Utopia Talk - Politics - (OT) The Adirondacks

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Utopia Talk / Politics / (OT) The Adirondacks

Y2A
Member Sat Feb 04 00:04:24
might go out there for president's day weekend. thinking about whiteface or giant mountain. actually may be leaning toward the latter since it looks like whiteface would take more time to hike and I'd like to do it all within a day (long ass drive up there already). have u done these sam? your thoughts?

Sam Adams
Member Sat Feb 04 01:21:13
No, but ive done the hike just on the other side of the road from Giant, wolfjaws or something like that. I dunno what the snow conditions are like now, you might need snowshoes now. I've not hiked whiteface, but I have done some skiing there. Lake placid is the best ski town in the east. Lots of bars and hotels within walking distance of eachother!

My best ski fall ever happened at whiteface. No excuses. I was on a wide open trail going as fast as I could and I lost it. Went rocketing through the trees, tumbling head over heels and somehow didn't hit any. When I finally stopped sliding I just lay in the snow giggling stupidly. Lucky I missed those damned trees huh?

Sam Adams
Member Sat Feb 04 01:25:51
Those peaks a bit taller than hunter, but not by much. Hunter is 2000 feet gained in the hike, those are about 3000 or so just glancing at the map. It will be a bit more of a workout, but still in the same ballpark, assuming good trails. If you have to break trail/snowshoe through deep snow... then it will be a much better workout...

Y2A
Member Sat Feb 04 01:43:19
i bought some snowshoes to go up part of slide the last time i went out hiking. are all snowshoes big as hell? they were the smallest at the place i got it and they were still pretty uncomfortable to use.

Cloud Strife
Member Sat Feb 04 01:45:11
Yes, snowshoes are all bulky, it's how they function.

Sam Adams
Member Sat Feb 04 01:48:57
Basically I use my snowshoes like this: If its flat and more than a foot of loose snow for more than a very short ways, my showshoes are on. If its steep and not much snow and you forgot your crampons(or don't want to repeatadly switch between the two), then the mini-crampons on the bottom of the showshoes can work. If its less than a foot of loose snow... then I usually say eff it and just break trail in my boots cause I hate showshoes. If its steep and more than a foot of loose snow and no trees to act as anchors... well then you better start doing avalanche tests (thats not required on most sections of the dacks).

Sam Adams
Member Sat Feb 04 01:51:48
"are all snowshoes big as hell? they were the smallest at the place i got it and they were still pretty uncomfortable to use. "

yes, snowshoes suck. I try to avoid using mine if at all possible, but sometimes (and you don't even need very big mountains for this) you can easily sink into the snow 4, 5 feet every step. Then you just can't get very far without them, annoying though they may be.

Sam Adams
Member Sat Feb 04 02:02:11
And then theres the highly annoying ultra-impassible tree-lined non-windy mid-continental cold dry powder... in the shade and protection of the trees this shit can stay so fluffy that you sink all the way in even with large snowshoes on. Pretty much the end of the road for the day, unless its short.

WilliamTheBastard
Member Sat Feb 04 04:27:11
what the hell is "president's day"? I cant imagine having a day to nationally celebrate prime ministers or other authoritarian figures, sounds very North Korean.

Sam Adams
Member Sat Feb 04 06:45:46
"I cant imagine"

for once, tardfish says something I can believe.

WilliamTheBastard
Member Sat Feb 04 07:17:16
"My breath smells of old cum" - Finally a comment from 145IQ that isnt about trying to cover up his inferiority complexes for his low IQ and weak masculinity

Nekran
Member Sat Feb 04 07:22:01
We have a day to celebrate our king... though it stopped being a national holiday at some point. I think it's like the 15th of november or something.

Sam Adams
Member Sat Feb 04 07:22:47
^tardfish getting desperate and making stuff up again.

Anyway, this is Y2A's thread about winter hiking, so you don't belong here, unintelligent pussy that you are.

WilliamTheBastard
Member Sat Feb 04 07:23:06
"lets have a national holiday to celebrate government (preferably the israeli govt)!" - sam adams

Y2A
Member Thu Feb 09 22:41:09
booked a hotel for the end of next week. should be good.

Sam Adams
Member Thu Feb 09 23:26:48
Let me guess... the lake placid summit hotel? That was always my choice. Cheap, has a pool and a hot tub, and 5 minutes walk from the bars/food.

Y2A
Member Sat Feb 11 01:58:35
not there, but is saw some rooms from there listed. like u said there were quite a few to choose from. won't say where i am staying but yeah, i'll be in the area for a day before the hike.

Sam Adams
Member Sat Feb 11 02:46:46
You'll drive past the massive ski jump towers from the 80 olympics. What kind of psycho actually jumps off those monsters?

Garyd
Member Sat Feb 11 21:48:30
Presidents day was the replcement for Lincolns and Washington's birthdays when we decided to give Martin Luther King a National Holiday.

TJ
Member Sat Feb 11 22:07:35
>>>What kind of psycho actually jumps off those monsters?<<<

lmao

Y2A
Member Sun Feb 19 13:01:39
Just came back. Was good and got some great pics out of it but damn those trails were icy as hell. I don't know how some people can walk on them without getting down and sliding yourself down.

I almost got stuck right a little bit before the summit. Damn wall of solid ice. Don't know how I managed to eventually get over it but man that would have sucked if i would have let that stop me from getting to the summit after at that point hiking most of the way up there.

Y2A
Member Sun Feb 19 13:06:49
also lake placid has more of an international feel that i would have thought. heard lots of french and german spoken on the streets. so close to montreal that alot of quebeqois (sp?) use it as a vacation spot.

Y2A
Member Sun Feb 19 13:08:15
also seems a little stuck in the 80s. when i saw the east german, soviet and yugoslavian flags in the center of town i wanted to start chanting RAYGUN! RAYGUN! RAYGUN!

Sam Adams
Member Sun Feb 19 13:52:38
Nice.

This time of year I would certainly bring crampons or snowshoes.

Also, never be afraid to turn around. Maybe not so much below treeline in the practice hills in the east, but some of the bigger mountains or harder routes around the world are a bit more... unforgiving. Climbers that don't turn around from time to time end up dead.

Once on a giant 19,000 foot volcano in ecuador, something I had put a lot of effort into, I turned around at 18,700 feet when things started to go wrong. I look back at that as one of my better decisions, actually...

Although for your first few epic mountains, should you go that far, you'll still have a bit of the "summit or die" attitude. I remember feeling the same way the first few giant mountains I went after.

Y2A
Member Sun Feb 19 18:17:29
Any idea of a place like the Adirondacks where there are multiple trails to hike in Germany Sam? I'm seriously considering a vacation there next year.

Sam Adams
Member Sun Feb 19 20:29:11
Not so much germany itself, which is pretty flat, but just south of germany is the main line of the alps, running through switzerland and austria. Crossing those borders in the civilized part of europe is no different than taking a train from new york to boston these days, so no problems there.

And the alps is a hiking and climbing paradise. It fucking rules. There are more trails and more rock walls and glaciers than you could climb in a lifetime. Its all civilized too... like with mountain huts and lodges every few hours (by foot). Ski lifts and resorts and hotels all over the place. You can choose any kind of terrain you want, like hiking on trails like what you have been doing in the NY hills, to high altitude snow and glacier hikes (watch out for crevasses!) to proper epic cliffs that are some of the most badass climbs in the world like the Eiger and the Matterhorn.

Its not exactly wilderness... the alps have been civilized for a long time, but that could be good or bad depending on what you are looking for.

Sam Adams
Member Sun Feb 19 20:31:46
But ya, the alps rule. If you are in germany, definitely take a week off and take a train south and explore the main line of alps for a bit.

Y2A
Member Sun Feb 19 20:32:33
yea, i was considering switzerland as well. still very early but i like to plan well in advance.

Sam Adams
Member Sun Feb 19 20:36:18
Almost every valley that runs from central Switzerland up towards the main line of the alps has a bus or a train and dozens (or more) hotels and restaurants and 100s of miles of hiking trails crisscrossing all over the place. You can't possibly even avoid the hiking. You hardly even need a map.

show deleted posts

Y2A Member	Sat Feb 04 00:04:24 might go out there for president's day weekend. thinking about whiteface or giant mountain. actually may be leaning toward the latter since it looks like whiteface would take more time to hike and I'd like to do it all within a day (long ass drive up there already). have u done these sam? your thoughts?
Sam Adams Member	Sat Feb 04 01:21:13 No, but ive done the hike just on the other side of the road from Giant, wolfjaws or something like that. I dunno what the snow conditions are like now, you might need snowshoes now. I've not hiked whiteface, but I have done some skiing there. Lake placid is the best ski town in the east. Lots of bars and hotels within walking distance of eachother! My best ski fall ever happened at whiteface. No excuses. I was on a wide open trail going as fast as I could and I lost it. Went rocketing through the trees, tumbling head over heels and somehow didn't hit any. When I finally stopped sliding I just lay in the snow giggling stupidly. Lucky I missed those damned trees huh?
Sam Adams Member	Sat Feb 04 01:25:51 Those peaks a bit taller than hunter, but not by much. Hunter is 2000 feet gained in the hike, those are about 3000 or so just glancing at the map. It will be a bit more of a workout, but still in the same ballpark, assuming good trails. If you have to break trail/snowshoe through deep snow... then it will be a much better workout...
Y2A Member	Sat Feb 04 01:43:19 i bought some snowshoes to go up part of slide the last time i went out hiking. are all snowshoes big as hell? they were the smallest at the place i got it and they were still pretty uncomfortable to use.
Cloud Strife Member	Sat Feb 04 01:45:11 Yes, snowshoes are all bulky, it's how they function.
Sam Adams Member	Sat Feb 04 01:48:57 Basically I use my snowshoes like this: If its flat and more than a foot of loose snow for more than a very short ways, my showshoes are on. If its steep and not much snow and you forgot your crampons(or don't want to repeatadly switch between the two), then the mini-crampons on the bottom of the showshoes can work. If its less than a foot of loose snow... then I usually say eff it and just break trail in my boots cause I hate showshoes. If its steep and more than a foot of loose snow and no trees to act as anchors... well then you better start doing avalanche tests (thats not required on most sections of the dacks).
Sam Adams Member	Sat Feb 04 01:51:48 "are all snowshoes big as hell? they were the smallest at the place i got it and they were still pretty uncomfortable to use. " yes, snowshoes suck. I try to avoid using mine if at all possible, but sometimes (and you don't even need very big mountains for this) you can easily sink into the snow 4, 5 feet every step. Then you just can't get very far without them, annoying though they may be.
Sam Adams Member	Sat Feb 04 02:02:11 And then theres the highly annoying ultra-impassible tree-lined non-windy mid-continental cold dry powder... in the shade and protection of the trees this shit can stay so fluffy that you sink all the way in even with large snowshoes on. Pretty much the end of the road for the day, unless its short.
WilliamTheBastard Member	Sat Feb 04 04:27:11 what the hell is "president's day"? I cant imagine having a day to nationally celebrate prime ministers or other authoritarian figures, sounds very North Korean.
Sam Adams Member	Sat Feb 04 06:45:46 "I cant imagine" for once, tardfish says something I can believe.
WilliamTheBastard Member	Sat Feb 04 07:17:16 "My breath smells of old cum" - Finally a comment from 145IQ that isnt about trying to cover up his inferiority complexes for his low IQ and weak masculinity
Nekran Member	Sat Feb 04 07:22:01 We have a day to celebrate our king... though it stopped being a national holiday at some point. I think it's like the 15th of november or something.
Sam Adams Member	Sat Feb 04 07:22:47 ^tardfish getting desperate and making stuff up again. Anyway, this is Y2A's thread about winter hiking, so you don't belong here, unintelligent pussy that you are.
WilliamTheBastard Member	Sat Feb 04 07:23:06 "lets have a national holiday to celebrate government (preferably the israeli govt)!" - sam adams
Y2A Member	Thu Feb 09 22:41:09 booked a hotel for the end of next week. should be good.
Sam Adams Member	Thu Feb 09 23:26:48 Let me guess... the lake placid summit hotel? That was always my choice. Cheap, has a pool and a hot tub, and 5 minutes walk from the bars/food.
Y2A Member	Sat Feb 11 01:58:35 not there, but is saw some rooms from there listed. like u said there were quite a few to choose from. won't say where i am staying but yeah, i'll be in the area for a day before the hike.
Sam Adams Member	Sat Feb 11 02:46:46 You'll drive past the massive ski jump towers from the 80 olympics. What kind of psycho actually jumps off those monsters?
Garyd Member	Sat Feb 11 21:48:30 Presidents day was the replcement for Lincolns and Washington's birthdays when we decided to give Martin Luther King a National Holiday.
TJ Member	Sat Feb 11 22:07:35 >>>What kind of psycho actually jumps off those monsters?<<< lmao
Y2A Member	Sun Feb 19 13:01:39 Just came back. Was good and got some great pics out of it but damn those trails were icy as hell. I don't know how some people can walk on them without getting down and sliding yourself down. I almost got stuck right a little bit before the summit. Damn wall of solid ice. Don't know how I managed to eventually get over it but man that would have sucked if i would have let that stop me from getting to the summit after at that point hiking most of the way up there.
Y2A Member	Sun Feb 19 13:06:49 also lake placid has more of an international feel that i would have thought. heard lots of french and german spoken on the streets. so close to montreal that alot of quebeqois (sp?) use it as a vacation spot.
Y2A Member	Sun Feb 19 13:08:15 also seems a little stuck in the 80s. when i saw the east german, soviet and yugoslavian flags in the center of town i wanted to start chanting RAYGUN! RAYGUN! RAYGUN!
Sam Adams Member	Sun Feb 19 13:52:38 Nice. This time of year I would certainly bring crampons or snowshoes. Also, never be afraid to turn around. Maybe not so much below treeline in the practice hills in the east, but some of the bigger mountains or harder routes around the world are a bit more... unforgiving. Climbers that don't turn around from time to time end up dead. Once on a giant 19,000 foot volcano in ecuador, something I had put a lot of effort into, I turned around at 18,700 feet when things started to go wrong. I look back at that as one of my better decisions, actually... Although for your first few epic mountains, should you go that far, you'll still have a bit of the "summit or die" attitude. I remember feeling the same way the first few giant mountains I went after.
Y2A Member	Sun Feb 19 18:17:29 Any idea of a place like the Adirondacks where there are multiple trails to hike in Germany Sam? I'm seriously considering a vacation there next year.
Sam Adams Member	Sun Feb 19 20:29:11 Not so much germany itself, which is pretty flat, but just south of germany is the main line of the alps, running through switzerland and austria. Crossing those borders in the civilized part of europe is no different than taking a train from new york to boston these days, so no problems there. And the alps is a hiking and climbing paradise. It fucking rules. There are more trails and more rock walls and glaciers than you could climb in a lifetime. Its all civilized too... like with mountain huts and lodges every few hours (by foot). Ski lifts and resorts and hotels all over the place. You can choose any kind of terrain you want, like hiking on trails like what you have been doing in the NY hills, to high altitude snow and glacier hikes (watch out for crevasses!) to proper epic cliffs that are some of the most badass climbs in the world like the Eiger and the Matterhorn. Its not exactly wilderness... the alps have been civilized for a long time, but that could be good or bad depending on what you are looking for.
Sam Adams Member	Sun Feb 19 20:31:46 But ya, the alps rule. If you are in germany, definitely take a week off and take a train south and explore the main line of alps for a bit.
Y2A Member	Sun Feb 19 20:32:33 yea, i was considering switzerland as well. still very early but i like to plan well in advance.
Sam Adams Member	Sun Feb 19 20:36:18 Almost every valley that runs from central Switzerland up towards the main line of the alps has a bus or a train and dozens (or more) hotels and restaurants and 100s of miles of hiking trails crisscrossing all over the place. You can't possibly even avoid the hiking. You hardly even need a map.
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