ISSW 2008 in Whistler

[WARY]

Our party is off the official ISSW sanctioned party grid, so we usually wait till we get there and find out when the big parties are happening and grab an appropriate party night. We will post it here when the party date is set.

Note: Adam the crash test dummy from this past year's avalanche testing WILL NOT be attending the WARI party as he became a MAJOR hassle when dealing with US Customs going home last winter..........

[Buzzworthy]

We'll be there, and of course we'll be throwing our traditional WARI Avi-Vest party. Points North Heliskiing is our co-sponsor. We'll be demonstrating the latest prototype Avi Vest avalanche flotation device at the bash, hopefully demo'd by the appropriate hottie.......

^^Fun freakin party!

Still not quite sure how I made it back to my bed in Telluride.

[Hacksaw]

^^Fun freakin party!

Still not quite sure how I made it back to my bed in Telluride.

Obviously, I didn't point you in the wrong direction......

So Buzz, you going to be there in Whistler? I have a new fieldbook.....

Halsted

[Buzzworthy]

Obviously, I didn't point you in the wrong direction......

So Buzz, you going to be there in Whistler? I have a new fieldbook.....

Halsted

Then happy thanks to Halsted! I would love to, but not in the cards this year.

Not in the business anymore so I am now neutral.
If you see Doug, bet he has a field computer.

Would love to see the new fieldbook. Hope it is good, cause I bet forcasters just don't have the money for that other crap.

-Ron

[Hacksaw]

Would love to see the new fieldbook. Hope it is good, cause I bet forcasters just don't have the money for that other crap.

-Ron

I'm still finishing up my new website for the company. You'll see the new website in the Avalanche Review. I don't want to put it out here yet. And yes the book is reasonably priced so forcasters and avy centers can buy other crap.....

Oh, when Doug saw the new field book, he begged me for one.....

[MSulkers]

Warning to bring your woollies, folks. Summer is just in the process of ending, and FL's are forecast to drop about 3000m in the next few days....with rain (perfect for mtnbiking, eh LeeL?).

Hacksaw, will you have copies of the new fieldbook for distribution next week? We're working on a project that involves a fieldbook and would hate to be recreating the wheel....

[LeeLau]

I won't be there. Sorry guys

[Hacksaw]

Hacksaw, will you have copies of the new fieldbook for distribution next week? We're working on a project that involves a fieldbook and would hate to be recreating the wheel....

I can't sell any books in Canada without causing me a lot of problems. But, I will have some sale samples with me. I will have fliers and a couple of order forms with me, etc... Just can't take money while in Canada.

Dale just got my new website up and running last night. It is listed on my TGR profile page (don't want to up set the TGR gang with openly posting in this thread).

[nesta]

Warning to bring your woollies, folks. Summer is just in the process of ending, and FL's are forecast to drop about 3000m in the next few days....with rain (perfect for mtnbiking, eh LeeL?).

Yeah what's with that? I'm tempted to stay home. Only place it's truly crapping out is on the coast.

[nesta]

well I'm in North Vancouver now, so I guess I'm committed. Isee it's forecast to be sunny in Whistler on Tuesday...with a high of 12C!

[nomensteven]

anyone else on the greyhound tomorrow? Should be a fun 12 hour bus ride to Vancouver.

[nesta]

the conference is all wrapped up now. Great week. Good to see old friends and meet some new ones. One highlight for me was the movie that premiered in Whistler and a showing at ISSW on Friday at lunch. I urge everyone to check out The Fine Line produced by Rocky Mountain Sherpas with help from their sponsors and the Canadian Avalanche Foundation. The aim is to integrate it into avalanche education curriculum, but it's definitely worth a look for its' entertainment value as well. It could also be coming to a theater near you...see www.rockymountainsherpas.com

[~mikey b]

second that - The Fine Line is an excellent film. Sorry I didn't meet you nesta.

[homemadesalsa]

I had a lunch meeting that day- will certainly hunt down the film as it sounded great.

Mike did you make it home yet or are you poaching internet somewhere in Oregon? We got hung up for 2.5 hours at the Pacific Crossing entry back into the US- land of the free, eh? But got to Missoula before midnight, and home tonight before dark. Am trying to put together my thoughts on what the most interesting info was at the conference- so far the fracture propagation- theory and tests- stands out.

Thoughts from anyone else?? Things that might make you change the way you look at things- make decisions?

[~mikey b]

Lynne - I am home. I left Friday evening to avoid the Customs chaos. Breezed through the border in less than 5 minutes. Drove until 2am - made it through Seattle and beyond. Stayed at a buddy's house in Chico last night, and made it home this afternoon. I'm a bit ragged at the moment.

Here's one of the things I came away with: There were a ton of presentations based on statistics and crazy statistical analysis. I am dumb. I get lost in the stats that the guys with the big brains seem to thrive on. As a practitioner, one of the best things I can do is make sure that I document everything I do and see in the snow and put it into a database like SnowPilot. That way, the guys with the big brains have a lot of raw data to monkey around with.

[Kavy]

What a great experience for me to take in. I must say even as an practicing engineer I got lost in all the stats etc at times. As an avid backcountry skier the fracture propagation and various testing methods stood out the most. I was also interested in the studies that discussed spatial variation as it seems to be so misunderstood by the average user. Thought it was also interesting to see how different the directions of the various beacon manufactures are and overall what each see to be the most critical problem.

The Fine Line has got to have some of the most intense skier triggered avi's ever...had my heart racing and induced a slight case of panic.

Lastly, it was great to meet so many enthusiastic and passionate people under one roof. I can not recall ever walking away from a conference/workshop so motivated and excited. Good stuff. Thanks to everyone that came up and introduced themselves it was a real pleasure to be a part of ISSW 2008. Hopefully, it is my first but not my last.

[~mikey b]

If you guys don't know - Kavy was the guest speaker st the ISSW banquet. His story and that of his friends is told in the film "A Dozen More Turns" - a very powerful film. It sets the bar that "The Fine Line" is doing quite well to achieve.

It was great meeting you, Sam. Nice job Thursday night - that can't be easy.

[nomensteven]

If you guys don't know - Kavy was the guest speaker st the ISSW banquet. His story and that of his friends is told in the film "A Dozen More Turns" - a very powerful film. It sets the bar that "The Fine Line" is doing quite well to achieve.

It was great meeting you, Sam. Nice job Thursday night - that can't be easy.

I am not sure if it is just me, but when comparing the two films I really feel that a dozen more turns is much more effective. Most if not all of the slide footage in the fine line was big alpine lines. I think the reason a dozen more turns is so effective is that everyone can imagine themselves skiing that terrain and making those same mistakes. Thoughts?

[~mikey b]

I agree in one way.

"A Dozen More Turns" is much more meaningful to me beacuase I could easily see myself in a similar situation. But I also see some differences in the way I do things. I think this is the best avalanche video available.


"The Fine Line" is aimed at high school kids without the backcountry experience many of us have. RMS made that film with the specific intention of targeting younger people who ski at ski areas, watch the ski porn flicks, and then go out of bounds and get themselves into trouble. I thought it worked very well for the intended audience. Some of the animation and time-lapse sequences were pretty cool. The loud music and quickdraw camera changes aren't my style, but I was 18 twenty-one years ago.

I think both films can be an effective part of an avalanche class if they are shown to the right audience.