakes.
This talk of snow and bad weather and pro's/con's of cell-phones[ I don't, BTW, own one , yet ] has me wondering a little off-thread here , but not by much > did those two guys lost on Mt.Hood, celling for help and sudden silence, one dead buddy,all experienced, this past weekend, get found ? I know that a lot of S.A.R. were involved, foul weather and the hope they had hunkered down in a self made snow cave , was the hope.
Hikers presumed dead, search suspended indefinitely citing avy risks.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/12/15/oregon.mssing.hikers/ |
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| Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 08:25 AM
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| Those guys (and gal) were not "hikers" they were on the Sandy Headwall which is quite technical. |
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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3506 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 12:13 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Dru
Those guys (and gal) were not "hikers" they were on the Sandy Headwall which is quite technical.
Also, you don't have to be inexperienced to get into the shitter. Some of the hardest climbers I know have barely come home on occasion, and a long list of the best and boldest have died climbing. It's a risky undertaking, and I know a big part of the appeal to most climbers is the fact that they are risking their lives.
My understanding of the "hikers" on Mt. Hood is that they are pretty capable climbers, and it looks like something has gone wrong somewhere. Hoping that the other two are found alive, but it's been a long time to be out. |
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13057 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 12:45 PM
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| Yeah, we don't mention that often enough. Plenty of experienced people get into trouble in the outdoors |
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Hope, BC
Canada
7098 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 2:56 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by mick range
Yeah, we don't mention that often enough. Plenty of experienced people get into trouble in the outdoors
Ditto to that...
Cell phones are a good thing to bring in case of emergency, there's no argument there either.
Since joining CT I know of one life saved from bringing a cell phone, and they were lucky to get service. |
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Smurf Village, BC
Canada
1497 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 3:03 PM
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quote:
Cell phones are a good thing to bring in case of emergency.....
and they're quite handy if your car gets towed and you need to call someone for a ride |
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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3506 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 3:13 PM
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I MacGyvered my cell phone into a pocket-sized thermo-nuclear device and saved the world.
There is nothing that a cell phone can't do. |
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| Engor
Intermediate Member
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Calgary
840 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 5:53 PM
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Very good advice for total beginners who think it's safe just because they're within the city limits. A few points cannot be taken seriously by all others. For example, "SET OUT EARLY". A few years ago I hiked the mentioned Grouse Grind to get sunset photos from the gondola terminal. Started a little bit too late so I ended up walking the upper part in dark. A very wide and easy to follow trail. It was icy with some snow in early May but nothing serious enough to justify crampons. Made it to the top in around 55 minutes and was very proud of my achievement until I learned that the best result is 22 minutes 
I don't understand this one - NEVER, NEVER WALK DOWN A GULLY. It must be a region-specific advice. In the Rockies most of scrambles are scree slogs up/down a gully.
And this recommendation is very absurd, although it's probably a good idea to scare off beginners:
"Anyone who wants to snowshoe outside of marked terrain parks or groomed trails on local mountains, especially under current icy conditions, should have ice axes, full crampons, helmets and ropes -- as well as the training to use them, said Jones." |
Edited by - Engor on 12/16/2009 6:14 PM |
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13057 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 6:13 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Engor
Don't understand this one - NEVER, NEVER WALK DOWN A GULLY. It must be a region-specific advice. In the Rockies most of scrambles are scree slogs up/down a gully.
Yeah it is quite region specific, just as you said
For the uniniated in this region that is some very good advice. Typically most gullies in the North Shore Mountains present extreme danger. Often they are steep, narrow, and very hazardous. Trouble is, the entry points above can look inviting, but once you descend into one the nastiness begins and many are hard to climb out of. I generally will ascend one before I will descend it and that way I know the issues beforehand |
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13057 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 6:16 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by johngenx
I MacGyvered my cell phone into a pocket-sized thermo-nuclear device and saved the world.
There is nothing that a cell phone can't do.
Send that line to The Simpsons |
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Hope, BC
Canada
7098 Posts |
Posted - 12/16/2009 : 7:02 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by guntis
quote:
Cell phones are a good thing to bring in case of emergency.....
and they're quite handy if your car gets towed and you need to call someone for a ride
Or even worse when the friggin loggers lock the gate with you inside! |
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Pretty as a picture - but so deadly
