Jump to content

jobe

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    27

  • Joined

  • Last visited

    Never

 Content Type 

Posts posted by jobe

    Doug Geeting Aviation Screws Climbers

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    While perhaps I "suck," am a "lame-ass" and an "ass hole fuck up," those are pretty quick responses to someone who you only know through a response letter I recieved from Geeting. Per everyone elses messages, I can see Geeting is quite popular and other climbers have had great experiences with him. I've not.

     

    As for the accusations of being impatient, those are probably a true to a degree. However, I'm probably far less impatient than the average person and if you met me you'd probably see I'm actually quite laid back. My hurry was only that I was excited for that "cheesburger and beer" and was surprised to find everyone else flying out except us. I never meant to say that 8 hours is some long time to wait - I ran into people who said they'd waited for days before - but in this instance it was far and away the longest anyone that day waited. I love the scenary too, but it didn't make me any less excited to leave.

     

    Jedi, I climbed the West Buttress (this should welcome some more spray [smile] ) with hopes of climbing the upper West Rib. The weather wasn't too great so we left with just a whiteout summit from the butt. I'm only 18 so I've got plenty of years to return, and I'd like to try the full West Rib and hopefully Cassin Ridge sometime in the future.

     

    p.s. I trad climb too.

    Doug Geeting Aviation Screws Climbers

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    I just got back from 12 days on Denali and treated like crap by Doug Geeting Aviation. We waited for 6 hours the day we got into Talkeetna as we "waited for the glacier to warm-up." Meanwhile, tourists were coming and going. The girl working there even admitted we were being kept there until they ran out of tourists to take. While this was annoying, it was nothing near the anger I experienced when waiting to fly out. We waited for 8 hours on the glacier as about 30 other climbers (including 3 Alpine Ascents teams) were flown off the mountain by other air services. All but 4 had arrived at the airstrip after us but were quickly flown off. The only DGA plane to arrive had tourists who had payed the extra money for a "glacier walk," only to find they were picking up smelly climbers. Two other climbers waiting with us confirmed our assumption told us that DGA hates climbers. Anyways, I left a note for Doug when I finally flew in and just recieved a response:

     

    Dear Joel, I'm very sorry that you were not happy with the service we

    provided you.

    It has been a tough year for us. WE lost an airplane on the tokositna river

    sandbar a few days prior to your pick up date. AS you may try to understand

    the difficulty in re-arranging a schedule that is already full to max

    capacity for three planes now having only two. AS much as we try to get

    other air to help us out on those busy days, they too are booked heavy with

    charters previously booked from last winters bookings. TAT had the same

    thing last month. The lost an airplane on the Kahiltna base camp. As much

    as they tried, they too had pissed off climbers waiting at the base camp.

    Something's just cant be helped Joel. Not even for you.

    I know that non of what I'm saying makes any difference to you when your

    waiting on the Kahiltna for an airplane. For 27 years I have flown

    climbers. I have never treated climbers as anything but "equal" citizens

    with the rest of humanity. They mom and pop that books a flight tour has

    just the same priority as the climber who has to wait a while for glacier

    pick up. Why should I cancel the mom and pop who have been planning on their

    flight around the mountain for months?

     

    First off, climbers do not schedule a pick up time with us in advance. On a

    busy day Joel, how would you suggest we handle it? Cancel the days flights

    for the day when the climber shows up at base camp? Id appreciate any

    suggestions.

    I've tried it all, been there done that. Do you have any idea where I make

    my money? It an't from climbers. Its from the flight seeing.

     

    Just so you know, if it weren't for the flight tourist coming up here, the

    price to the Kahiltna glacier would be more like $700 per person. Who do

    you think pays for all this equipment? Climbers? Not.... Ask the other

    the other guys too if you think I'm a liar. My 27 years in this biz tells

    me that.

     

    So to end this letter, you can say what you will about me and my company.

    My reputation in this business is good enough to pull me through any mud

    slinging from you. I'll just shake it off like a bad case of the flees and

    keep on going. Cuz after servicing and survived the Denali flying for 27

    years. I guess I must be doing something right, but I'm not perfect. I

    have room for improvement, but in this case Joel, no learning is required.

     

    I do appreciate your agony of having to wait a few hours on the Kahiltna

    glacier with all that awful scenery. maybe you should give up the mountain

    wilderness thing if it bothers you to wait for a few hours longer in such a

    wonderfull setting. or,

     

    you might try a little patients and understanding of certain events that led

    up to your anger.

    WE didnt plane on making you wait. It wasnt deliberate. It was a schedualing

    thing that was beyound our reasonable meens to do anything about that.

    WE didnt go out of our way to make your trip a bad one. WE simply try to

    provide transport service to the glaciers and do the very best that we can

    with what we have. for as little cost to you as possible. I dont

    appologise for that.

     

    DG

     

    In response, all these "months in advance" bookings seem like nonsense to me. As I was writing my note to Doug tourists were constantly streaming in setting up flights for the day. There is no way they get totally booked months in advance. DGA says they treat climbers equally, but it's pretty obvious that since climbers "don't pay for any of this equipment" we're unimportant to his business. If this is the case, he has no need for any of our business. Talkeetna Air, K2 and Hudson all seemed to treat their climbers well so use one of them and let Doug Geeting take care of the tourists like he wants.

    memorial weekend climbing partner(s)

    in Climbing Partners

    Posted

    I'd like to do a long day or two day alpine climb this weekend and am looking for a partner(s). I've been climbing for about a year, am 18 years old, lead 5.7-5.8 trad, follow up to low 5.10, and am in excellent shape. I'm happy with either a glacier or a rock climb, but am mostly interested in trying something in the North Cascades or a one day volcano climb.

     

    bealjoel@hotmail.com

    Glissading Mishaps

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    After being repeatedly warned by the ranger to not glissade, I obviously glissaded anyways. We were coming down the Coleman/Demming on Baker and as we slid over a hump I found myself sailing over a small crevasse. Sure gets the adrenaline rushing.

    Pass Closures-FYI

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    The passes aren't all we have to worry about, now we have to worry about all the terrible SUV driving western washington drivers.

    WINTER STORM WATCH LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY FOR EVERETT AND VICINITY...SEATTLE METROPOLITAN AREA...AND THE HOOD CANAL-KITSAP PENINSULA AREA... TONIGHT...RAIN AT TIMES. RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW OVER THE NORTH PART LATE TONIGHT...THEN SPREADING SOUTH. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. LOWS 35 TO 40. SOUTH WIND 5 TO 15 MPH SHIFTING NORTH AND RISING TO 10 TO 20 MPH OVERNIGHT.

    WEDNESDAY...LIGHT SNOW NORTH PART...SPREADING SOUTH DURING THE MORNING. RAIN OR MIXED RAIN AND SNOW SOUTH PART. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES TOTAL ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE. HIGHS NEAR 40. NORTH WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

    This winter is wetter than average

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    Actually, I think for the last two years we're probably about even now. I think last year was around 80% of average, while this year is running in excess of 120%.

    I read somewhere that the past few years have been a bit colder and significantly wetter than in the past. While we have had some dry years (El Nino & last year), the wet years have been real wet. Supposedly this has something to do with the Pacific Oscillation Effect or something of that matter and this is a 20-year cycle we've just entered.

    Packs??

    in The Gear Critic

    Posted

    Check out the Khamsin 38 by arc'teryx. I got one for $80 on sale about a year ago and it's served me well. I think it's 2200 cubic inches or so, extremely lightweight, ice axe loops, etc.

    cracks in the windshield question

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    If you have comprehensive coverage on your insurance company you can have repairs fixed for free. If you don't, you're probably going to back about $50 if you want to repair it. If you're just looking for something temporary, you can get "windshield band-aids" which will help prevent a chip from cracking out.

    Three Fingers

    in North Cascades

    Posted

    Yeah, there are definitely plenty of idiots running all over that mountain. I climbed it in August and we had to cross a few snowpatches that were hard as a rock. Fortunately, we had brought out crampons along and were able to continue. I think we were the only ones who made it up that day. It can be easily done in a day as long as you're in decent shape. Vertical is only 4000, it's just a slog - 18 miles or so.

    Snow? How much?

    in Climber's Board

    Posted

    I was ice climbing on the Coleman Glacier on Saturday and Sunday. When we arrived there was a dusting of snow and we recieved about an inch Saturday evening but it eventually turned to rain. Upon leaving on Sunday there were just patches left. It looked as though there was significantly more snow higher up however, as the true snow level looked to be around 5500-6000. I'd guess between a half foot to a foot.

    Gear Hawk

    in The Yard Sale

    Posted

    yeah, i'm still interested in some of the stuff especially the boots. Sorry I missed you at marymoor, i didn't get the message until 5 so I didn't get down there until 5:15. Must've missed you.

×
×
  • Create New...