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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion
General Climbing Discussion
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Off-topic: Climbers who ride MOTORbikes. |
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14-Jun-2013 12:27:02 PM
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Well, since I didn’t see you there, then I guess you missed it, which is a shame as it was a good event.
As things turned out...
Highs.
Fantastic weather, and simply riding in the alps again. I took the long way* there...
Meeting a fellow rider/climber at site and hearing (while partaking of a suitable beverage around a campfire), of his epic fall off Mt Tibrogargan after putting his hand on a brown snake on a jug above a lip while climbing there.
The reasonably sensible traffic that I came across, with no near misses, but one crowded moment when a 4wd with trailer thought he’d like more road than acceptable. Overall not bad for a long weekend and the amount of kms covered...
Lows.
Packing the bike the night before, wheeling it out of the garage next morning in plenty of time to meet up with others, then not being able to find the keys.
Searched all the usual places, and then the unusual, with no luck. With time running out I phoned my friends and said I will see you there, as I will miss the rendezvous.
In desperation unpacked the bike and started going through items piece by piece, spread out on a tarp beside the bike. While kneeling there doing it, I happened to look up at bike and noticed the keys caught between the foot-peg and frame, where they had fallen off the seat sometime while packing last night...
Since I was now riding alone I thought I’d stick to the tar and take a longer route, yet still to arrive in time to pitch tent before dark. Refuelled at Khancoban and in casual conversation with servo attendant asked how road up to Cabramurra was. “They closed it yesterday mate” was his reply. I thought he was kidding till an independent fisherman also refuelling, confirmed he had to arrive at Khancoban by another route due same from the other end.
*Decided to go the ‘back way’ (Elliot Way / Sioux City) to Cabramurra, though this entailed extra distance to access that road. While going past the Khancoban-Cabramurra turnoff, I saw another motorcyclist (from Melbourne), checking his map due being stopped by the locked gate further up that road. Had a chat, and he changed his mind about going through Thredbo, and followed me instead.
After some spirited riding, got to pitch the tent just before dark, even though the route turned out to be longer than anticipated.
Blerrie bean-counters closing roads on prescribed dates notwithstanding weather conditions and public holiday patronage... VIC is definitely ahead of NSW when it comes to common sense regarding that!
Uhh, and another unusual thing happened.
On the way home, I stopped at the Tumbarumba Bakery where main-street works are in progress. Parked bike rear to kerb and went inside to order food. A pedestrian comes inside and says to me that I better come check my bike as it has fallen over!
I look outside and sure enough, it is on its side. With the help of same pedestrian/s I pick it up again, and they were amazed to see about 150 mm of the foot end of its sidestand come out of the tar when it was righted.
No damage done (fortunately), but not something I would expect in cold weather, new tar or not...
Balmy afternoon, last light.
One of the cold mornings.
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9-Jul-2013 2:09:21 PM
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An oldish (1 yr+), thread that still contains useful info from the User-ID 'tremendousguilt' (allegedly a reformed thief/chop-shop operator), regarding stealing and dismantle-disposing of motorcycles.
http://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles/comments/t5shp/ex_thief_chopshop_operator_ama/?limit=500
Some info I found useful in there was;
* Always use the steering lock.
* Don't leave spare key/s in locked panniers etc.
* Disc locks are much more effective on the rear wheel than the front.
* Cheap disc locks are not worth having, but the high end ones are ok.
* More than one form of anti-theft device buys time for you, which is a deterrent to thieves.
* Certain locations are considered shopping areas for thieves.
* The thieves more often ride the bike away rather than load it into a van.
* The thieves often come prepared to ride it away by wearing appropriate bike clobber, which has added benefit (to them) of making their fiddling with the bike to steal it less obvious to casual observers...
* Only use a hardened chain if chaining a bike, and preferably chain it high through the frame etc, to make the use of boltcutters harder by inhibiting thieves in putting one handle on the ground for leverage.
* If bike is garaged, chain the garage door down too!
* If the bike is tinkered with, it is likely a scoping out, and the thieves will be back.
* Insure your bike.
* If you have the unfortunate experience of having to make a claim, be vigilant once your bike is replaced, as the thieves will often return for the replacement one!!
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9-Jul-2013 10:47:17 PM
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That link was fascinating, thanks Rod.
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15-Jul-2013 10:37:16 PM
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Slender man rides an enduro.
Whilst he has crossed Australia on a push bike in a year,(Adelaide-Darwin twice), he has also ridden from Nati-Perth-Alice-Nati on 14days on his enduro.
Slender man can now be found on blank arrets in Tassie, crimping on hope, wishes and tiny edges. He aims to crimp on thought alone, once he achives enlightenment.
I once saw him eat a marshmellow.
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17-Jul-2013 11:50:30 AM
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On 15/07/2013 Cool Hand Lock wrote:
>Slender man rides an enduro.
>
>Whilst he has crossed Australia on a push bike in a year,(Adelaide-Darwin
>twice), he has also ridden from Nati-Perth-Alice-Nati on 14days on his
>enduro.
>
>Slender man can now be found on blank arrets in Tassie, crimping on hope,
>wishes and tiny edges. He aims to crimp on thought alone, once he achives
>enlightenment.
>
>I once saw him eat a marshmellow.
I am impressed.
Who might 'Slender man' be, that I can direct suitable glasshoppers towards the right discipleship direction?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Different topic.
How's this years MotoGP series for unexpected results!
Spanish George is one tough hombre.
I wonder how many climbers could have an off, break a collarbone get a plate and 7 screws inserted that night and compete next day to achieve 5th place out of about 20 of the worlds best climbers.
Following week has another off, bends the plate, rips some screws, but goes and gets it straightened along with another 10 screws inserted... takes a comp day off due his main competitor had a similar injury on that weekend, but is likely to come back next weekend to try and enhance his points advantage over his rival.
~> Getting up there for the Doug Scott / Joe Simpson league!
~>~> MotoGP this coming Monday 22nd (starts 0700 hrs), should be interesting!
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17-Jul-2013 3:13:18 PM
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Almost totally off-topic, but one for simey if he ever stalks this thread...
THE SWEETEST THING - Never better - YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/McpP94RcBLE
... and here is another vid regarding road-rage that might interest some?
Road rage? ~> Shiela has a hammer...
http://www.youtube.com/embed/Hd_2pyByezc?feature=player_embedded%22%20frameborder=%220%22%20allowfullscreen
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17-Jul-2013 3:27:40 PM
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On 9/07/2009 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>I'm stoked.
It was not my motor-bike that was stolen but the dealers, as it was loaned to me while mine was in for a routine service.
>I feel bad for the dealer though...
Update re the stolen motorbike:
After intermittent checks from time to time by myself along the way, as I have never given up searching for it, I was told earlier this week by the local Wodonga Dealer (who owned the bike), that it was recently recovered in early April this year (2013).
It seems that it was put in for a 'service' at Buzz's Bikes and Bits (Albury), due to having it's motor blown up.
Apparently the bike sat in their workshop pending the 'owner' paying a deposit for parts required, and after about 3 years that workshop decided to have a cleanout; and since they did not have the owners details decided to contact the police to obtain them.
It was subsequently traced as stolen, and the rightful owner contacted...
~> A bloody long timeframe, but the bike was recovered, which is good news I guess, ... but a bit ordinary methinks about the dealership involved regarding their handling of the 'service' it required.
I still continue to see too many posts on other websites regarding stolen motorcycles, and wish those owners all the best regarding recovering their property...
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18-Jul-2013 11:06:13 AM
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Yes, those MotoGP boys are seriously tough. Awesome effort by Lorenzo in Assen - and I was sickened to see his crash in practise in Germany, and subsequent re-injury. I can't believe he is thinking of riding at Laguna Seca. Jeez - these guys earn their money...
Wasn't Germany an interesting weekend as well, with Pedrosa (another hard crash - he was nearly 3m up in the air on that one)) and Lorenzo both out - that has leveled up the championship nicely, we've got a real competition on again. Fantastic to see Rossi competitive again (and isn't he enjoying it too!) and I'm rooting for Cal Crutchlow - love his style, work ethic, sense of humour - and he is one very tough cookie as well, riding hurt in just about every race this year. He will be a winner once he gets a proper factory ride. Best of all, he's not Spanish!
What MotoGP needs is more factory bikes on the grid - there are a bunch of super talented riders going aroudn in circles and making up the numbers, but who will never win because their bikes are uncompetitive. Come on Suzuki, get your bikes back on the grid! Kawasaki are cleaning up in Superbikes - would be brilliant to have some green on the grid too. But what would make me most excited is if KTM would up the ante and build some big prototype bikes as well as the tiddlers...
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18-Jul-2013 11:32:20 AM
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>Different topic.
>How's this years MotoGP series for unexpected results!
>Spanish George is one tough hombre.
>I wonder how many climbers could have an off, break a collarbone get a
>plate and 7 screws inserted that night and compete next day to achieve
>5th place out of about 20 of the worlds best climbers.
>Following week has another off, bends the plate, rips some screws, but
>goes and gets it straightened along with another 10 screws inserted...
>takes a comp day off due his main competitor had a similar injury on that
>weekend, but is likely to come back next weekend to try and enhance his
>points advantage over his rival.
>~> Getting up there for the Doug Scott / Joe Simpson league!
>
>
I reckon that if I was paid millions of dollars a year to be flown (first class no doubt) to 18 of the best climbing locations in the world with free choice of the best brolly dolly's for post climb 'de-stress' I'd be happy to have whatever pain killing injections I could so I could still climb to keep my bevvie of sponsors happy and keep the dream alive...but it's still way more hardcore than any of us will ever come close to, except maybe for those that supa glue their flappers to get another burn...
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18-Jul-2013 12:40:15 PM
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If you want hard-core, try this one (completely OT this OT). I remember reading a brief account of this in Mountain way back when and being impressed. From http://www.himalayanclub.org/journal/expeditions-and-notes-23/
ANNAPURNA IV, 1976
1st Ascent of its South face
German Himalaya-Expedition 1976 on the occasion of
75-anniversary of the Section BERGGEIST of the German Alpine Club
By Pit Schubert
(Translated and condensed by Mrs Mary Guzdar)
Members: Heinz Baumann, Dr Werner Goltzsche (deputy leader), Ernst Mahner, Udo Pohlke, Dr Karles Van Saamek (doctor), Pit Schubert (leader), Rudiger Steuer.
THE south face of Annapurna IV has not been tried before. Only a German Expedition (1955) and later, a Japanese expedition, have had a look at the south face from a point many miles away. They thought there was no possibility for an ascent. The face is too steep and too many avalanches sweep down throughout the day and night. So they went to Marsyandi valley and tried Annapurna IV from the north. This was the German expedition of Harald Biller, Jurgen Wellenkamp and Harald Steinmetz. This expedition was the first to reach the top of Annapurna IV.
The height of the face is 5000 m. The glacier comes down to a height of 2500 m. The porters can go only up to this point. After this there are steep walls where the porters cannot go without fixed ropes. After considerable effort we at last found a suitable site for a Base Camp (3600 m). Camp 1 was set up at 4100 m and Camp 2 at 5020 m.
The way to Camp 1 was very difficult and dangerous. We counted sixty avalanches sweeping past in a single day. Between Base Camp and Camp 1 there is an ice-fall. The way to Camp 2 was comparatively less dangerous from avalanches.
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18-Jul-2013 12:40:39 PM
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Camp 2 (5020 m) was three days’ distance from Camp 1. We thought we had found a safe place because it was against a rock wall. But 80 m from this wall there was a steep chute. Through this couloir the avalanches shot down with tremendous force. Beneath Camp 2 was a steep rocky camp which was made safe on 8 May. At its end were newly fallen snow avalanches, and blocks of broken ice. Next day when the flank was free from new snow, Schubert and Baumann could cross it to the next higher camp site. Since in one day over 60 avalanches swept by, the risk was considered too great by the others.
Since the monsoon was threatening to break, Schubert took the risk to attempt the summit assault in the swift alpine style. On 10 May they left Camp 2 to attempt the 2500 m to the summit. They agreed to let off light flares if the radio contact failed. Whereas the weather deteriorated at the lower camps, it was very clear above the clouds at about 6000 m. After reaching the material depot in half the time, they crossed the crevasse to the east and reached their tent at 5650 m. From this point, radio contact to the Camp 2 was broken. On 11 and 12 May they progressed 500 m per day; on 15, about 150 m. At 6800 m they found a level place to put up a tent. They saw the summit so close to them and were elated. They didn’t know that they still had 4J clays to go. Because at this height everything appeared so close to them they did not attempt to hurry.
At midnight of 16/17 May they made the first attempt across the bare ice. A little to the west Schubert loosened a snow slab and was engulfed by the snow slide. Fortunately his comrade could soon find him but since the excavation of his legs took so long they froze (he had to be in hospital where some toes had to be amputated). Nevertheless, he continued the summit attempt. They reached the summit the next day at 10 a.m. only to realize that they were not yet on the actual summit of Anna- purna IV—it was another 150 m away. The fog descended, followed by a snowstorm and they had to return to the bivouac. The storm continued the next day and it was very cold. Food became scarce. They used their fuel only to melt snow. For seven days they had now been without radio contact. They had planned for a four-day ascent and a two-day descent- Now they felt they needed two more days to reach the summit.
On 17 May another attempt was made. They carried no loads.
Baumann had a pullover; Schubert, a down jacket. They shared a pair of crampons between them and a bivouac sack and each had a light-weight safety sack. But they could not reach the ridge that day. In the early evening they scooped out a snow cave. Next day, before sunrise they started again. Once the ridge was reached, each put on one crampon, and after three rope lengths they reached the summit at noon. It was so small that they just managed to sit. After 20 minutes they descended. On 18 May evening, they reached their tent. Schubert was in great pain— his toes had blistered and were blue.
The weather deteriorated and as they reached the first part of the spur an avalanche enveloped them. Schubert loosened himself from the rope and Baumann ran for his life down. All the crevasses were covered with wet snow avalanche debris and they stepped into a crevasse almost simultaneously. Within a few seconds, one saw the other disappear. Fortunately this crevasse had a ledge and as they sank in, their ruckssek got caught on the lip. When they reached Camp 2 they found some provisions and a tattered tent.
They realized that their comrades had already abandoned this camp. They were five days overdue. Since the team mates experienced such bad weather and avalanches they must have given them up as lost. It later transpired that the last porters had left Camp 2 only five hours before their arrival. The descent from Camp 2 to Camp 1 which was at 4100 m was difficult but secured with fixed ropes—but by now the ropes had disappeared. No one knows who removed them; probably the high-altitude porters. Thus with the frozen feet the descent was made mostly on their knees.
When they reached the Base Camp it was deserted. They at once proceeded to the next village. At Siklis, the villagers kindly brought them to Pokhara. Especially kind to them was Miss Laxmi Gurung and Mr Chinbahadur Gurung. On 26 May they were all united at Kathmandu.
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18-Jul-2013 9:20:10 PM
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Ironically Pit Schubert, the leader of the Annapurna iv epic, apart from being a way hard-man with lots of major alpine ascents and first ascents, is an engineer who spent most of his working life on climbing safety. He founded the German Alpine Club safety commission and was on the UIAA Safety Commission from 1973 to 2004, president for the last 8 years. He was instrumental in setting UIAA equipment standards.
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19-Jul-2013 9:04:55 AM
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On 18/07/2013 f_abe wrote:
>I reckon that if I was paid millions of dollars a year to be flown (first
>class no doubt) to 18 of the best climbing locations in the world with
>free choice of the best brolly dolly's for post climb 'de-stress' I'd be
>happy to have whatever pain killing injections I could so I could still
>climb to keep my bevvie of sponsors happy and keep the dream alive...
f_abe - I'm calling f_ake. There are perhaps 10 riders earning $1m+ a year in road racing. They mostly started racing when they were 5-8 years old, and they (and their parents) have given up everything to race. They spend everything they earn on going faster, on training, on supporting themselves while racing, and often have to pay to get a ride (ie bring their own sponsorship). They spend years on uncompetitive rides, riding the wheels off them to get the chance to ride a better bike, often pushing far too close to the line too often - and getting injured in the process, frequenty and repeatedly. Its not avoidable, you will crash as a racer, and broken bones and permanent damage are just part of the price you pay. Only once you reach the very peak of the profession do you earn more than say a mid-level finance professional, and you have a shelf life of 10 -15 years max, more like 5 years at your peak in reality. It is all about winning races, and every racer want to win - but you can go for years without ever winning a race (most riders do) - and imagine what that does to your career satisfaction? If you are super talented and lucky, you retire mid 30's, become a TV commentator and can pay for a lifetime of physio. Others go out with a whimper, like world superbike champ Colin Edwards, circulating at the back of the CRT bikes on an old postie bike, trading on a once-great name just so he can still smell the petrol in the morning. Others take up kart racing because they are paralysed from the waist down, and every couple of years one of the unlucky ones will die.
I raced for 2 years (bumbly club level) and have a small understanding of what these guys do - and not for a second do I think that I could do it, for any kind of money. I think you do them a disservice with your flip comments.
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19-Jul-2013 1:07:06 PM
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Thanks kieranl for that awesome past-glimpse into the human spirit.
It may be a little disjointed in its translation, but requires very little imagination to visualise their circumstances and how it affected them, along with the thought processes they must have gone through.
There are many things within it and similar actions by others, which we can be inspired by; & for me the possible main message I get from reading of such epics, is that the participants had the will to see it through no matter the circumstances they came up against.
Another thing I reflect on within such events is the time-frames involved.
Going hard-core for a sporting event is one thing, but to drag out hard-core to days, or weeks, etc, is another.
Along with this is the added dimension of camaraderie through shared experience.
We do not often see in sporting events that competitors put the welfare of each other ahead of the competition they are having; and when we do, like that Olympic track-race (many years back), where the bloke stopped to help up the fallen competitor, it sticks indelibly in the memory.
On a different note your posts to this thread reminds me that I have acquired over time quite a few historical 'good reads'. Many of which I have not yet read(!), ... due to being busy and putting it off for a rainy day, or keeping them as a backup thing to do if ever I become incapacitated for whatever reason. I must make the effort to enjoy them...
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23-Jul-2013 2:25:36 PM
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Stoner back on a GP bike.
http://www.speedcafe.com/2013/07/23/casey-stoner-set-for-motogp-test-program/
Another similar piece but with some slightly different info.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/motor-sports/moto-gp/casey-stoner-set-to-return-to-motogp-when-he-completes-series-of-testing-sessions-with-honda/story-fn2ms4i4-1226683382513#.Ue3-TKy1eDY
Post edit: Further update 7/8/13.
Link to a site with good photos of Casey Stoner back in action on a black Repsol Honda...
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29-Aug-2013 12:11:46 PM
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On a historical theme worth preserving in this thread...
~> Link to a Chocky thread that contains the following snippet/photo of a well known climber going for an outing in the 80's ...
>via this...
Lycra: An early version of high-vis safety clothing, that only caught on amongst treadly riders!
Heh, heh, heh.
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29-Aug-2013 12:48:25 PM
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Here is my old Ducati TT2 at Oran Park in 1985, number 28 of 32 made.
Winning a race later that day with my peculiar 'sit up and beg' style, but it made for a slim bike.
Going into Stop Corner at Amaroo, I decided that the guy on the TZ350 in front was going to crash, so I took a very tight exit. He did, but fell backwards off the bike and pinned the throttle full on. The rear wheel spun up and he came back across the track.
and then I was sliding along at 60 kph.
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29-Aug-2013 2:18:37 PM
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Cool pics Mikl :-)
Slightly more recent one of me racing with St George, Eastern Creek, 2005 or so
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29-Aug-2013 2:40:54 PM
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Great to see the old photos mikl, and the sequence ones certainly tell a story.
Given the proliferation of historic photos in your posts lately, it would seem that you have had them scanned to digital format (inclusive of slides), which is something I have been contemplating doing for a while now, ... but have not yet done any homework on, and the latest info I got on same may well be old technology now.
Do you have any recommendations on what to buy / not buy for my need, given that my ratio of slides to photos is about 80/20% ?
>sit up and beg
~> That is the only style I know, and perhaps inherited from a dirt-riding background.
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29-Aug-2013 2:47:02 PM
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I'm not at all and expert. I've scanned photos ona crappy scanner at work and paid to get slides scanned. If you are scanning good slides, get a dedicated slide cscanner, scanning is like taking another photo and each one requires some fiddling beforehand.
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There are 462 messages in this topic.
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