Can somebody start a good argument please??

Your article is interesting and well-written. Again, I have to say that I really agree with Lord Hedgie's post about sharing. Sharing is great. I don't have any "secret stashes" but if I did, I'd tell people about them. There's so much excellent terrain all over in any case. There's more than enough for everyone, right?

What is my carbon footprint on the drive from Seattle to Paradise and back averaging 30mpg?

How long can I do this before my CO2 warms the earth enough to melt all the goodness?

Oh yeah, and how about the CO2 from the chain-smoking Scotsman and his burrito flatulants?

That's right Chris, the Jibber is back in town!

Howdy, Dougie.

There's more than enough for everyone, right?

It depends on what you're talking about. Is excellent terrain the scarce resource or are we talking about something more ephemeral?

Since I've already posted thoughts on the subject, here are excerpts from the Biff America column I mentioned ("Backcountry," Sep. 2008, p. 122).

"Often the beauty of a place stems from the fact that few people have seen that place."

[...]

"Information is both enlightening and dangerous. When something is posted on the Web there's no control over who is on the receiving end. Part of the beauty of exploring is, well... exploring. And researching, and trial and error, until finally all things come together and you have a magical backcountry day. Adventure need not come with directions.

[...]

"I've heard blogging described as cyber masturbation."

[...]

"It is either the ultimate act of kindness or the ultimate act of conceit."

[...]

"... some things and places are meant to be private."

That oughta fan the flames.

Hey, good to hear things are going well. How about a high-paying executive position for me?

Kids are all psyched for the season. Nice of you to pay them such a great compliment!

Well actually I will. I'm extremely busy at the moment getting my new company started and so although my surfing and posting on skiing website may give the impression of a person with a lot of time on their hands, it's really the opposite and my posting is a form of relaxation between bouts of intensive work........... It's just those summer doldrums. Can't wait for the season to start.

How's the boys Oftpiste,( Oftpiste's kids are some of the best young skier's I have ever seen. Hard chargers!!) Ready to rip for another season??

Often the beauty of a place stems from the fact that few people have seen that place.

I agree, but if every backcountry skier in Washington State were to visit a particular mountain peak, I could still say with confidence that few people have ever been there.  What percent of skiers, much less Americans in general, can climb a mountain without a lift?

Information is both enlightening and dangerous. When something is posted on the Web there's no control over who is on the receiving end. Part of the beauty of exploring is, well... exploring. And researching, and trial and error, until finally all things come together and you have a magical backcountry day. Adventure need not come with directions.

Going somewhere based solely on directions found on the web or a book is, without a doubt, exploring.  "Obvious" trails and routes to the author are invariably missed when going off a written description.  It's not like a road, where you "turn right on 15th Street," but more of a general description, like "when it starts getting steep, head right toward the flattish area."

"I've heard blogging described as cyber masturbation."

Yeah, so?  That's supposed to make me want to stop?

"It is either the ultimate act of kindness or the ultimate act of conceit."

So is opening your mouth in general.  So what?  We're kind conceited people.  The difference is on the web, people don't have to listen if they don't want to.

"... some things and places are meant to be private."

Unless your "secret stash" is a shoebox full of pictures of your nadgers, I disagree.


Yeah, I read Biff's column in Backcountry, and I can't say I agreed at all.  But as I said before, I'll take you to any line I find, because corn shared is corn enjoyed.

Secret Stashes, now that is a really good subject!
It's a difficult one.

We like to think that we post TR's to record the event, or share information for others and those are part of the reason but in many cases I think we also crave recognition of how bad-ass we are and want to get the warm glow of kudos from the web collective by posting a good TR that was in a remote area, or very steep,  or had great snow or involved incredible feats of endurance or aerobic capacity. We are all guilty of this if we are honest and that's not a problem  as it's what makes us human. The problem arises when you want to post a TR about such a trip and not give the location.

IMHO, the TR's that involve a description of a great trip but then coyly refuse to disclose the location suffer from being pure grandstanding and ego driven as they don't have the redeeming feature of at least sharing where this marvellous trip occurred so others can consider going.
I have been guilty of this ( with many others on this board) and probably will be again.

I think the secret stash rules once given told to me by RonJ are some of the best on this subject. I have added to them and these are the rules I try to follow, others are free to have theirs.

1) A secret stash is a secret stash, no TR's or coy descriptions of the day. Nada.zip.

2) You cannot tell somebody where it is, you can only show them.

3) You must have become " stashworthy" to be shown a stash..

4)  If somebody shows you their secret stash and you find it's an area already well known, rule 1 still applies as it's  still their secret stash and that needs to be honored.

5) Sharing a secret stash with a friend who has become stashworthy in your eyes is one of the best things about this sport so choose well.

6) Writing a TR about a secret stash without disclosing it's location is only boasting.

I have a broken  nearly every one of these rules but  I am improving.