Comments below.


On Tue, 24 Feb 2004 20:08:20 +0000, Gene Goldenfeld wrote:

As I read through your very longwinded tale (what's the point, is it a
draft for a magazine?),

I wrote this up for myself to examine and for people to learn from.

it just struck me over and over how little you
actually thought (and think) through what you were doing. Basically, it's
a tale of someone who sees what's in front of his nose and pushes away the
rest, like the person in a debate that accepts their opponents points,
then marches on merrily ignoring them. Or, better, like the young driver
that sees the next open lane, without more than the merest recognition
that there's a world around them, a bigger picture, and that they share it
with others (your monikor is well chosen!).

Let he is without blemishes cast the first rock... compared to the people
eating lunch at the bridge, we were *infinitely* more prepared and able to
ski those trails. I *emphasized* some of our mistakes, ie light gear,
light dress, etc. Have you never found yourself under dressed or under
equipped on a ski ?

You come across as too busy
telling yourself and everyone else, "it's a sunny day, no problem," to
stop and think through what could happen to you or your wife, and to
prepare properly for all the conditions and possibilities you want to take
on or could encounter. Yes, unexpected things happen. That's normal.
That's also what good preparation is about: creating a basis for a
successful venture by being ready for the reasonably forseeable.
Sometimes even that's not enough, and it's hard to tell for sure without
closer knowledge of your trip, but it does appear that your unexpected
encounter with mortality was the cumulation of numerous decisions that
were dictated, or distorted, more by a lack of preparation than genuinely
unexpectable conditions or bad luck.

Yes and no. Were we prepared to spend a night out ? No. Are we ever ?
No. Were the other people skiing that day ? No.

Did the skis play a role in breaking through the ice ? Probably. Could
the same accident have happened later in the season with fat skis ? YES.
My dress and my choice of skis DIDN'T play a major role in the event THIS
TIME, but we'll be using more caution and be a bit better prepared NEXT
TIME.


A number of books have lists of things to take on a day outing like yours.
The Sierra Club calls their list the "ten essentials," and they have
add-ons for ski trips. But even those can't overcome arrogance (a list of
ten excuses). I don't know where you live, but suggest taking a good
winter backcountry class or class series, or traveling elsewhere to join
an organized educational trip.

I've been backcountry camping...

I also suggest posting your tale on rec.skiing.backcountry to see how they
react. Just because you put on skate skis doesn't alter a trip's basic
nature.

They weren't skating skis.



Gene Goldenfeld