Camp on summit!

[Dan9]

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k69/Dan9SkyBot/deck-med.jpg

who camped up there? I am curious simply because it seems like a pretty gnarly place to pitch a tent, man.
:D
D

[M@]

Might be a "tent test" kinda thing - or advertising.

They once put a cupola up there to advertise for Anderson Windows I think. "These windows can withstand the strongest winds on earth."

Maybe the tent can withstand "The formerly strongest winds on earth."

M@

[Telemark]

Yes, it's tent testing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdD8tqusHE8

[skimtwashington]

That's a mirage!

[Dan9]

haha that's why I saved the pic! tent testing eh -- I can think of many better ways to get some Z's!!! But that is up there on the gnarly factor scale.

[surfsnowywaves]

haha that's why I saved the pic! tent testing eh -- I can think of many better ways to get some Z's!!! But that is up there on the gnarly factor scale.

They're not tent-testing for Z's, rather for $'s. ;)

[skimtwashington]

Back country skier impaled by flying pole

This Wednesday, a lone skier who had just climbed up carrying his skis to the summit's East Snowfields on Mt. Washington was Impaled by a flying tent pole in a 'freak accident'.
Robert Pinski had just got on his skiis after hiking up, and set for his first run on the snowfields, when a tent pole sailing through the air above him on a strong gust of wind came down and impaled him- entering and partially exiting just below his right shoulder. The broken pole had apparently come from a tent being tested outside on the deck of the Mt. Washington observatory.
Mr. Pinski- although in some pain- skied the popular snowfield for adventure skiing enthusiasts, and then several more runs with the pole protruding from both front and back of his shoulder. He then skied one more final steep and long run back to his car and drove himself to Memorial Hospital in North Conway.
When asked why he continued to ski after the accident, he replied." The snow was just so good I had to! And the joy canceled out some of the pain."
Robert plans to sue The Mt. Washington Observatory and LL Bean.
;)

[PCPCJT]

Lmao!! :p

[Paulthenurse]

Don't you just HATE it when that happens?

PTN

[psia-instrctr]

We (The Observatory) have indeed been testing several tents for Backpacker Magazine. We have tested 5 individual expedition tents...only one has survived a night with no damage. The other 3 failed pretty epically in winds of "only" 50-70 mph. We'll be trying a couple out, starting Saturday, in some lower winds to see how they do.

By the way, we have quickly discovered that trying to actually fall asleep in a tent in 50+ mph winds is pretty much impossible!

[RR]

We (The Observatory) have indeed been testing several tents for Backpacker Magazine. We have tested 5 individual expedition tents...only one has survived a night with no damage. The other 3 failed pretty epically in winds of "only" 50-70 mph. We'll be trying a couple out, starting Saturday, in some lower winds to see how they do.

By the way, we have quickly discovered that trying to actually fall asleep in a tent in 50+ mph winds is pretty much impossible!Reps for enduring such misery!

Goodonya, too!

[samthaman]

We (The Observatory) have indeed been testing several tents for Backpacker Magazine. We have tested 5 individual expedition tents...only one has survived a night with no damage. The other 3 failed pretty epically in winds of "only" 50-70 mph. We'll be trying a couple out, starting Saturday, in some lower winds to see how they do.

By the way, we have quickly discovered that trying to actually fall asleep in a tent in 50+ mph winds is pretty much impossible!


yea thats when a snow cave is the way to go. Shhh! don't tell anyone though, you can't sell snow caves.

[RCL1]

yea thats when a snow cave is the way to go. Shhh! don't tell anyone though, you can't sell snow caves.

+1 for snowcaves. Warm, quiet and durable. I prefer a good tent to a tent, especially when tricked out with shelves, hanging stove and benches. :D

Worth learning how to build!

-RL

[Dan9]

dude yes you can sell snow caves! They pack up and store for summer, right along side the moguls!

[M V Skier]

.....only one has survived a night with no damage. The other 3 failed pretty epically in winds of "only" 50-70 mph......

By the way, we have quickly discovered that trying to actually fall asleep in a tent in 50+ mph winds is pretty much impossible!

I'm curious how you orient the tent. Not that I have any experience w/ tenting in mtw strength winds... but I've heard that in strong winds the tent should have its opening facing towards the wind. This causes it to "puff up" and reduces flapping and associated noise and damage.

Any comments?

[Rider.Steve]

yea thats when a snow cave is the way to go. Shhh! don't tell anyone though, you can't sell snow caves.

True, but you can hydrate on snow caves when they are "well done".

[RR]

dude yes you can sell snow caves! They pack up and store for summer, right along side the moguls!LOL

Well put!

[Fanatic1]

I'm curious how you orient the tent. Not that I have any experience w/ tenting in mtw strength winds... but I've heard that in strong winds the tent should have its opening facing towards the wind. This causes it to "puff up" and reduces flapping and associated noise and damage.

Any comments?

Ha...Puff up to reduce flapping and noise indeed...I'll bet it makes no noise at all as it goes sailing off the mountain carried by the winds! :eek:

[The Lisa]

We saw them testing a Mountain Hardwear tent on the deck on Saturday. It must make the task harder than usual with no snow in which to anchor it. Perhaps the concrete mimics the challenge of a solid ice tent platform. Ugh! It takes so much energy chopping out recesses for dead man anchors.
Thankfully I have never yet experienced putting up a tent in windy conditions, although I have found in blizzard conditions there is incentive to move efficiently so the tent is not completely soaked in the process.

[psia-instrctr]

I'm curious how you orient the tent. Not that I have any experience w/ tenting in mtw strength winds... but I've heard that in strong winds the tent should have its opening facing towards the wind. This causes it to "puff up" and reduces flapping and associated noise and damage.

Any comments?


We have been, as much as possible, orienting exactly as you describe.

[psia-instrctr]

It must make the task harder than usual with no snow in which to anchor it. Perhaps the concrete mimics the challenge of a solid ice tent platform..

It certainly isn't easy to anchor the tents to the concrete. My fellow observer, Mike, came up with a way to essentially turn a single concrete deck paver into a "deadman" of sorts. It works pretty well, but certainly isn't exactly like anchoring to snow. We didn't receive the tents to test until mid-March, and then we lost all the snow on the deck by the first week in April.

[ptex1.1]

Did it blow away?
http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/cam/deck/

[The Lisa]

It certainly isn't easy to anchor the tents to the concrete. My fellow observer, Mike, came up with a way to essentially turn a single concrete deck paver into a "deadman" of sorts. It works pretty well, but certainly isn't exactly like anchoring to snow. We didn't receive the tents to test until mid-March, and then we lost all the snow on the deck by the first week in April.

Using a paver is very creative - nice job!

[boardman]

We saw them testing a Mountain Hardwear tent on the deck on Saturday. It must make the task harder than usual with no snow in which to anchor it. Perhaps the concrete mimics the challenge of a solid ice tent platform. Ugh! It takes so much energy chopping out recesses for dead man anchors.
Thankfully I have never yet experienced putting up a tent in windy conditions, although I have found in blizzard conditions there is incentive to move efficiently so the tent is not completely soaked in the process.

I put one up on the summit of Mt. Rainier in quite windy conditions. It's no trivial matter when you are talking about shelter at 14K+ feet with daylight waning, in an exhausted state. You let go of the tent or fly, and you can kiss it, and your psyche, goodbye.

[skimtwashington]

]It was reported yesterday that a hiker was hit by a flying tent with a person inside. Robert Pinski was hiking alone and recovering from another freak accident the previous week- where a tent pole blew down on strong gusty winds and 'skewered' him through his shoulder area while about to ski on the East Snowfields. This time Mr. Pinski was hiking down low on the mountain, just entering the caretaker's cabin area below Tukerman Ravine to view the snowstorm and snow depths, when he was hit from behind by the flying tent with an observatory member who was testing the tent still inside! Mr. Pinski was lucky and suffered only a dislocated shoulder. The Observatory Staff member was uninjured and removed from the tent- which bounced into a snowdrift- with Mr. Pinski's good arm after he found the zipper. This is Mr Pinski's second freak accident in as many weeks. Mr. Pinski plans to sue Mountain Hardwear and The Mt Washington Observatory for a second time.

[The Lisa]

Les, please tell me you were at least in the crater and not on the summit! That sounds like quite an epic. Or were you deliberately setting up tent there?