Caught in a hailstorm 200 meters from the peak
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Caught in a hailstorm 200 meters from the peak

Byrichard

A few days ago a group of us were caught in a hailstorm 200 metres from the peak. When we were approaching the summit we aimed to climb clouds came in and covered the peak and rain fell. At this moment we had doubts about going on. Half an hour later the clouds had gone, we could see the summit and so we started for the summit. As we climbed up the conditions were good. There was a strong wind As we got within two-three hundred metres from the top the wind picked up and we could hear lightning several seconds away. At this point, we slowed our climb.

As I looked behind I could see the clouds coming in fast and as I looked the other way I could see the clouds come that way too. By this point the wind was strong and the sky became dark with the clouds we were in. It started to rain and then hail. At first, it was a few very small hailstones but within a minute or two they became large enough to become painful through a cap and a rain jacket hood. We sheltered against rocks to minimise what was exposed to the weather.

The intensity of the hail increased and as I started to feel pain I hitched my hiking bag over my head, shielding as much as I could beneath it. As I did this I looked out and it looked like someone was throwing buckets of hailstones. I could feel my trousers getting drenched and my hands got very cold. The wind shifted and the hailstones started to pummel my back and I stayed sheltered. It was an uncomfortable situation to be in. Water was running from my trousers into my shoes and my feet were soaked.

When the hail started to subside I stood up and we started to head down. I looked up. One person from the group was rushing down and I decided to descend as well for a bit. I couldn’t see the person who was leading the group so I decided to wait. The storm seemed to have passed and I chose to wait. When he came down I blew into my hands vigorously, warming them up again.

Diving in cold lakes I grew used to having cold hands so I did what I always did. I warmed them up again. This was a mild cold. After some dives, I had such cold hands that they hurt so badly that I was close to tears. In this scenario, I was just uncomfortable.

The surface was white with hailstones, as if it had just snowed. The leader did come down, smiling. By this point it was an adventure. The concern we had from being in such a situation became amusement at having experienced extreme weather. It’s the first time that we had been caught in a hail stone after years of hiking in the mountains. I almost always carry my rain equipment when I’m hiking for just such an occurrence but usually, it’s just weight that I carry in case it is required.

 

Your own Waze driving directions
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Your own Waze driving directions

Byrichard

Your own Waze driving directions

You can now record your own Waze driving directions. Instead of using pre-determined voices you can record a number of pre-determined phrases and use them for when you are driving. Recording and using your recording is easy.

Setting it up

In the settings menu go to voice directions, click on record new voice, name the voice and then you can record Start of Drive messages, Distances, Instructions, Reports and Other. Each instruction can be up to 6 seconds in duration. Simply click the red record button, record the phrase and then listen to it. Once you have recorded the first clip you can save the new voice.

Multiple languages

It is possible to record multiple languages. Simply go to settings, general and language. Select the language you want to record in and then repeat the setting it up instructions. The phrases will be provided in the language of your choice. As I speak English and French I can record instructions in both languages.

Friends and family

If you don’t like your own voice you can get friends and family to record their voices. You could use one voice for driving to work, another for driving with friends and a third one to keep children entertained in the back. You can also share these recordings publicly for other people to use. If you’re a Vlogger or podcaster this is one way to grow your audience.

 

Long trips and frequent GPS use

When you go on long trips and use the GPS frequently the default voices can be tedious. The ability to record the voice of your choice is a nice addition. For three or more hours you can hear the voice of a friend or family member. It can become a source of entertainment. I often drive with the GPS silenced to avoid pestering passengers. With the correct voice, you could leave vocal directions on.

 

11 years of WordPress Blogging

11 years of WordPress Blogging

Byrichard

As serendipity would have it I have been a wordpress blogger for at least 11 years. As I was looking through notifications on worpdress.com I came across the notification below yesterday. As I searched for ideas for blog posts for today I came across an e-mail.

On this day, eleven years ago I set up this blog. Since then I have written about one thousand two hundred posts, tens of thousands of tweets and many many facebook messages. I mention this because blogging and social media are two different challenges. With blogging you spend the day thinking about a topic. You’re searching for something that you can write about for 300 or more words. Compared to nanowrimo where you try to have an average of 1666 words per day this is easy, until you add the public dimension. Writing for the world wide web is different to writing for yourself, with the knowledge that you will go back and edit it, eventually, if ever.

Writing for twitter and facebook is easy. Twitter is a conversation so the more you socialise with other people the more dynamic your posting can be. The same is true of facebook except that facebook is a “silo” of people you vet and trust. Twitter is in essence a chatroom.

A blog post is more time consuming. I like to write about technology and about the adventures I have. That’s when inspiration is easier.

Imagine for an instant that Wordpress.com was more popular than Facebook or twitter. Imagine for a moment that people decided that instead of spending a few seconds per update they spent half an hour to an hour per post. Imagine that people read long form posts rather than short updates. Imagine that we go back to a blogging social media landscape where people write reflective posts. Imagine that we read rather than skim.

The beauty of the long form, of writing blog posts is that we create content that people search for and read. Emotion is involved, but so is thought. Through blogging we generate an income for our content. More people should blog, and more people should share their posts.

A dry Paléo
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A dry Paléo

Byrichard

A Dry Paléo after the rain

A dry Paléo is as normal as a wet one. On Friday and Saturday if you went to Paléo you would hear the sploutch sploutch of shoes walking through mud. Along with the sploutch sploutch you would also hear the noise of people slipping and catching themselves. Surprisingly people only had dirty shoes. Even their trousers were intact.

It’s the grass that suffered. On Sunday when I went to Paléo I could take some amusing images. Look at the image below. During the rest of the year this is a grassy field. During Paléo you can see desertification in action. They put hay down on the dry mud and the result is what you see below.

This year the temperatures were relatively cool during the Paléo Festival but some people still sheltered from the sun. I like to think that those sheltering from the Sun have already enjoyed several days of Paléo and feel the need to recover before the last night’s activities.

During most of the year Switzerland is wet and green but during a few weeks in summer the landscape turns yellow due to the dry weather. On Friday there was a warning to stop pumping water from rivers. They issued this warning because they wanted to make sure that the temperature of river water would not get above 26°c.

I like the image of these people walking towards Paléo restaurants because the landscape looks so dry and desolate. There is no sign of green. It looks parched. One person said of this image that it looks as if it could have been taken at Burning Man. Neither of us has been so we can pretend that’s the case.

When tens of thousands of people churn up the mud and grass the grass doesn’t stand a chance. It gets buried under the mud and as the mud dries we see an “arid” landscape.

If you look on Google Maps you will see that the traces of Paléo are evident every single year. As Autumn and Winter approach the traces of Paléo are gone. The fields go back to being grass and they rest. The effects of the festival are short lived.

Manu Chao At Paléo
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Manu Chao At Paléo

Byrichard

The Manu Chao Concert

Manu Chao was on the Grande Scène at Paléo last night. His concert lasted for an energetic two hours. He kept saying”Vous êtes Fou, Paléo”. He gave a lot of energy and so did the audience. For two hours he jumped around, for two hours the audience jumped around too. The sea of faces and people were impressive. In the distance you could see pac-man and a few ghosts bobbing up and down with the music.

Online sharing has evolved

While I was at this year’s Paléo two things were different. The first is that we now have unlimited data plans. When I was last at a Paléo Manu Chao concert we had limited data plans and it was a geeky thing to share to stream the event. Today you see that many people are sharing the event with their facebook friends. The other difference is that we are now capturing Paléo souvenirs in 4K and sharing panoramas with our friends.

Panoramas

When you take panoramas and share them to facebook the image pans as you pan the mobile phone. I tried creating panoramas during a few of the concerts. The image above was created with an Iphone SE and the inbuilt panorama function. It works well as long as you’re lucky enough not to have sudden changes in light.

I like panoramas because you’re in control. You can pan the camera to see what you want to see. It’s also a means by which to get context.

Affinity Photo Panorama

Affinity Photo is a photo editing software that I bought when it was on promotion. It has a panorama function to stitch multiple images together. During one concert I took a series of pictures looking up and down. When I got home I used the panorama function and this is the result.

The Right side of the transmission chain – acquisition
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The Right side of the transmission chain – acquisition

Byrichard

The right side of the Transmission Chain is at the event itself.  Transmission chain is a term used to describe the route that a signal takes from an event venue to the device on which you are watching an event. As a camera operator the right side of the transmission chain for me is at the event itself.

Belaying

For the IFSC World Cup in Villars this year I was both a camera operator and a belayer. Belaying at a world cup event is an interesting experience because it’s rare to clip and unclip from so many climbers in such a short amount of time. Climbers have a limited time to get up the route. They have six minutes. This means that every 12 minutes or so you’re belaying a new climber as they progress up the wall. It’s a great task for introverts. You observe what the person is doing. When they need rope you’re ready to give it. If they’re struggling you make sure to amortise their fall. When they make it to the top or come back down you help them untie the rope and then you start again.

Camera operating

Aside from this task I was camera operator during the semi-final and final of the climbing competition.  This means that whilst most people were standing in the crowd watching the competition I was on a podium in the middle of the crowd filming the climbers as they progress up the wall.

From here you see the crowd and you see the climbers from a privileged point of view. You can see the climbers and what they are doing comfortably. You’re also more attentive. You’re following their every move, watching as they clip and progress. You see them progress and you hear the commentator and hear the crowd cheering.

When you’re on the “wrong” side of the transmission you’re hearing the international sound and you’re seeing what the vision mixer is seeing but you’re not seeing the event in context. The image below illustrates this.

In television broadcasting you usually have the cameras, an OB van and an SNG truck or fibre connections. These go from the venue to the Network Operating centre. The signal is encoded either for web streaming and sent to the content distribution network or it is sent on to national broadcasters. On that side of the transmission chain you are in an air conditioned office as a passive observer ready to react if there is an issue and waiting for the event to end.

Day 2 – Villars-sur-Ollon to Le Sepey
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Day 2 – Villars-sur-Ollon to Le Sepey

Byrichard

Hiking from Villars-sur-Ollon to Le Sepey

On the second day we hiked up from Villars Sur Ollon to Le Chamossaire. The trail is easy to follow. When you exit the town it takes you through some woods before emerging on to a prairie. From this prairie you have a nice view of the landscape. From here we progressed laterally to the next wooded part. We crossed some fields filled with flowers. Some parts of this trail are muddy so hiking boots simplify the effort. We also crossed a prairie where cow hoofs had churned up the mud.

Col De La Bretaye

Hiking from Le Col de La Bretaye to Le Chamossaire is a steep climb both to go up and to come back down. On the way up we followed a dirt road and on the way down we followed a trail. The view from Le Chamossaire is excellent. You can see the Tour D’Aï, the Lac Léman and the Dents Du Midi. You can see the top of the valley where Champèry is and more. It’s a great place from which to take 360 images when the conditions are right.

Lac Des Chavonnes

The route from le Chamossaire takes you down to the Lac Des Chavonnes. This is a large lake where people try to catch fish, swim and enjoy the sun. It is accessible by foot and by hiking. You are surrounded by woods on three sides and on the opposite bank we had some cliffs.

The route down

When you’re heading down from the lake you follow a road for some bits but there is also a nice section during which you cross through woods. At this time of year you have wild raspberries at the side of the trail as well as nettles and other forms of growth. You cross a nice bridge when you get close to Le Sepey and you can see the bridge to Les Diablerets in the distance. As I have crossed this bridge many times I enjoyed seeing it from another angle.

Water filtration

During this hike I had two water filtration systems. The Katadyn Befree and the Katadyn Hiker Pro. I only used the Katadyn Befree taking water from sources of water that I expected not to come from mountain sources. I had wanted to use the Katadyn Hiker pro initially but decided against it. The issue in Switzerland is that there are cows uphill from almost all water sources. This implies that if you take water from rivers or streams you may expose yourself to contaminated water. Bacteria worried me less than viruses.

We stopped for a rest at the Lac De Chavonnes but I did not take water from this lake. On the other side of this lake I could see a herd of cattle grazing. At this point I still had over a litre of water. I started to use the Katadyn Befree on the walk down from the lake. I took water from several fountains on the way back down. I had the katadyn Befree in my left pocket so as I drank water I could replenish it along the way.

The Katadyn Befree is an appealing water filtration solution because it filters water faster than you can drink it.

What I enjoyed

What I enjoyed most about the second day is hiking down from le Chamossaire and seeing La Tour D’Aï from a number of different angles. It is an easy to recognise geographic feature and I have been there multiple times. The view from Le Chamossaire is also nice. If I wasn’t tired from a day and a half of hiking more heavily laden than usual I would have made more of an effort to get 360 images from up there.

I also enjoyed the train ride down because for the first time I got to see the road leading from Aigle to Leysin and Les Diablerets from the other side of the valley. As a driver I’m always driving down on the opposite side of the valley focusing on the road, speed limits and traffic. For once I could get the context of those drives.

What I would change

I come from an old school of hiking that says you have to wear proper hiking boots rather than hiking shoes so I found some bits harder than others. I’m not used to carrying the load I had in my bag, I have been cycling more than I have been hiking and the groups I usually hike with stop for snacks more frequently. I believe that with lighter hiking boots or hiking shoes I would have found some segments easier.

Day 1: Hiking from Gryon to Villars Sur Ollon.
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Day 1: Hiking from Gryon to Villars Sur Ollon.

Byrichard

First evening

This weekend I went on a two day hike. It was a combination of a Summit Foundation themed hike and a Wehike event. The hike was over two days and two nights. We arrived on Gryon on Friday night and stayed at the Chalet Martin. This is a nice relaxed backpacker hostel with a trampoline, bunkbed rooms, optional breakfast and more. It is located within easy walking distance of the train station and is easy to find. I slept well.

First Day

Gryon is an interesting village with some old chalets. Two of these Chalets are hundreds of years old and listed as national monuments. They are side by side with a short description explaining why they are significant. You hike through the village for a short distance before climbing through some woods before getting to a large parking. From the large parking you continue uphill towards Chaux Ronde. You walk along the road for part of the way with some segments where you walk to the side of ski pistes, through some woods and up some pistes. If this was done as a day hike it would be easy to moderate.

For about one to two hundred metres you walk along an Arête which some people might feel uncomfortable doing. You have a steep drop off on either side so being sure footed and self assured are useful.

This is the most exposed parts of the hike. If you want to continue prepare yourself for such moments. If you’re used to the Tour D’Aï or the Rocher de Naye this segment will be pleasant, especially since you can see the Tour D’Aï from here. This is one of my favourite aspects of this two day hikes.


This was one of the most beautiful passages of the hike. You have nice green fields with great potential for numerous flowers. You see Switzerland in all of it’s beauty. The path from this point on is easier going and offers some great views.

When we arrived at this portion of the hike both the clouds and the light were playing with the rock formations so I kept looking right and behind me to see how they had changed, waiting for some interesting lighting to take pictures. If you’re on a photowalk then I would recommend finding a good place to wait for the light to be just right for a nice image. In the wrong light they may look dull.

When the light and mountains play nicely together you get a real separation between the grassy meadows, the cliffs, the sky and more. You get a sense of scale and contour. The rest of the hike down was through trees and then along a road. As I was carrying enough equipment for two days I felt exhausted by the time we arrived in Villars where we had a good meal at a restaurant. Almost everyone had Röesti.

Summit Foundation

The primary focus of this hike was to pick up rubbish left by skiers, snowboarders and other sports enthusiasts over the winter months. We picked up plastic, cigarette butts, gloves and more. Some of us were less passionate about it. If you’re on a hike and you drop rubbish think of the effort that you’re making with a simple hike. By hiking and picking up rubbish the effort is greater. You bend down and get back up frequently. It’s an alternative to burpees.

 

 

 

 

Improved Belaying – perfecting our technique
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Improved Belaying – perfecting our technique

Byrichard

Belaying is a core climbing skill. With good belaying a climber can climb as fast as he is comfortable to climb, as if without a rope and yet have his fall cushioned at be safe at all times. The belayer needs to be active. He needs to observe and be attentive. I first learned to rock climb with a rope about ten years ago on the Italian side of the Alps and at the time I enjoyed climbing more than I enjoyed belaying. I then spent several years climbing via ferrata instead. The advantage with via ferrata is that it’s a simplified form of climbing.

Over a year ago I started climbing indoors daily as I finally found a group with which to climb. My interests and skill in belaying improved. Yesterday I assisted a short belaying perfection course in anticipation of the Villars IFSC climbing event. During this session we were reminded of a few key points.

Pre-climb check

As part of the pre-climb check we check that the rope is threaded through both loops on the climbing harness. We then check that every knot on the figure of eight knot is double. Once this is done we run through the rope and put it in a theoretical basket to check that there are no knots.

Initial part of the climb

Before the first clip as a belayer we are there to assist and direct the climber should they fall. We guide them towards a good landing until they get to the first clip. Once they are clipped in we make sure that they have enough rope to progress without feeling a pull downwards. We keep one hand to feed the rope and the second is always below holding the brake end of the rope. If they fall we are ready to stop and block the fall for the first four clips. From the fourth to the sixth clip we have a choice of either absorbing the fall or absorbing the fall and letting them descend to the ground. Once above the sixth clip we are feeding rope and ready to slow the fall and then lower the climber to the ground.

A dynamic movement

When you’re belaying you keep your legs so that one is forward and the other is behind. You’re ready to step forward to quickly provide more rope and ready to step back to tension it. If they fall we are in a good position to react to slow down the fall and lower the person back to the ground.

Lowering

When lowering the climber both hands are on the brake side of the rope. One can feed the rope a little faster and the second one is providing resistance as the rope slides through the system. Gloves that protect palms are recommended that are cut off so that fingers still have a tactile feel for the rope.

Learning to fall

During the training we took it in turns to belay and then to climb. When we were climbing we learned to be confident enough to fall and trust the belayer to slow down and then lower us. As a result of this part of the climbing training I was able to push my climbing to a higher grade and be confident enough to fall a number of times. This was a pleasant part of the climbing training because it allowed me to open up more challenging climbs.

The Facebook Monopoly

Byrichard

I am tired of the Facebook monopoly. While Google gets fined for helping people shop websites like Facebook do the opposite. Instead of increasing the diversity of content on the web and the sharing of ideas it has helped create silos of like minded people. Likeminded people is a polite way of saying brainwashed in the case where opinions are based on opinions rather than facts.

Low value posts

Shorts on Facebook are usually very short. You skim through dozens, even hundreds of posts but none of them have much value. Compare this to blogging. When you blog you need to develop ideas that you can expand to at least three hundred words. With those three hundred words you can include images, video, tables and more. You can tell a complete story. On Facebook you post some text and people might read it.

Conversational monopoly

People use twitter both privately and publicly. People I follow have their accounts set to private so I am careful not to answer to certain comments to preserve their private sphere. Other people see no value in having a public chat. They don’t remember the chatrooms on the late 1990s in the same way that I don’t remember party lines. Whatsapp and Messenger are used instead. Both of them allow private group chats from the comfort of a computer or with the mobility of a mobile phone. Ingress, Pokemon Go and others are happy to experiment with other platforms but mid to late adopters are stuck in the Facebook universe. They have a monopoly.

Picture sharing

Instagram is a great image sharing app but it’s owned by Facebook.

Events

Almost every event you go to these days has a Facebook events page. Many events only have a Facebook page. Unless you are a Facebook user you miss out on a lot of events.

 

The World Wide Web offers such a breadth of opportunities for creativity that it’s a shame that people are spending time on Facebook rather than on more malleable social networks. I’m thinking of Wordpress as one example. We will see whether people go back to blog friendly social networks.