How good are you at skiing?

syldan

syldan

Dagobah Resident
I thought it may be a good thread to start to post signs of the Ice Age grabbing hold, as we decipher them? And share our experiences, if and when it comes to that!

This happened today, which to me is something to keep an eye on, serious hail storms in the south are ramping up!

Welcome to the tropics: Bogota covered in 24 inches of snow
Mar 23, 2015
(source: http://colombiareports.co/welcome-to-the-tropics-bogota-covered-in-24-inches-of-snow/)

Colombia’s capital Bogota was surprised on Sunday by a major hail storm that covered the south of the city with a 24-inch layer of icy snow.

The excessive hail caused a number of emergencies across the city.

Entire streets became either covered in ice or former rivers, while rooftops were damaged and trees fell down.

“Fortunately there are no victims, just material damage,” Javier Pava of the Bogota Disaster Rick and Prevention unit was quoted as saying by newspaper El Espectador.

The unit was called to rescue four people from a parking garage where the collapsed roof was impeding the victims from leaving.
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Hi Romochar, and the answer to your question is... not very good. You prompted me to pull out my snow shoes and give the tangled mass of buckles and straps another look though. I have an old Toboggan, haven't used it in years. Maybe I should at least wax the bottom. Come whatever I plan on sticking it out right here.

I think mentioning the fact that all our electric will be down with ice and that many that have prepped probably have solid fuel backups to keep warm. With that thought try to imagine all your wood or coal buried in inches of ice. We all should plan on having some sort of heavy duty pry bar on hand to free things with. The mention of collapsed roofs put a pit in my stomach.

I realized after the post that I forgot to mention that a large ice storm can seal the doors of your house closed making trying to exit troublesome. I've thought about this and thought that using rock salt layered pretty heavy the night or day before might help. If you have salt from your water softener in the pellet form that also could be very useful in place of rock salt.
 
Bogota, being at 8,500 ft above sea level, is not a real tropical environment (as we usually picture 'tropical' in our minds) despite its proximity to the Equator. Nonetheless, this phenomenon they experienced is quite unusual.
 
Decent! I think. I wanted to post about it in the session thread but it didn't seem like a good place to ramble on with ski anecdotes. This does.

I skied a few times as a teenager and young adult but hadn't gone back to it in years. Then last year one of my more adventurous friends asked if I wanted to go skiing and I jumped at the opportunity. Around this part of the US Midwest all we have are a couple places with a few big hills and "fake" snow, but it's enough to get the hang of it. After a couple bunny slope runs I decided to go speeding down the big hills. Had some minor wipeouts but nothing serious, then I got a lecture from a ski patrol after nearly colliding with her :-[ about the need to zig zag back and forth in order to slow down, not to just shoot straight down. I guess I'd forgotten that part. After that I did a lot better, it was just as thrilling but I felt a lot more in control and I hardly wiped out the rest of the night.

A few years ago I decided to get some snow shoes with all this ice age talk. They are Atlas brand, they came with poles and they are the basic trailwalking kind with only minimal metal grips on the actual pivoting part under the toe. Some of the pricier ones look like they would work better in ice climbing situations and such. I've taken them out a few times and it is kind of slow going but still fun. So far I haven't had a chance to take them out in knee-deep or higher snow which I feel like will be the real test but just a few inches on the ground is enough to test them out a little and get the feel. Early this winter I passed by an antique store that had a pair of old snowshoes in the window made of wood and rawhide. They were $85 for the pair, hard to tell if a good price but I decided to grab them. I tested them out once and the were OK but I feel like the modern ones were more solid and secure. I've seen a few youtube videos and websites showing how to make snow shoes from things like sticks in the woods or PVC pipe but I've never tried it.

Another good thing to grab would be those ice cleat strap-on things you put on the bottom of your shoes to keep from slipping. For the northern hemisphere, there may still be some stocked in stores now but once (if!) we hit the warm season they will probably rotate them out of seasonal sections and you'd have to order them. I know from experience that if you try to buy them immediately after an ice storm you are liable to find them sold out, much like windshield scrapers. I did see a DIY thing somewhere that instead of the strap-on ice cleats you can put screws into old shoes or boots and achieve much the same effect.
 
Well, the only thought that comes to mind is

how to make a fire out of straw..... we should practice that for real..
 
Some snow campers, instead of using a tent, dig into the snow and create snow caves to sleep in, which are apparently warmer than sleeping in a tent. Also, cross country skiing is different than downhill or alpine skiing.
 
I can see how, since the cold is intensified but the wind really, under ground (ice/snow) the wind can't come in, and the wind that hits the surface solidifies the snow more.

Although, I guess the right cushions would prevent the snow from melting by body heat , and allow you to remain dry. I can see how with the right thick clothing.


But Im still thinking about the fire :P
 
Being an avid skier for most of my life, I have always had access to very warm clothing, which I always thought might come in handy, at some point in time, should I feel cold, for whatever reason.

Growing up in Manitoba, we were always told to have warm clothes in the car during the winter, just in case you get stuck somewhere and may have to survive the cold.

Now, I may consider hiking up Mt Washington with trekker bindings and climbing skins, just to experience the feeling of floating down a mountain of powder. I see that mountain every day from where I live. ?.a day trip? Some how I am not sure that this would be even on the list of must do things, but the clothing is very handy to have. Woolen under ware and socks, wool is good.
 
The process of building a snow cave is simple. It's called a quinzee and takes about 3 hours of work per person housed, two days in a row or with longer wait. Longer if you have to improvize your measuring sticks and/or shovel.

Start finding a decent clearing where enough snow accumulated. 1 meter thick over a zone bigger that 6x6 meters should be about minimum if you want something spacy. (Snow trenches are a better idea in small amounts of snow).

Make a pile of snow, rounded, anywhere between 2-3 meters high and at least 3m diameter. Walk all over and make sure the snow is well packed at walking pressure. (preferable that you know snow a bit, a dry powder could be dangerous). Sticky snow is.nice.

Make measuring sticks, 8-12 inches long (12 inches at least if you don't trust the snow or are building a more permanent one). Colorer drinking straws are awesome here. Stick plenty of them in some type of geodesic pattern over the mound, about 2 feet apart.

Leave, rest. If you need shelter on the first night, build a snow trench.

On the second day or some time later (not more than a few days because it can freeze and chunk up) come back and start digging the lair.

Come in from the south shore, as close to the ground level (but no need to go too deep if there're plenty ofsnow). The entryway can be tunnelled in from more than a meter away if you want to cut wind, but is already good as is).

Edit: hit post early, will continue in other post)
 
Dig not towards the center of the mount but rather come into the edge of it somewhat tangentially, raising a meter over about a quarter turn. Here the sticks dug straight in earlier will become useful as depth meters, make sure to follow them as you curve in to maintain a structurally safe snow thickness.

Once that entryway is dug, spiralling in along the inside of the mound, start digging the platform. Empty the dome as guided by the depth meters. If the platform is too small, you fan dig the level lower, but the closer to ground level it is, the more outside cold will seep in (and more volume is harder to heat solely through body heat).

You're done! 2 more details: find a fairly decent stick and dig a chimney close to the uppermost point of the ceiling, at an angle if you wish. Make it about an inch wide. Ensure that the inner ceiling has a nice smooth curve (any protusion from the surface is a point where snowmelt.can accumulate and drip rather than flow outwards down the vault). Finally, dig a 5-10 cm deep depression, 5-10 cm wide, between the base of the vault and the platform proper. This allows cold to flow down the platform all around and keeps any snowmelt from wetting the platform. Now make it cozy with pine branches for an isolated mattress.

Congratulations, now it's a work of art! Light a tiny candle inside if you have more than 1 (otherwise save it for a cold night) as this will glaze the inner vault with a beautiful and practical (further isolating) ice layer.

With 1 person in you can expect a temp of 0-5 celcius, with 2 people probably 5-10 overnight. With 1 candle in too you should be comfortable even by -30.

Source: I'm from Québec. Making a quinzee is an early game for scouts/cadets around here.
 
United Gnosis, I love your name..
Anyhow, I want to thank you for this information, as I am from an area that rarely sees snow of any kind.
Like it has snowed twice here since I have lived here, 24 years.. even then it was just a sprinkle.
If we are going to have a bad winter, and it seems like it has started already, and its only autumn, then this is information we need, and we need to know what is involved in an 'ice age' because we are just not used to that situation.
No skis, no snow shoes, no warm gear etc. I live in one of the coldest parts of Australia too!

What is the best kind of clothing.
What footwear.
How to get around /what toboggans etc.
skis? / snow shoes? /gloves? /hats?

I tell you, shorts and thongs just won't cut it.
 
I see that the idea of having to brave severe snow conditions hasn't only struck me, as being a serious possibility. Although i have not made any preparations per say on any level physically for what's to come, i am considering rounding up a good tobogan (wood or aluminum, 6 foot long), some snow shoes, and a ready to roll backpack, near the door. As I've had dreams which played out similar scenarios, i dont think that will be overdoing it? (smile) Who knows how quickly something like snow or hail can really block us in, and for how long? In Québec we have had a one month ice-in, lights-out before, during my lifetime, and i heard stories from my grandfather about some winters past.

This is definitely the beginning of a great adventure. And as it was said by the C's in a recent session, when the time is NOW, one gets extra help in thinking clearly and acting accordingly. Anyone who has been in death defying situations knows it, soooo.... Wow, it's here! And as it was mentionned in other threads, more than likely, each will live it from their own perspective, through their own filters, and at their own pace. Godspeed to all!
 
I love snow, but on skis I stopped only once, and did not go well. If I have to make up, I'll try with a sleigh.
I found an interesting article about skiing.
Quote:

Skiing is one of the oldest forms of travel known to man. Skiing is a way of moving snow surfaces using skis that ski bindings attached to the legs of skiers.

The word is derived from Iceland, and means snow shoes or piece of wood. Some historians, when they find old drawings that show people are on skis, claiming that there is skiing in the Stone Age. Long before the advent of Christianity in Scandinavia were Lapps called skridfinen, which means sliders .Lapoci they even had a goddess of skiing and winter are his god depicted on skis.

The oldest skis known, were long and curved, often made from animal bones, while the foot straps hold it. As a sport, skiing has appeared in the Norwegian province of Telemark. The town is Morgedal in the area known as the cradle of skiing. Since the end of a long remained under the snow, a man moved by skis. People who lived there during the winter are totally dependent on the skis, which were impassable for going hunting or to the mountains to capture wildlife in the surrounding villages, to the market or to visit friends.

The C's have asked: How good are you at skiing? :huh:
There are two types of skiing:
- Skiing in the snow
- Skiing on water
There are some differences, primarily in the fact that skiing in the snow we depend solely on themselves, while in the water skiing on the engine that pulls us.
 
we need to know what is involved in an 'ice age' because we are just not used to that situation.
No skis, no snow shoes, no warm gear etc. I live in one of the coldest parts of Australia too!

What is the best kind of clothing.
What footwear.
How to get around /what toboggans etc.
skis? / snow shoes? /gloves? /hats?

I tell you, shorts and thongs just won't cut it.
Click to expand...

yo musicman,coldest part? are you in Tassie?
FYI iceages in the southern hemnisphere mean more floods more droughts more earthquakes
NOT more snow! after all indiginous people have inhabited this continent for at least 130 000 years
without the need for skis! or even heavy-duty clothing and apparently during the last maximum glaciation (LMG) 22000 years ago people moved CLOSER to the glaciers not away from them ,in OZ anyway,being a reliable water source


the other day my son asked me if my car still starts well in the cold...it was a ''freezing '' 22 degrees.lol,

I have grown up with snow in Europe (totalled 2 cars on black ice )one of the reasons I live down under now

just for the record I HATE SNOW never want to see it again and no I don't ski but I do have a pair of uggboots and a pair of ''valenkis'' (handmade felt boots) as well as thongs,lol,
I feel OZ never left the dreamtime and our best survival tips come from indiginous wisdom
all this ''extreme weather''is relatively normal for OZ ,sunburned country ,droughts and flooding rain and all that, where else in the world do you get a difference of 10 to 30 degree between day and night?
even before global warming/cooling/climate change a heat wave in OZ always ended in a southerly change/cold snap,hasn't it?
and the drought hasn't broken unless you have a flood
I did see a interesting doco on NITV about traditional fire management in WA,I feel that is more importanrt for us down under than skiing skills
IMHO
 
Posted by: MusicMan
« on: Yesterday at 07:15:15 AM » Insert Quote

...Anyhow, I want to thank you for this information, as I am from an area that rarely sees snow of any kind.
Like it has snowed twice here since I have lived here, 24 years.. even then it was just a sprinkle.
If we are going to have a bad winter, and it seems like it has started already, and its only autumn, then this is information we need, and we need to know what is involved in an 'ice age' because we are just not used to that situation.
No skis, no snow shoes, no warm gear etc. I live in one of the coldest parts of Australia too!

What is the best kind of clothing.
What footwear.
How to get around /what toboggans etc.
skis? / snow shoes? /gloves? /hats?

I tell you, shorts and thongs just won't cut it
Click to expand...
.

Posted by: rrraven
« on: Today at 02:36:29 PM »

...FYI iceages in the southern hemnisphere mean more floods more droughts more earthquakes
NOT more snow!
...I did see a interesting doco on NITV about traditional fire management in WA,I feel that is more importanrt for us down under than skiing skills
IMHO
Click to expand...

Perhaps Laura could ask the C's next time what will be happening in the southern hemnisphere during the time when the north is being covered by deep snow.
 
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