Friday, March 30, 2018

Film Review: The Thing (2011)

A lot of AAI guides have spent time working in Antarctica over the years. These include Tom Kirby, Alasdair Turner, Dylan Taylor, Tim Connelly, and Danny Uhlmann, among others. Some guides have worked on Mt. Vinson, but most have spent time working at Antarctic bases.

One of the most popular films in all of Antarctica is the 1982 John Carpenter film, The Thing. People who work in Antarctica literally love that movie. They often watch it when they arrive on site. And those who winter down there always watch it right before the last plane leaves for the season.

The Thing has had a lot of lives on the big screen. First, there was the 1951 film, The Thing from Another World. Then there was the 1982 remake, where they dropped "from Another World," from the title. And then lastly, in 2011, they made a prequel to the Carpenter film, also entitled, The Thing.


If you're not familiar with the mythology behind The Thing, it goes like this. A crew of Norwegian scientists find ta massive spacecraft buried in the ice. They retrieve the body of something and bring it back to their base. The 1982 film starts with a crew of Americans finding the burned out remains of that base and also finding the thing that caused the death and destruction there.

The 2011 prequel tells the story of the Norwegian scientists who find the spacecraft and retrieve the body of an alien frozen in the ice. They bring it back home and realize -- much too late -- that it is not dead. And indeed, that not only is it not dead, but that it is a murderous thing that has the ability to mimic people. The scientists secluded in the Antarctic are picked off one by one by the monster, while never knowing whether their friends are still their friends, or whether they are monsters disguised as people.

The 2011 film is a fun B-movie style ride. It is not as tightly written as the super-popular 1982 film. And indeed, sometimes it feels a little bit too similar to that film. The storyline is quite similar: scientists, Antarctica, monsters, ice, impostors, everybody dies... And maybe that's what makes it fun.

The biggest difference between the 1982 film and the 2011 film is the protagonist. Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays paleontologist, Kate Loyd. The character is smart and logical, which is exactly the opposite of what we tend to see of characters in most horror films. She doesn't panic. She doesn't explore weird dark rooms where she just heard a strange noise. She acts like we hope that we would act were we in such a situation...

Throughout the film we are treated to some great shots of high glaciers and peaks. It's not clear where these shots are from. It seems unlikely that it was filmed in Antarctica and a quick google search doesn't provide information beyond studio locations...

One of the most terrifying moments in the film for our readers is an early moment where a a large truck drops through a snow-bridge into a crevasse and gets wedged between the two walls. Unfortunately, the filmmakers decided to skip over the rescue of the truck's passengers, which is too bad, because regardless of the monsters running around, getting wedged into a crevasse is not a good thing and would have created more drama in the story.

These films are attractive to climbers because they take place in an environment that we are familiar with. While most of us haven't spent significant time in Antarctica, most of us have spent a lot of time secluded in the snowy mountains, somewhat cutoff from the rest of the world. As a result, of our experiences in these places, some of us might find them more spooky than our non-outdoorsy friends.

If you're not a The Thing fan, then this movie really isn't for you. But if you love the 1982 film, then you'll probably like the 2011 film...

I thought it might be fun to look at the trailers for all three versions of The Thing. First, we have the 1951 version. Second, we have the 1982 version. And then lastly, we have the prequel:





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--Jason D. Martin

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 3/29/18

Sierra:

--The Truckee Sun is reporting that, "A skier who went out of bounds and got lost in deep powder Thursday evening at Diamond Peak Ski Resort was rescued and brought to safety hours later by ski patrol and the Washoe County Sheriff’s Hasty Team." To read more, click here.

--Many of us like Starbucks, but there's something obscene about a Starbucks opening in Yosemite. But that's exactly what just happened. To read more, click here.

Colorado:

--Andrew Hamilton just became the first person to climb all of the Colorado 14ers in the winter. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--A woman died in a climbing accident in the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County on Saturday. To read more, click here.

--Penn Live, a Pennsylvania based newspaper, is reporting that, "A man who plummeted off a bank onto a pile of rocks while skiing at the Liberty Mountain Resort can't sue the Adams County resort for his multiple serious injuries, a federal judge has ruled. The reason Quan Vu's lawsuit must be dismissed is simple, U.S. Middle District Judge John E. Jones III found. 'Mr. Vu's injuries were caused by an inherent risk of downhill skiing,' Jones wrote." To read more, click here.

--Buckrail is reporting that, "an accident in Cody Bowl, Bridger-Teton territory just south of the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort ski boundary, has left a local pro skier in critical condition. JHMR ski patrol responded to a call at around 10:30 am reporting an injured skier at the bottom of No Shadows. The skier was believed to be standing on a cornice in between Four Shadows and No Shadows when the snow gave way, causing the skier to fall the length of the run. Patrollers were on the scene by 10:58 am and called Teton County Search and Rescue to assist with a helicopter evacuation. The skier is now being treated in the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center." To read more, click here.

Monday, March 19, 2018

Route Profile - Kautz Glacier

With a couple of pitches of steep climbing, an ascent of a broad glacier, and a bivy at the highest camp on Mount Rainier, the Kautz Glacier is thought to be the premier intermediate route on the mountain.

The Kautz Glacier Route
Photo by Mike Riley


In 1857, August Valentine and his party attempted to make the first recorded ascent of Mount Rainier via the Kautz. Unfortunately the party was turned away before they succeeded. The first documented ascent of the mountain would go to Hazard Stevens and Philemon Beecher Van Trump twelve years later in 1870 after they successfully climbed a line to the southeast of the Kautz.

Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Kautz was climbed by seven men and three women in 1913, but little more is known. The Kautz eventually received a documented climb in 1920, when Hans Fuhrer, Heinie Fuhrer, Roger Toll, and Harry Myers summited via the route.

In the early years of guided climbing on Mount Rainier, the Kautz became the standard route to the summit. Over time the line fell out of favor as people migrated toward the easier Disapointment Cleaver route, which is now the standard line of ascent. Unfortunately, this so-called "standard route" on the mountain has become a zoo. Thousands and thousands of climbers ascend the "DC" every year and as a result, the Kautz has reclaimed a bit of its wilderness character.

Climbers skirting crevasses on the Kautz Glacier
Photo by Alasdair Turner

The ascent of the Kautz starts in Paradise. From the parking lot, climbers hike up to Glacier Vista above the Nisqually Glacier. From there you drop down onto the the glacier proper. A short traverse across the lower glacier -- often skirting large crevasses -- brings you to "The Fan," a gully that takes you up off the glacier and onto a ridgeline. The ridge eventually leads to a series of moderate snowfields beneath Camp Hazard, known as "The Turtle." Most climbers will bivy as high as they can on The Turtle for a shorter summit day, often camping as high as 11,000 feet.

While there are established camp sites and blue bag receptical bins at Camp Hazard, most climbers avoid this camp. The Kautz ice cliffs above the camp often shed large seracs and the ice-fall danger in the camp is high.

Climbers descend the Kautz Glacier
Photo by Alasdair Turner


On summit day, most climbers will start very early. The short trek up to Camp Hazard must be done quickly to avoid ice-fall. Once at the camp, climbers drop down to the Kautz Glacier proper. There are two steepish pitches of ice climbing below Camp Hazard. Depending on the way that a climber goes, the difficulty can reach up to 60 degrees.

Above the ice pitches, the angle decreases significantly. The remainder of the climb to the summit requires standard mountaineering skills.

Climbers from around the world come to Rainier because of its beauty and granduer. The Kautz Glacier provides an excellent adventure for those looking for an intermediate level route on one of the most spectacular mountains in the world.

--Jason D. Martin

Friday, March 16, 2018

"Gripped" - The Film

When I first watched this trailer, I fully thought it was a joke. Seriously, I thought some climbers had made this to make fun of climbing movies. Imagine my surprise when I found out that this is a real film with a website and everything...



I'm looking forward to seeing this film!

--Jason D. Martin

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 3/15/18

Northwest:

--A snowmobiler was killed in an avalanche near Park Butte, close to Mt. Baker on Saturday. This marks the 7th avalanche fatality in the Pacific Northwest this season. To read more, click here.

--A snowshoer that went missing on Monday on Mt. Rainier was found dead on Tuesday. To read more, click here.


--The Fremont Brewery in Seattle is sponsoring avalanche awareness course scholarships to 24 women next season. These scholarships will be funded by the Snowpack Ale. So if you're a beer drinker, this is a good investment in women's avalanche education. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--An elderly woman died after a ski accident at Big Bear Mountain over the weekend. To read more, click here.

--A five-year-old skier lost consciousness while hanging off the side of a chairlift at Bear Mountain Ski Resort. The girl was rescued and will recover fully. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--The Denver Post is reporting that, "U.S. scientists studying the effects of uranium mining around the Grand Canyon say they are lacking information on whether the radioactive element is hurting plants, animals and a water source for more than 30 million people. And they would not get to fully gather it if President Donald Trump’s 2019 budget proposal is approved." To read more, click here.


--The annual Red Rock Rendezvous is slated to take place in Las Vegas from March 16-19, 2018. This is one of the biggest climbing festivals in the country...and one of the most fun. The American Alpine Institute works with Mountain Gear to put on the festival every year and many AAI guides will be on hand for both instruction, as well as for hanging out at the evening parties. You might also consider booking a guide before or after the program, or even participating in an additional climbing class. To read more, click here.

Colorado:

--A skier died after hitting a tree in Breckenridge over the weekend. To read more, click here.

--Hesperus Ski Area has suspended operations due to lack of snow. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Marc-Andre Leclerc and Ryan Johnson were killed while trying to climb a new line on the Mendenhall Towers in Alaska. The pair were reported missing on Friday. Over the next several days teams searched for the pair before they finally found them. There is no information available yet about what happened. To read more, click here.

--Gripped is reporting that, "Four ice climbers survived an avalanche early Saturday afternoon on the route Kitty Hawk on David Thompson Highway in Alberta. Mounties in Rocky Mountain House were notified of an emergency locator beacon signal coming from an area near the classic WI5 ice route on Mount Elliot on Highway 11 about 50 km southwest of Nordegg and 250 km northwest of Calgary." To read more, click here.

--Deanne Buck just became the second woman to become president of the American Alpine Club. To read more, click here.

--There have been far too many avalanche and tree-well fatalities this year. Gripped addressed this trend in an article last week.

--NPR is reporting that, "Tony Tooke, the head of the U.S. Forest Service, resigned on last week following accusations of sexual harassment." To read more, click here.

--On a related note, the Forest Service is on the hot seat for issues of sexual harassment. This article, by a woman who spent 32-years with the service, takes a deep look at the agency and its culture.

--Imagine a ski that uses smart technology to give you feedback like a coach. It's coming!

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 3/8/18

There were a lot of snow related fatalities over this last week. Yes, some of them were avalanches. But there were also tree-well immersions and a roof slide at a ski resort. Be careful out there. Always be aware of your surroundings and be extremely conservative in new snow conditions...

Northwest:

--It's been a tough couple of weeks in the mountains. The Tacoma New Tribune is reporting that, "The state of Washington averages five avalanche deaths every two years. This year, there have been six avalanche deaths here in just over a week." To read more, click here.

--The Associated Press is reporting that, "Authorities are trying to recover the body of a skier killed in an avalanche in the Methow Valley. Okanogan County Sheriff Frank Rogers says four skiers were caught in the slide Sunday afternoon. The other three were able to locate the fourth using his avalanche beacon, but they couldn't recover his body." To read more, click here.

--Two snowmobilers were killed on Sunday near Esmeralda Peak in Eastern Washington in an avalanche. To read more, click here.

--There were two tree well fatalities at Mt. Bachelor over the weekend. Gear Junkie reports that. "In separate incidents Friday, a 24-year-old Bend, Ore., man and 19-year-old Eugene, Ore., woman fell into 6-foot-deep wells and suffocated. The deaths mark the first tree-well fatalities in 16 years at the resort, with roughly 8 million visits since the last occurrence." To read more, click here.

--MEC and REI are both dropping brands from Vista Outdoors. From the Adventure Journal: "REI announced that is suspending future purchases of brands owned by Vista Outdoor, which manufactures guns and ammunition, including semi-automatic weapons through its Savage Arms brand. Vista owns Bell, Blackburn, BollĂ©, Bushnell, CamelBak, Camp Chef, Giro, and Jimmy Styks, among others. This morning, Canadian retail chain MEC CEO David Labistour said in a statement that effective immediately, MEC will cease ordering any Vista Outdoor products. It will continue to sell inventory in stock until it’s sold out." To read more, click here.

--This is a really nice piece on Whatcom County Search and Rescue and the Bellingham Mountain Rescue Council.

--A nice new wall has been developed right next to the Smoke Bluff Parking Lot in Squamish. To read more about it, click here.

Sierra:

--Two ski resorts suffered in bounds avalanches over the weekend in the Sierra. The first was a controlled slide at Mammoth Mountain, that got out of control. But no one was injured. The second was at Squaw Valley and buried five people, though there were no reported fatalities. The following video is of a snowboarder rescued inside the ski areas boundaries:



--The Reno Gazette Journal reported on two fatalities from a roof avalanche. "A mother and son from San Francisco died Sunday while skiing to a slope-side condominium at Kirkwood Mountain Resort. According to the Alpine County Sheriff’s Office Olga Perkovic, 50, and her son, Aaron Goodstein, 7, died after snow falling from a rooftop buried them." To read more, click here.

--The National Park Service is now taking applications for climbing stewards in Yosemite National Park. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:


--An individual was found dead in Red Rock this week. It appears that the person died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. To read more, click here.

--The desert near Joshua Tree may soon be open to energy development. A number of locals are fighting against this move. To read more, click here.


--The annual Red Rock Rendezvous is slated to take place in Las Vegas from March 16-19, 2018. This is one of the biggest climbing festivals in the country...and one of the most fun. The American Alpine Institute works with Mountain Gear to put on the festival every year and many AAI guides will be on hand for both instruction, as well as for hanging out at the evening parties. You might also consider booking a guide before or after the program, or even participating in an additional climbing class. To read more, click here.

Colorado:

--The Denver Channel is reporting that, "The sons of former Broncos player Ed McCaffrey are being credited with helping to save the life of a 72-year-old climber who fell in Castle Rock. On Saturday afternoon, Dan Smoker was with his 13-year-old grandson descending the massive rock formation called Castle Rock when the elderly climber slipped and fell." To read more, click here.

--So there's a movie out about a dog on ski patrol in Vail. Check it out, here.

Notes from All Over:

--There was another tree-well fatality at Whitefish Mountain Resort in Montana. To read more, click here.

--Please please please please, don't try this at home!

--Climbing and politics DO converge...especially when it comes to issues of public lands and climate change. I would also argue that gender and racial equality in the outdoors are also important political issues in our chosen sports. Check out Climbing magazine's editorial on this topic.

 Google Earth Image People Believe Shows Spaceship in Antarctica
(click to enlarge)

--So some of the same yahoos who think there are aliens on Mt. Adams think that an alien spacecraft crashed on South Georgia Island in Antarctica. They note the shape of the "craft" and the trail behind it. They don't seem to account for why the crash trail is still there and the "ship" is covered in snow. To me it looks a lot like a serac collapsed off the ice cliff above and slid down the slope. To read more, click here.

Friday, March 2, 2018

Training and Technique: How to Climb Overhangs

Overhangs are tough. They are one of the great banes of the "weak" climber's existence. But there are ways to get better at attacking these obstacles. Mani the Monkey has put together a great video on how to do it. But he warns that...

There isn't really one single key technique which is going to solve all overhanging problems easily. Rather there's a conglomerate of different techniques and physical capabilities which, when used appropriately, will make climbing overhangs easier. Important techniques are amongst others the Backstep and Hooks, while important physical capabilities are Body Strength/Core and Upper Body Strength.

Check out his video below:



--Jason D. Martin

Thursday, March 1, 2018

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 3/1/18

Northwest:

--Two teenage snowshoers were killed by an avalanche near Snoqualmie Pass over the weekend, and a 32-year-old snowmobiler was killed in an avalanche near Stampede Pass. Avalanche conditions in the Pacific Northwest have been severe over the last several days. It is not recommended that people travel in the backcountry when avalanche danger is high. Be sure to check the avalanche forecast before making backcountry trips in the winter.

--A skier died near Kelowna, BC after falling into a tree well on Monday. To read more, click here.

The "Baker Backcountry" from the
Mt. Baker Ski Area

--The Bellingham Herald is reporting that, "A Seattle backcountry expert is lucky to be alive after members of Bellingham Mountain Rescue found him in a remote area of the Mount Baker wilderness Sunday. Dave Drulard, 46, had been missing for 21 hours when he was found about noon Sunday near Barometer Mountain by two members of a Bellingham Mountain Rescue Council search and rescue team who coincidentally were training nearby." To read more, click here.

--The Canadian version of REI, Mountain Equipment Co-op -- or MEC -- is thinking about the National Rifle Association. BikeBiz is reporting that they are discussing, "bike and outdoor brands owned by gun-and-ammo company Vista Outdoor. The brands – such as Giro, Bell and Camelbak – are being boycotted by some consumers thanks to Vista's support of the US National Rifle Association." The article was updated and notes that no decision has yet been made. To read more, click here.

--The Adventure-Journal has more on Vista Outdoor.

Desert Southwest:

--The Sun is reporting that, "Joshua Tree National Park, a place of otherworldly rock formations, unique plants and iridescent wildflowers, smashed yet another attendance record last year in luring twice as many tourists as visited just four years earlier. The popular desert wilderness park drew 2,853,619 visitors in 2017, a jump of nearly 340,000 from the year before, when a record also was set, federal officials said. As recently as 2013, total attendance was about 1.4 million." To read more, click here.


--The annual Red Rock Rendezvous is slated to take place in Las Vegas from March 16-19, 2018. This is one of the biggest climbing festivals in the country...and one of the most fun. The American Alpine Institute works with Mountain Gear to put on the festival every year and many AAI guides will be on hand for both instruction, as well as for hanging out at the evening parties. You might also consider booking a guide before or after the program, or even participating in an additional climbing class. To read more, click here.

Colorado:

--A skier was killed after hitting a tree at Keystone Ski Resort on Sunday. To read more, click here.

--A 47-year-old snowboarder was killed in the Telluride backcountry over the weekend. It appears that he may have hit a rock in the shallow snowpack while traveling at a high rate of speed. To read more, click here.

--Ski resorts are not doing too well this year. Anthropogenic climate change is having a significant impact and could cost the winter industry one billion dollars. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--A snowboarder was killed in an avalanche in Alaska on Monday on Dude Mountain near Ketchikan. To read more, click here.

--A Canadian man was killed in a skiing accident at Camelback Mountain in Pennsylvania. To read more, click here.

--A climber suffered a 100-foot fall near Jackson last week. Though he fell 100-feet, the climber will survive. To read more, click here.

--WCAX 3 is reporting that, "New Hampshire Fish and Game says an ice climber was injured when he fell while climbing on Mount Willard in Crawford Notch. Officers and rescue crews responded at about 2:30 p.m. Friday after receiving a report that 64-year-old Tom Boydston, of Center Conway, New Hampshire, had suffered multiple injuries in a fall of about 20 feet." To read more, click here.

--In the Snow is reporting that, "the number of ski areas in China has passed 700 according to the new edition of the China Ski Industry White Book. The 2017 edition of the Annual Report by Chinese ski industry expert Benny Wu puts the total number of ski areas in the country at the end of last year at 703, an increase of 56 on a year previously.  At least 50 more ski areas are reported to be under construction. China’s ski industry is by far the fastest growing in the world, with support right up to china’s president encouraging hundreds of millions of Chinese to try wintersports ahead of the country hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics." To read more, click here.