More about the sad skier death last weekend: Reports make it obvious that Thomas Metcalf did take a sliding fall and was unable to stop himself. He ended up plunging headfirst and slammed his head full-on into rocks. It’s interesting to see comments here and there that imply a helmet might have helped Metcalf. I truly doubt a helmet would have made much difference. Better is to have some method of arresting your sliding fall, or at least turning your body around so you hit feet-first. Beyond that, not falling in the first place is of course the gold standard in extreme skiing. Wearing clothing that isn’t too slick helps as well, though dressing that way is tough in today’s fashion climate that requires nylon shell pants if you want the look.
Here at WildSnow.com World HQ, we’re having a bit of an epic with our Silverado. It began driving funny about a week ago; lots of stuttering as if the fuel pump was going out or the injectors were clogged. I slapped a code reader on the thing. Readings indicated the problem was indeed possibly clogged injectors. I ran a bunch of fuel system cleaner, but the problem persisted and worsened. My steed finally decided to to tie up to a hitchin’ post for a rest on the side of the highway, and was rescued by a Ford. That should have woken Silve’ up from his slumber, as pride knows no rest. But alas, he kept sleeping and is now here getting TLC.
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On the global warming (GW) front, in their continued effort to cause a massive shift in public policy and individual life styles (what else could make it worth being so negative all the time?), the Union of Concerned Scientists says that GW will virtually eliminate skiing in the North Eastern United States (defunct link removed 2015). The report says that since the Northeast is a leader in global carbon dioxide emissions, they can indeed make a difference by doing significant reductions in CO2, though how this can be accomplished without wrecking the economy more than giving up skiing would is not made clear. More, with China recently surpassing us in emissions, as well as the developing world proceeding with industrialization as fast as they can, one has to wonder if any CO2 reduction efforts the Northeast makes might be too little and way too late.
The most interesting tidbit in the report is the conclusion that the Northeastern US needs to eventually reduce emissions by 80 percent below year 2000 levels. That’s a stunning figure. The 50% standard is what I’ve heard bandied about, and even that sounds all but impossible. Going to 80 percent is mind boggling — does it mean all residents of the Northeast need to stop breathing?
Enough doomsday stuff (especially dying trucks). On a more positive note, our summer dog days finally broke here in central Colorado and we’re getting some good rain with cooler temps. With August fast approaching, the first dustings of snow are hopefully just around the corner! Our son is on day 27 of his NOLS course and we’ll be heading back up to Lander, Wyoming next week to pick him up, drink some cowboy coffee and take in the western ambiance. I’m a total DAD on this one. I check each day of the course off my wall calendar, and pull out my Wind Rivers map at least twice a day and try to guess where his course might be climbing peaks or landing trout. Yeah, I know, like a tennis dad or something. Oh well, take my word for it, you just can’t help but obsess.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
