Willie D

I'm looking for some first-hand (or reliable second-hand) accounts of skiing the Chamonix-Zermatt route. I particularly want to know the approximate amounts of time ascending, traversing, and descending the various sections.

I have a few resort-minded folks who I want to convince to go with me on this trip, possibly in a year or so, but need to get them thinking about buying Randonee equipment.

If I had some substantive times to give them about the various legs of the trip it might help sway them away from making further investments in gear they can't use on the trip.

Thanks in advance.

-Willie D.

I've been using Blogger for a few years but hate the way it uploads images. It always seems to insert the picture at the top of the page and then I have to carefully drag the picture into place and watch that I don't drop it in the middle of the text. I thought I could just write an MS Word doc with images and then paste the whole thing to Blogger in the hope I'd get a WYSIWYG page..no luck, the images won't upload.

A few websites suggested posting to Google docs then posting to Blogger because it changes the format, but that didn't seem to work either. I can't get anything to upload to Google docs.

I'm not that computer savvy. I just want to write and post pics with ease on a blog. Any suggestions to make this easier?

I'm even open to trying a different blog host where I can simply create an MS word doc and make that the blog post look like the document.

Thanks!

I would like to purchase two rafts to supplement my kayak fleet at the resort I work for. We are often shut-out of the river by the Park Service because they don't allow commercial operators to run kayaks when the river goes above 6.5 feet. They allow liveries to run rafts up to 9.0 feet. We saw a lot of high water the past year and couldn't operate with kayaks, however if we had rafts, we could have run our trips.

I used to raft a long time ago but never paid attention to the business end of rafting. I would like some feedback on brands, average costs of a new raft, and things to look for. I am looking for rafts that would hold 5-6 persons and be suitable for Class II to small Class III rapids. Rocks are minimal, so these rafts don't need to be bombproof, but I don't want something that is vinyl.

The NRS rafts I saw online are like $3000. I need two of them and that's over my budget. What are some less expensive brands that are good for commercial use?

Thanks in advance.

Given the fact that so many snowboarding questions end up in the "Skiing" section and so few skiing questions end up in the "Snowboarding" section, I can only conclude that 2-plankers are indeed brighter than knuckledraggers. Agree or disagree?

(I am just picking on snowboarders. I don't really hate you.)

It was recently proposed that head injuries only account for an very small percentage of ski related deaths (the number was in the 7th decimal place) and that head injury rate (non-fatal included) among Ski Patrollers (who we assume are experienced skiers) is 0.02% of all patroller accidents.

Given that fact, do you think $100 spent on a helmet will make you safer? Would you be better to spend your $100 on an advanced lesson, a detailed binding set-up and high-end tune-up, or maybe even a custom boot job? All three of which can arguably improve your skiing and make you safer too.

The one from 2010 where the three people get stuck on the ski lift...

Can you give me a laundry list of the improbable/impossible scenarios that arose in the film?

I just watched it last night and thought it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

I'm a bit of a plane buff and was wondering what is the protocol for giving orders in a combat aircraft where the RIO, BN, or WSO was a higher rank than the pilot. Take the retired F-14 for example: I'm sure from time to time a newer LT(JG) was assigned to an an aircraft with a more experienced RIO, maybe a LT or LCDR. In such a case, who is the aircraft commander? Could, say a higher ranking WSO in a 2-seat F-18 order a lower ranking pilot to disengage from a dogfight or abort a landing?

A second question: Is it permissible, for a non-aviator to command or be the XO a squadron or detatchment? Has it ever happened in any branch? (not counting USAF Missle Squadrons.)

Thanks in advance!

For Therapists especially:

Do you always start a massage with the client face down? I'm asking because I generally take a while to relax at the beginning of my treatment. Since my problem areas are my C4/C5 area and my lower back, I was wondering if it might be a better idea if the next time I go for a massage to begin on my back?

Oddly enough, by the time I am on my back I am generally so relaxed that I can fall asleep, even during a deep tissue treatment.

Thanks in advance.

With the amount of merchandise available for sale and the profits generated from licensing of the Sesame Street characters, do you find it slightly audacious for the Sesame Workshop to ask for donations, let alone have non-profit status?

Here's the link if you don't believe me:

http://supportus.sesameworkshop.org/site/c.nlI3IkN...

According to their Annual Report they made $95,309,000 in 2009. Granted they also spent a lot of money in program development, but so does NBC.

The head of the buck I bagged back in November has been sitting (mostly frozen) in a shed all winter. I didn't have time to skin it then, but with the warm temperatures lately I had to get it taken care of today. It was really starting to rot already and I cleaned the ears and most of the hair off the skull. There's still a good bit of muscle and sinew around the jaws and the brain is still inside too. I put what's left in a big rubbermaid bin and covered it with lime (about 6 cups.) I'm wondering how long it would take to decompose the rest of the meat, sinew, and tissue?

I've done this before with beetles or by boiling the heck out of the skull, but never tried lime.

20 some years ago two classmates of mine made a skeleton display of a rabbit. To clean the flesh and tendons from the bones they used some sort of beetle ordered from a biological supply company. I've lost contact with them and tried looking up what this insect might be. I would like to order some for a similar project but can't find out what type of insect to order. Any info would be good. Thanks!

I didn't have the internet at my fingertips 20 years ago when I was in HS and when I wanted to find out something about some place I looked it up in periodicals or found promotional literature about an event, activity, or happening by going to, or calling the tourism center for the area I was inquiring about. With technology what it is and with kids as (supposedly) savvy as they are with computers, I would think your average 15 year old should be able to use a search engine with some moderate degree of aptitude. From what I see on Y! Answers, it appears most kids lack research skills. What are some of the reasons behind this? Have the schools stopped teaching kids how to do research?

Why can they type that question into Y! Answers and not be able to type "GS Skiing" into the search box on Wikipedia?

Is she some sort of princess? Who wears a tiara to begin with? Furthermore, she won SILVER! Was that some snub to Lindsey Vonn? Maybe Vonn should get a crown. I just don't get it.

I looked into this and couldn't find anything.

I'm pondering a trip to Snowshoe. I can get a really good deal on tix and they've had a bunch of snow. I'm thinking I'd like to stay slopeside so I'm looking for suggestions or experiences with the condos on-property. Any good restaurant suggestions? What about other apres-ski stuff. Also, my non-skiing wife is coming with me. How are the other activities and facilities for the non-skier?

Thanks!

She's in a tuck and she's fully clothed. Granted it looks like she's standing on flat ground and they rotated the picture to make it appear like she's going downhill, but critics say this is a racy picture. Maybe SI should've put Lindsey Jacobellis or Hannah Teter on the cover in snowboarding regalia if people think a speed suit is too trashy.

What would they say if Vonn was a beach volleyball player or a swimmer? Perish the thought!

So yesterday I ripped about 6 inches of topsheet off the inside of my ski near the tail. It's not a wide scratch, maybe 4mm at its widest, but was deep enough to scrape the topsheet off down to the core. The mantle wrapping the core is exposed, but not damaged. I don't want to P-Tex this because I don't want to melt the mantle. In the past I've used some Bondo to seal the hole (aesthetics be damned.) I don't feel like buying a whole tub of Bondo so I was looking for alternatives.

I've used PC-7 for other epoxy jobs, but not for something like this. They also have PC-Marine which looks like it is easy to use and not messy...also waterproof!

Does anyone have any other suggestions or experience working with PC-Marine, or a similar epoxy putty.

So I know I've got a 1-day comp at Deer Valley. What are the "don't miss" runs? Since I can't confirm a second comp 1-day, do I drop the $86 for a second day at Deer Valley or do I blow it on a second day at Alta (where I will most likely get a 1/2 price ticket?)

So you got only one day to spend at Alta. What are the "don't miss" runs? Say you have a second day, do you drop the $350 for cat-skiing or do you buy a combo pass and hit more lift-serviced terrain at Snowbird?

How do you define "Ice"?

There seems to be no argument between Eastern and Western skiers when it comes to defining conditions such as "Powder" or "Corn", but I've heard skiers who normally ski out west define conditions that we Easterners consider good snow as "icy". When I think if ice I define it as hard and shiny, sometimes referred to as "boilerplate."