GAIA Acquired by Outside Magazine Organization

[bikehikeskifish]

If you take a newbie out of the city and place them in a wilderness situation, which of the three things are they most likely to understand? [ETA: "Which one is mostly likely to help them get out safely, quickly, and cheaply?" I am stipulating that the have a phone and that it may be the reason they get in too deep.]

1. Their phone (with a marginal flashlight built in)
2. Map and compass which they heard the must bring but did not hear "and you need to know how to read it, and what declination is, and how to follow a bearing, and use handrails, and look behind you on the way up so the way down offers familiarity, and ..."
3. Ice axe and crampons... I've watched more than 1 person put their crampons on backwards above treeline for what seemed like the first time... and people carry their ice axe incorrectly for self-arrest, indicating to me that they have no idea how.

Put another way... if I have the axe/crampons/map/compass and need a rescue, do I get off paying by posession of but knowledge of how to use them?

Again, just my $0.02, and we are mostly in agreement, SkiGuy, from my seat.
Tim

 

[Mike P.]

What's a newbie? A newbie is unlikely to walk into an REI, or IME out of the blue and say, I want some G-12's an axe or two and then head to Huntington Ravine solo. They are likely thinking that a nice Spring or Fall day may yield the first (or last day)for a walk and then maybe learn why early April and late October are the more dangerous times because it's nice at home & changing uphill, either with ice in the fall or rotting snow in the Spring not seen at the trailheads. (I'd also guess that most newbies think there is a hiking season while most of us know it's a 365 day season except for leap years, than it's 366.

What they need is knowledge. If they knew "everything" about their phone, they would also know their limitations and that would be okay, not great, but okay. Most "newbies" who get into trouble, probably don't know that much about their phones either, more than I do but that's a low bar. (I know more about my gear than my phone & I've had it six years. I know which boots I own that take crampons vs. micros-only, which ones do I need the XL micros and which will take the large. - Granted, I'm not a newbie. If I get a watch, that will be new.)

Are you suggesting that newbies go out in wilderness situations solo in the winter? A newbie out in the winter solo with his phone someplace remotely wilderness-like (Not Willard) isn't out safely. He can get out quick and cheap, sure, they are more likely lucky than safe or good though. Because someone doesn't study something & just goes out and does it and survives their adventure unscathed, (Even B. Dahl called his Washinton trip a Misadventure), doesn't mean they have a skill or did it safely. (Otherwise, I was a highly skilled, safe teenage drunk driver, Also a highly proficient speeder, survival did not make it safe.)

Clichés are clichés for a reason: A person has to know their limitations. Knowledge is power. A map never runs out of power or needs new batteries (hard to read in the dark but if the newbie is out solo hiking in the dark in the winter, they failed the two clichés.)

There is a lot of great info out there, most of what is found in guidebooks and FOTH is great. Some of the non-fiction novels are nice too. A lot of good stuff is out on the internet and easy to find. If you are on FB, it's hard not to trip over it if you "like" hiking. My issue has always been that there is no filter that prevents bad data online either. All Trails can be like yelp, (who's providing the content?) Marathoners and very fit people might tell you something like Isolation or Bondcliff was really easy, Technical climbers out on a hike might downplay the terrain on the Tripyramid slides or Kings Ravine.

Since the internet has cookies, I'll use a cookie analogy for explaining getting info from the internet, (also a big reason why I've been slower than Chris, Rick, John, Chomp, ....), If I am only going to give myself 30 minutes to digest information about an activity, (or 30 minutes to eat cookies), I don't need 1,000 cookies of various quality, style, properly baked or over baked, baked by moms, bakers, grandmothers and the clueless. I just need the best dozen and a tall glass of milk. If I just blindly reach into the bag & take any cookie I touch, (drive someplace with my phone & then start walking) I deserve to get the burnt gingersnaps. Maybe, I'll get the slightly under-baked double chip chocolate chip cookies but that's luck not skill without research & knowledge of what is in the bag.

As I tell the scouts every year when we discuss cold weather clothing and gear, the most important piece of gear is attached to your neck. (Some people's work better than others, & most better than mine.)

 

[ChrisB]

My phone will turn off airplane mode to make emergency calls.

Is that a user defined setting? Might be. I have an old school iPhone 7.

 

[ChrisB]

Hey technocrats, here’s a cool new feature of Gaia available when you run the Winter topo. It includes ski area maps!

Tried it today at Gunstock and it worked flawlessly (why am I not surprised?). It will track your vert and speed for all the trails you ski. Crazy good fun!

The red track to the right of the lift line is one of my recorded tracks.



OMG, will this eventually replace those multi-folded, blown-in-the-wind ski area trail maps??

 

[JB]

Is that a user defined setting? Might be. I have an old school iPhone 7.

Assuming this is a serious question, go to settings, it should be the first option. Click it, the tab will turn green and you'll see a tiny airplane in the upper left corner of your main screen.

 

[ChrisB]

Assuming this is a serious question, go to settings, it should be the first option. Click it, the tab will turn green and you'll see a tiny airplane in the upper left corner of your main screen.

JB, What I was referencing was a different setting: The ability to prevent 911 dialing from overriding Airplane Mode.

In other words, if you set mode to Airplane and dial "911" the call will not be made and the phone will remain in Airplane mode. In the example above, this would prevent an inadvertent 911 call being made while bushwhacking. My iPhone 7 will not call 911 when set to Airplane mode. Not sure about other cell phones.

 

[OldEric]

If you seriously want an answer I suggest asking Google

 

[JB]

JB, What I was referencing was a different setting: The ability to prevent 911 dialing from overriding Airplane Mode.

In other words, if you set mode to Airplane and dial "911" the call will not be made and the phone will remain in Airplane mode. In the example above, this would prevent an inadvertent 911 call being made while bushwhacking. My iPhone 7 will not call 911 when set to Airplane mode. Not sure about other cell phones.

Apologies. Obviously I misunderstood your q! Cheers.

 

[briarpatch]

Gaia has added a Feature/Weather Overlay on Snowmobile Trails that you can add after you have add the Winter map. It appears that Maine, New Hampshire and New York have snowmobile trails but Vermont does not. Unfortunately it appears to be for their premium membership. VAST (Vermont Associate of Snow Travels) has a online version and an app that you can download for their trails. I have only used the online version to plan trips before heading out.

Gaia winter map adds Alpine and Nordic ski trails (green, blue and black) and lifts.