Meditations
The Lion Tamer
Did you hear the one about the lion tamer who followed the directions by the book and in the end, the lion ate him anyway?
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Avalanche
Fuck it
What is it about these two profound words that you hear with any decision of consequence? You’re looking over the tips of your skis down onto the Bobsled, a perfect white canvas on the north side of Gobblers Knob*. Shadows of blue pierce the canvas, but that's
Meditations
These are the days
Japanese Enso. Fairly well represents my view from the seat of the car, although the circle became nearly all black by the end. Read on... Hip surgery last Tuesday. Unreliable narrator. My wife and I leave surgery at 4pm. We head to the Bengal Smiths and park in the shade.
Avalanche
Pascal's Wager with Deep Slab Instability
It’s early January. Old depth hoar at the base of the snowpack. He peers down the slope. Steep and north facing. V1: Pascal believes it’s stable and skis the slope. The best run of his life. V2: Pascal believes it’s stable and skis the slope. It shatters
Meditations
It's Just Like Riding a Bike
A few thoughts on perception, decision making, and action. Knowledge and Knowing. Knowing and Acting. A few weeks ago, I sat down to chat with Ian McCammon at a coffee shop. Ian has been a driving force in helping us better understand avalanche mechanics and behavioural science as it relates
Meditations
American Beauty
Even Georgia O'Keeffe would blush at this American Beauty I suspect Ms O'Keeffe would never consent to paint a rose, preferring instead her Sacred Datura (Jimson Weed). * Her Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1 (1932) sold for more than $44M in 2014. Georgia O'Keeffe
Avalanche
Guilt
A few years ago, one of my best friends was caught in an avalanche somewhere north of here. The avalanche was triggered from above – another skier on the slope – and he suffered the onslaught of the avalanche. Deep within the belly of the whale, he pulled the trigger on his
Avalanche
Shame
Originally published a few years back in Ascent, the Backcountry Snow Journal Not long ago, I heard a story from an old colleague of mine. It was his first year as an avalanche professional and he was out in the field with his supervisor. The two of them approached the
Meditations
A Ski Guide and an Epidemiologist Walk into a Bar
The Covid pandemic was fascinating in so many ways in terms of risk management and risk communication. There were so many parallels with the guiding and forecasting worlds. To keep with the cartoon theme (last week's Safer Than You), I am reprinting a three frame cartoon I had
Safer'n You
I was able to convince Aaron Diamond into drawing this cartoon for me. I've wanted to write a piece on this for awhile but then it struck me that a cartoon would be its greatest form. Thanks Aaron. Aaron is a cartoonist moonlighting as a mountain guide and
Avalanche
Hindsight 20/40
(A Companion Piece to #nothingbadhappened) All too often, we find ourselves unable to predict what will happen; yet after the fact we explain what did happen with a great deal of confidence. This “ability” to explain that which we cannot predict, even in the absence of additional information, represents an
Meditations
Is it Written?
It had never been done before and even the Bedouin looked upon Lawrence as if he were mad. It’s July 1919. The northern Arabian desert. Daytime temperatures reach 110°F. The sun is merciless. There is no shade, there is no water. And yet. Midway through his traverse through