Comments on: The Unwritten Rules of Dawn Patrolling… http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/ Backcountry Skiing & Beyond by Andrew McLean Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:26:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Dun http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2322 Dun Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:41:47 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2322 DP: First rule is to BE ON TIME. Night before: Bake some muffins. Put all down-hill gear (googles, helmet) in pack. Have shell layer out and ready. Put gloves, head-light and hat on exterior of pack. Load avy gear in pack; put skins on skis; adjust poles; sleep in base layer. Day of: The moment you wake up, drink at least 25 oz of water to get the system moving. If you don't leave your house with your boots on, get them on in the car before you reach the trail-head. Hat, headlight, beacon (turned on), and gloves on, before the car stops. When the car stops, exit the vehicle, put your pack on, no fiddling. Skis should be ready, no need to take gloves off at trail head. DP:
First rule is to BE ON TIME.

Night before:
Bake some muffins. Put all down-hill gear (googles, helmet) in pack. Have shell layer out and ready. Put gloves, head-light and hat on exterior of pack. Load avy gear in pack; put skins on skis; adjust poles; sleep in base layer.

Day of:
The moment you wake up, drink at least 25 oz of water to get the system moving. If you don’t leave your house with your boots on, get them on in the car before you reach the trail-head. Hat, headlight, beacon (turned on), and gloves on, before the car stops. When the car stops, exit the vehicle, put your pack on, no fiddling. Skis should be ready, no need to take gloves off at trail head.

]]> By: Bart T http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2276 Bart T Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:36:17 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2276 Sleeping in the base layer helps a lot too. I'll usually also eat breakfast (coffee and poptarts, what else?) in the car on the way to the Trailhead and have been known to eschew car pooling if I can sleep an extra 5 minutes by going straight to the TH. Congrats to the new parents...Andrew you ought to add a section of your book/blog on getting after it while being a working parent. Dawn patrols are obviously a great strategy for dealing with the multiple demands on time faced by all of us parents. Assuming you don't quit you job after winning powerball or marrying a trustafarian, what other strategies can you think of? Sleeping in the base layer helps a lot too. I’ll usually also eat breakfast (coffee and poptarts, what else?) in the car on the way to the Trailhead and have been known to eschew car pooling if I can sleep an extra 5 minutes by going straight to the TH.

Congrats to the new parents…Andrew you ought to add a section of your book/blog on getting after it while being a working parent. Dawn patrols are obviously a great strategy for dealing with the multiple demands on time faced by all of us parents. Assuming you don’t quit you job after winning powerball or marrying a trustafarian, what other strategies can you think of?

]]> By: Andrew http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2275 Andrew Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:17:47 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2275 Hi Rob - Yesterday was my birthday, which also just so happened to be d3's due-date for her little boy, so we were almost birthday-mates. Hi Rob – Yesterday was my birthday, which also just so happened to be d3′s due-date for her little boy, so we were almost birthday-mates.

]]> By: Rob http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2274 Rob Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:01:52 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2274 Is your birthday? Have a happy one. - R (PS: I'm not the Rob with the car trouble.) Is your birthday? Have a happy one.
- R
(PS: I’m not the Rob with the car trouble.)

]]> By: Chuteski http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2273 Chuteski Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:24:05 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2273 Oh yea! Happy Bday Android. Got out for an hour of kiting today, nice ice snow and gusty winds. Oh yea! Happy Bday Android. Got out for an hour of kiting today, nice ice snow and gusty winds.

]]> By: Chuteski http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2272 Chuteski Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:22:06 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2272 I always said that if you forget something (like your pants) just ski without them! Hi d3 hope everything comes out good for you - push!! I always said that if you forget something (like your pants) just ski without them! Hi d3 hope everything comes out good for you – push!!

]]> By: d3 http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2271 d3 Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:01:22 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2271 >>shouldn’t you be in a maternity ward about now? round these parts, it's about the only kind of ward in which i belong, and then, only briefly. but alas, tardy. arrgh. happy birthday, btw! >>shouldn’t you be in a maternity ward about now?

round these parts, it’s about the only kind of ward in which i belong, and then, only briefly. but alas, tardy. arrgh.

happy birthday, btw!

]]> By: Andrew http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2270 Andrew Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:55:58 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2270 Hi d3 - shouldn't you be in a maternity ward about now? :) Aside from being the guy who turned me onto Dawn Patrolling, I think Alex still holds the record for most ambitious DP ever. Starting out by mounting a pair of skis (no jig necessary - just balance the bindings on the skis and use the bindings themselves for templates), he proceeded to snap three taps off in the skis probably because he was so jacked up on coffee. "I tell you Andrew, those things are as fragile as glass." So, he only has about half the screws needed in his binders, but no biggie, its time to go skiing. Next he heads up for a lap in Broads Fork (some people do this as an overnight trip), takes a run and comes back home. Then he makes muffins for the family and while they are still sleeping, he reads a chapter in book. "Jesus Alex - what time did you wake up?" "Oh pretty early, like 2:30. I just couldn't sleep." Hi d3 – shouldn’t you be in a maternity ward about now? :)

Aside from being the guy who turned me onto Dawn Patrolling, I think Alex still holds the record for most ambitious DP ever.

Starting out by mounting a pair of skis (no jig necessary – just balance the bindings on the skis and use the bindings themselves for templates), he proceeded to snap three taps off in the skis probably because he was so jacked up on coffee. “I tell you Andrew, those things are as fragile as glass.” So, he only has about half the screws needed in his binders, but no biggie, its time to go skiing. Next he heads up for a lap in Broads Fork (some people do this as an overnight trip), takes a run and comes back home. Then he makes muffins for the family and while they are still sleeping, he reads a chapter in book.

“Jesus Alex – what time did you wake up?”
“Oh pretty early, like 2:30. I just couldn’t sleep.”

]]> By: dug http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2269 dug Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:10:27 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2269 Rule #7 - Forgetting your headlamp, skins or boot liners qualifies as Grounds for Rounds at a local bar at some future date. What about forgetting your socks? Last Spring we were trying to get out of the LCC parking lot at 5:45 to get past UDOT. Two cars, we left the lot, and my sister in law (who you instructed in the 3-day avy class a few years ago) immediately said "wait, I forgot my SOCKS in the other car!" We went back for the socks, and, you guessed it, the first car made it past the gate and we were denied. Although, the nice part of living here is we have TWO Cottonwood canyons. So we just went to BCC. Socks. SOCKS. Now I keep a pair in the glove compartment. Rule #7 – Forgetting your headlamp, skins or boot liners qualifies as Grounds for Rounds at a local bar at some future date.

What about forgetting your socks?

Last Spring we were trying to get out of the LCC parking lot at 5:45 to get past UDOT. Two cars, we left the lot, and my sister in law (who you instructed in the 3-day avy class a few years ago) immediately said “wait, I forgot my SOCKS in the other car!”

We went back for the socks, and, you guessed it, the first car made it past the gate and we were denied.

Although, the nice part of living here is we have TWO Cottonwood canyons. So we just went to BCC.

Socks. SOCKS. Now I keep a pair in the glove compartment.

]]> By: d3 http://straightchuter.com/2009/02/the-unwritten-rules-of-dawn-patrolling/comment-page-1/#comment-2268 d3 Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:58:04 +0000 http://straightchuter.com/?p=2399#comment-2268 I very often think about Alex Lowe, that he got up and got after it at something like 4:30am in order to be home in time to spend morning QT with his boys before work. (By the way, you didn't mention the essential coffee element of DPing!) I also think about the halcyon days of morning radio, where I was up at 4 to get to work by 4:30am. Now, I'm gearing up for post-sunrise pursuits since I'm thinking that will be the only time I have to myself. Eegads. I very often think about Alex Lowe, that he got up and got after it at something like 4:30am in order to be home in time to spend morning QT with his boys before work. (By the way, you didn’t mention the essential coffee element of DPing!)
I also think about the halcyon days of morning radio, where I was up at 4 to get to work by 4:30am.
Now, I’m gearing up for post-sunrise pursuits since I’m thinking that will be the only time I have to myself. Eegads.

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