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Tom Kitta
- Thread starter Susquatch
- Start date
Doggggboy
Ultra Member
It was supposed to be a 6 week expedition so I'm guessing he's still going up
Proxule
Ultra Member
Or coming down?!It was supposed to be a 6 week expedition so I'm guessing he's still going up
It was supposed to be a 6 week expedition so I'm guessing he's still going up
Where did you get a 6 week expedition from?
7x12 bandsaw, Calgary, 450$
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/642899314466984/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A3a849f17-ac52-44f7-ad3c-6db116852999 looks like its seen some use, still a good deal IMO
He has only been gone two weeks now as he said he would be in Nepal on the 30 Aug.
Doggggboy
Ultra Member
I guess the fact that by the end of August I am going for a 6 week expedition to Nepal where I try to climb Manaslu solo without oxygen 8165m means I am a bit crazy
It is all about risk management. Any risk that can be managed away is managed away. I.e. I am not climbing say naked (was attempted). I will also not climb when avalanche conditions are "certain avalanche" - also was done. I will not climb when winds are over 100 km/h etc.
I may not have the best gear in the world - and I do cut some corners - but I know the system I have worked in the past and I do have backups.
In case of this sub, they cut corners at every possible area. They were purely negligent. In canyoneering and other sports I led in US we had "death" wavers. It was necessary. But we knew that these will not protect if we do something plain stupid.
For example, if we check the weather and weather services says perfect weather, no chance of any rain or even touch of a storm we did our due diligence. If there is totally unexpected storm, a bit far away, that still in canyon catchment and someone dies - we can point to a waver - no one knew super freak event will happen. We did standard checks. Same with an event where there is a dam and you call them and ask, will there be any release of water. If they have release due to an accident and someone dies - waver can be used. What happened on that sub was similar to simply never checking the weather. Totally suicidal. It was only a matter of time. Eventually your luck runs out - there is a strong thunderstorm and most people or all in your team end up dead.
The company is done for. And I would not be shocked if they sued the owner personally and priced through corporate veil.
Incidentally deep see diving is quite safe. The actual *certified* old submersible this company purchased second hand has like 1300 dives on the clock - no accidents. Key words here - certified and not build by them
DSV Alvin - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
This is from bloody 1964. In service since 1964. Test depth of 6500m.
Yeah, that is almost 60 years of service. Every few years total overhaul & inspection. They did not make junk in the 60s, like my lathe - good stuff.
Nice and scary. They look awesome from the valley or an airplane. They are terrifying from anyplace above the tree line. I can't even climb a tv tower without waste elimination.
That's prolly why I wonder how Tom is doing. You couldn't pay me enough to do what he prolly paid dearly to do.
I won't be happy till he is home telling us how much we wasted by not buying from Aliexpress.
Dabbler
ersatz engineer
If you get a chance to visit, I can take you to some benign and spectacular places in Kananaskis that can be done in a day hike. I get above 8,000ft elevation almost every year,. It is invigorating and soul-feeding.
-- I really stay away from any places that offer tangible risk, say above the drive there.
historicalarms
Ultra Member
Mountains...my favorite part of the world at one time . There just aint nuthin as gratifying as climbing 2 or 3 thousand feet above tree line from the base on your own two feet. I have memories of watching a huge Grizzly dig marmots out of the rocks at the base of a cliff ( rolling rocks the size of kitchen chairs like they were toy blocks), watching a wolverine run a mile and then up a 4000 ft shale slide without stopping, toughest little critter I ever saw and my favorite...having a snooze in the hot sun with the boss on a big open ridge above timber line and waking up to the clucking sound of an old hen ptarmigan that had jumped up in my leg and then led her brood of 4 chicks across my leg and on about her business.
I have never tried a journey sauch as Tom has undertaken but I used to try to climb at least 4 mountains a year ( mostly in hunting season).
I have never tried a journey sauch as Tom has undertaken but I used to try to climb at least 4 mountains a year ( mostly in hunting season).
Well, the truth is that I have actually already done this. We were at the Kananaskis Lodge introducing a new vehicle to journalists. We rented the ski resort to drive off road. When the first tranche of journalists left, the company gang decided to climb Mount Fortress. I chickened out - after all, everyone should never fly on the same plane. On the weekend, they all went golfing in Banff. I don't golf. So I went fly fishing instead and slept under the stars. I slept fantastic but woke up early Sunday morning quite disappointed in myself for not climbing the mountain with them. With a modicum of new found courage (and a plethora of stupidity) I headed off to climb mount fortress alone. To prove I went, I collected a rock from the peak - the only place where such rocks exist. The extreme winds erode the rock in a way that water cannot.
Going up wasn't as terrifying as I imagined. Coming down on that 80 degree (exaggerated on purpose) loose rubble slope was suicidal. If I never do that again, it will be too soon!
historicalarms
Ultra Member
fear on a mountain is very dangerous, caution is sublime.
Dabbler
ersatz engineer
Climbing down, either in scrambling or aided climbing is far harder than going up. Experiencing the difficulty is the beginning of learning!
I don't mind being the guy that is on the scene to stabilize the subject prior to the pros showing up.
Bedtime story:
I was on Moose Mountain a couple of decades ago, on a short aided climb. We saw a few younger hikers with a lot of enthusiasm and a little too much testosterone goading each other. It was one of those "oh - oh. we need to get down and ready for IT" moments. Sure enough the lad decided to RUN down the 60 degree slope. To our amazement, (-and his "credit"??) he made it about 5 strides - the last one about 30 feet long before he landed on his face and tumbled about 200 feet down - on sharp rocks from fist sized to microwave sized - all moving. he ended up sprawled on a boulder the size of a VW Beetle. This was before commonplace cell phones.
We got to the lad just after his companions got to him - they were trying to pick him up and walk him to his car. Not really a good idea. He had broken things and internal bleeding. We finally convinced them to keep him warm and in place and we went off for the first place to contact rescue. Got rescue to come, and went back and prevented his friends from filling his stomach with fluids. He was air lifted to Foothills Hospital
He was in hospital 6 weeks.
---
@Susquatch One of my favourite things is 'screeing' - where you find a slope with scree at its 'critical angle' with 'friendly' rocks, and then you leap about a meter and land with both boots... You pump your boots like a 2 piston engine and you generate a neat effect where you 'slide' down the mountain on your feet, and bring a tiny group of rocks with you. I'm no expert, but I have managed over 100m a few times. It is exhilarating! It feels like skiing on rocks. Of course it is Perfectly Safe. Really.
Comming down is for sure the harder more difficult part!
I had one of my friends recently shatter his fibia/tibia on the way down when he slipped, given he was a large guy wich I'm sure contributed to the damage, either way set him back quite a bit
I did the hiking thing when I first moved to Calgary...not my thing, I'll go up the mountain so long as it involves me riding something with an engine!
I had one of my friends recently shatter his fibia/tibia on the way down when he slipped, given he was a large guy wich I'm sure contributed to the damage, either way set him back quite a bit
I did the hiking thing when I first moved to Calgary...not my thing, I'll go up the mountain so long as it involves me riding something with an engine!
Hey Tom (@Tom Kitta)
I see you're back on-line. Where are you and tell us about your climbing adventure.
Craig
I see you're back on-line. Where are you and tell us about your climbing adventure.
Craig
Tom Kitta
Ultra Member
Yes, I am alive. I managed to get back few days early, a bit sick.
I did manage to get to the top, 8163m, without use of oxygen and solo making me the first Canadian to do so on Manaslu.
The whole adventure is enough to write a small book about. Suffice to say - there were plenty of problems I had to somehow overcome.
My last two days of attack were hard - I climbed to camp 4 during a light storm for 9.5h asking most people descending how far am I from C4. C4 turned out to be a dirty wasteland whipped by wind with broken tents & devoid of any life. I tried to rest there but before my summit a Sherpa just walked into my tent and drank all my water. So instead of going for it at night I went during the day. There were two people in front of me, one woman from Austria and a guy from Germany (probably her guide). For another 9.5h I slowly moved the needed 800m or so up.
Just before sunset I managed to stand on top - I was very tired, so much so I was hoping that some energy will kick on the downhill - or I will be in trouble. Made a video and took few pictures.
My brain was a bit fried and I failed to find the headlamp so I used full moon to get back to camp 4. Too tired to descent more and coughing I took some Dex to stop incoming death. In the morning I slowly descended to camp 3 where I spent another night before finally getting to Base Camp at just under 5000m.
I am still very tired from my flight, being a bit sick and the climb - I sleep like 12h per night. Hopefully in the next few days I recover more.
I post some pictures and video a bit later - both are on my phone still.
I did manage to get to the top, 8163m, without use of oxygen and solo making me the first Canadian to do so on Manaslu.
The whole adventure is enough to write a small book about. Suffice to say - there were plenty of problems I had to somehow overcome.
My last two days of attack were hard - I climbed to camp 4 during a light storm for 9.5h asking most people descending how far am I from C4. C4 turned out to be a dirty wasteland whipped by wind with broken tents & devoid of any life. I tried to rest there but before my summit a Sherpa just walked into my tent and drank all my water. So instead of going for it at night I went during the day. There were two people in front of me, one woman from Austria and a guy from Germany (probably her guide). For another 9.5h I slowly moved the needed 800m or so up.
Just before sunset I managed to stand on top - I was very tired, so much so I was hoping that some energy will kick on the downhill - or I will be in trouble. Made a video and took few pictures.
My brain was a bit fried and I failed to find the headlamp so I used full moon to get back to camp 4. Too tired to descent more and coughing I took some Dex to stop incoming death. In the morning I slowly descended to camp 3 where I spent another night before finally getting to Base Camp at just under 5000m.
I am still very tired from my flight, being a bit sick and the climb - I sleep like 12h per night. Hopefully in the next few days I recover more.
I post some pictures and video a bit later - both are on my phone still.
