A Ski Mountaineering Adventure
By Randall Richards
Mountaineering, and ski mountaineering mishaps that don’t kill you are chalked up to experience – a learning experience. I had one such experience in Lech and Zürs Austria when working for Strolz Boots G.m.B.H. I was still a greenhorn in the Alps. The Alps was a whole other ball game than the mountains of the western U.S. This was my first year in the Alps
I was just graduated from the University of Utah where I’d spent three years getting a basic, but great mountaineering education through the U of U recreation department with such climbers and teachers as Harold Goodro and Dennis Turville. It’s here where I cut my teeth, the Wasatch Range, in beginning rock climbing and mountaineering, snow shelter building and backcountry emergency medicine classes. Harold was the consummate old mountain man.
The author getting "mountain experience", Austria
In the late seventies, he was involved in teaching all the classes, and would observe other instructors manage the top rope sites. But he was always hands-on. On another day in my education there, I remember ascending Stairs Gulch with other Utah students under the tutilage of Dennis Turville. Our little group of neophytes were wide-eyed at one point on the ascent, when a few auto-sized blocks of snow and ice came tumbling down the slabs, bowling for students. Two in the group, by running this way and that, managed to avoid being mowed over. Dennis seemed somewhat nonplussed by the event, but that might have just been my perception at the time. Later on the narrow ridge which divides Big and Little Cottonwood, we carefully picked our way up to the summit of Dromedary Peak. Our eyes were still bugging out of our heads for the rest of the day due to exposed terrain and our lack of experience. We were quickly getting our mountain legs.
Fast forward to the Lectaler Alps in Western Austria. I usually had most of the day to explore the wild mountains above and around Zürs, St. Christophe and Lech on skis and out of bounds, having to report at the Strolz ski boot shop in Lech around 3pm. It was my first experience where the ski area trails and the high backcountry merged into one big ski experience. I went nuts, cutting it up, (more…)
Difficult to see from the ground,geoglyphs go unnoticed by locals
With the aid of satellite imagery from Google Earth, soon archeologists in Brazil will be finding more and more large geometric designs carved into the ground in the Amazon rainforest. The geoglyphs are believed to have been sculpted by ancient people from the Amazon region around 700 years ago, though their purpose is still unknown. So far, nearly 300 geoglyphs have been identified, but with advances in satellite imaging–and increased clearing of the jungle coverage–scientists are hoping to discover many more of these strange, geometric designs. Read the rest of this story Photo via Diego Gurgel
Josh Wilson a Singer/Songwriter signed to Sparrow Records was stuck in an airport recently.
“I’m always saying, “This is your life, enjoy it — even if you’re stuck at an airport!” HP:It looks like you know how to do just that based on your popular video that’s making the rounds. So where were you traveling to the day of the Newark Security Breach? JW:I was headed to Mumbai, India with my wife and some others.
I saw the video after someone forwarded it to me. They actually found it on Alyssa Milano’s Twitter Feed. HP: What inspired you to do the sing-along?
JW:Things had gotten really tense in the terminal. We were at about the six hour mark in terms of the delay. Some kids were crying near us and I wanted to cheer them up and maybe get everyone else to relax a little. Someone in our group said I should break out my guitar, and after a little convincing I did. But in that situation, it’s only safe to play the Beatles. Anything else would have led me to being pelted by luggage HP: Have you ever played for a crowd of passengers before?
You know, as a musician at some point you feel you’ve played every possible type of gig. But I do think it was my first airport performance. Read the rest of this story
Heather Poole is a flight attendant for a major US carrier. She lives in California and works in New York.
Putting World Hunger Into Perspective
From: The Huffington Post By Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein
Hunger now scars the lives of over 1 billion people — a new record. Today, Monday the 16th, world leaders will gather at a UN food summit in Rome to debate what to do about it. As a former Goodwill Ambassador for the World Food Program, I sense how the meeting may go.
Per capita calorie consumption, nation by nation. By: World Food Program
There will be more media attention on the politicians than on the issues, an abundance of speeches, and a series of oddly fancy luncheons — with more speeches. At a similar luncheon, I remember wondering: Read the rest of this article
I recently received a flyer in the mail from Food and Water Watch, with the title: “America’s water should belong to each of us, not the companies that bottle and sell it. Not the corporations that want to privatize is. Take the pledge to protect your right to clean safe drinking water. Here’s what I’ve learned.
American consumers drink more bottled water every year, in part because they think it is somehow safer or better than tap water. They collectively spend hundreds or thousands of dollars more per gallon for water in a plastic bottle than they would for the H20 flowing from their taps.
Rather than buying into this myth of purity in a bottle, consumers should drink from the tap. Bottled water generally is no cleaner, or safer, or healthier than tap water. In fact, the federal government requires far more rigorous and frequent safety testing and monitoring of municipal drinking water. Read more
Bottled Water: Illusions of Purity : Not safer than tap water
Bottled water manufacturers are good at implying things. With glossy ads and labels depicting quiet mountain streams, a consumer is led to believe what they’re drinking is healthier than what comes from the tap. But chances are it’s not. In fact, municipal water is more tightly regulated than bottled water. (more…)
I picked up an excellent book on the week-end – one that I hope you will read. It’s an oldie but a goodie. This book is a magical and inspiring tale about a man who planted trees. It is also known as The Story of Elzéard Bouffier, The Most Extraordinary Character I Ever Met.
It was first published in 1953 and is a timeless eco-fable about what one person can do to restore the earth. The hero of the story, Elzéard Bouffier, spent his life planting one hundred acorns a day in a desolate, barren section of Provence in the south of France. The result was a total transformation of the landscape-from one devoid of life, with miserable, contentious inhabitants, to one filled with the scent of flowers, the songs of birds, and fresh, flowing water.
A Plastic Soup That Stretches from Hawaii to Japan From: The Independent
Image: The Independent
By Kathy Marks, Asia-Pacific Correspondent, and Daniel Howden
A “plastic soup” of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.
The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world’s largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting “soup” stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.
Charles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” or “trash vortex”, believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region. Read the rest of this story
Shop at Local Brick & Mortar Stores By R. Richards
I was doing a little shopping at a local store called Artisan’s Workshop in my hometown today. It’s been a long-time fixture of our community and provider of good gifts for many years. Fellow co-founder of Friends of Mount Sunapee, Catherine Bushueff started the store and sold it some years ago. It’s much better than any large chain store could be. While checking paying for my purchase, I saw this flier on the countertop about shopping locally.
The facts about how one can really make a difference by shopping locally caught my eye, and thought I’d pass this along. You can find out more at www.the350project.net
Trying to find Aljazzeera in the U.S.? Good luck. It’s not easy. Our media blackout is not total however. You can see an online version of their TV broadcast. It’s not what you’ve been told. We have found them to be very balanced and professional over the years. As a side note, if you’ve not seen the DVD The Control Room, about Aljazeera’s balanced coverage during the early stages of the Iraq invasion, and its the subsequent “mistaken” missile attack by U.S. forces on its Badgad Bureau, you ought to see it (Netflix).
When we lead programs in Peru, the cable TV provided in hotel rooms almost always has Aljazeera. It’s a fresh perspective. We encourage you to check it out online at www.livestation.com .
Rooibos Tea farmers on the Front Line of Cimate Change
By Amanda Richards
Rooibos - The Frontline of Climate Change
I was born in South Africa, and we all grew up with Rooibos or, red bush tea. I was saddened to see this recent article covering this important plant being threatened by environmental and man-made factors.
In this article in The Independent newspaper, Virginia Marsh explores how this valuable plant is threatened by climate change – and with it the independent farmers that depend upon it for their livelihoods.
By Virginia Marsh
"Red Bush" or Rooibos Tea
Unusually, the entire global supply of rooibos comes from a single production area in the west of South Africa that measures just 200 x 100 kilometres. Efforts to cultivate it outside of the Suid Bokkeveld have not been successful: it draws on the region’s unique soils and climate and needs to grow alongside other components of its ecosystem. Read the rest of this article:
Mountain Spirit's Blog 