Trip Report request.

How about a little more info on the location for those of us that aren't in the know? I'm not looking for GPS coordinates, just a simple reference would suffice, e.g. Olympics, N. Cascades, Mt Rainier, Snoqualmie, Stevens....

Hello OHM.  I have been called out for too little info once in a while.  I am curious as to what level of detail you mean.  I went back and looked at March thus far: and the overall geographicals seem to be pretty common knowledge.  I wouldn't expect a non Washingtonian to know where "the Phantom" is, but ask in the thread or a PM and it will become clear quick.  Exceptions being "Snoq Pass", "Stevens Pass".  I respect the vagueness of the author here because I still can glean some useful snow, and often snow stability, conditions in the posts.  Otherwise, they are detailed enough that the authors really don't seem to be trying to hide any secrets.  Only one that baffled me was Keith's Hut.  Where the f__k is that???  But that is not a fault of the author, simply asking would yield the info.
Location descriptions of a more detailed nature: road access, approach route, slope skied might be left out simply because of the time demands of a big post.  Perhaps a PM to the author would yield the additional info you seek.  If not, it's their issue, not yours for asking.  I, for one, will give more info freely in a PM, but otherwise I sometimes think it is wasted typing--or I get impatient truth be told.  If that seems unfair I am curious to hear how best the additional info you seek could be given quickly--like an optional additional format.  It is a good topic to bring up once in a while.  In general I think TR's are way down period, which is unfortunate.
Thanks,
John

I think this is probably in part because there's been a bunch of newer use of the site by folks in the south Cascades, so what is common shorthand if you live near Snoqualmie or Stevens is local-knowledge mystery if you're in Bend or Portland. Maybe that's just my imagination.

One of the things I've been thinking about is a location-tag of some kind that could be filled out for TRs. It's on the burner with a bunch of other things, but it might help with some of this.

Re: TR volume, we seem to come back to this with some frequency. Looking at year-over-year TRs, here are some numbers:

January 2008 to 2012
137 --> 119 --> 110 --> 119 --> 137

February 2008 to 2012
105 --> 138 --> 141 --> 129 --> 97

March 2008 to 2012
145 --> 124 --> 113 --> 116 --> 32 (in process)

The same months prior to 2008 had a significant drop-off. Cherry-picking some huge months: June '08, 202 TRs; May '09, 174 TRs; June '11, 164 TRs.

I'm no statistician and I'm sure there are some much more sophisticated numbers that folks can (and maybe will) crunch. I think hits to the site have been stable if not increasing, while it seems to me that TRs as a whole are about the same as they used to be and the frequency depends more on the snowfall during a given month (and perhaps the publicity of avalanche accidents?) than it does on anything else. Maybe Amar can crunch snowfall vs. TRs vs. posts for us

I think regional or general area info on location at a min is ideal, maybe similar to the way the NWAC breaks it down...

I've read a few TR's providing only local knowledge names that may or may not show up in a Google search. Knowing the region helps the reader understand, seems kinda silly to have to ask the general area. If TAY is a locals only club, then why post TR's? I enjoy reading TR's from other areas, but they become hard to visualize without knowing the region. I bet if the author posted a report from another country they wouldn't 'forget' to name the location.

Re: TR volume, we seem to come back to this with some frequency.  Looking at year-over-year TRs, here are some numbers:

January 2008 to 2012
137 -->  119 -->  110 --> 119 --> 137

February 2008 to 2012
105 --> 138 --> 141 --> 129 --> 97

March 2008 to 2012
145 --> 124 --> 113 --> 116 --> 32 (in process)

The same months prior to 2008 had a significant drop-off.  Cherry-picking some huge months:  June '08, 202 TRs; May '09, 174 TRs; June '11, 164 TRs.

I'm no statistician and I'm sure there are some much more sophisticated numbers that folks can (and maybe will) crunch.  I think hits to the site have been stable if not increasing, while it seems to me that TRs as a whole are about the same as they used to be and the frequency depends more on the snowfall during a given month (and perhaps the publicity of avalanche accidents?) than it does on anything else.  Maybe Amar can crunch snowfall vs. TRs vs. posts for us

Thanks Marcus, the stats don't lie, I stand corrected!  After years of participation maybe I am just experiencing less of that fuzzy "ah, ha" feeling discovering a new cool locale someone writes about!
John

I should have added that the majority of TRs are pretty good and do highlight the location. I'm in Portland and don't make it much farther north than Mt Rainier, so I'm just reading the TRs for enjoyment. I have been registered here since 2004 and lurked for some time before that, so I've figured out over the years where a lot of the places are. I'm not asking for a turn by turn description or a gps track, but I also don't know the names of every peak on Snoqualmie Pass or the Enchantments for that matter.

I think regional or general area info on location at a min is ideal, maybe similar to the way the NWAC breaks it down...

I've read a few TR's providing only local knowledge names that may or may not show up in a Google search. Knowing the region helps the reader understand, seems kinda silly to have to ask the general area. If TAY is a locals only club, then why post TR's? I enjoy reading TR's from other areas, but they become hard to visualize without knowing the region. I bet if the author posted a report from another country they wouldn't 'forget' to name the location.

OK, maybe I misunderstood the issue at hand. It isn't that the TR is too vague with the author attempting to hide some secret stash info, but that the TR detail is too local and not helpful for an unfamiliar reader to understand where it is in the greater region?