'love that big Whumph

[Terminal_Gravity]

When you take another step on a snow field, you feel your self drop maybe two inches, and every thing gets quite again. I find it especially exciting when a long crack/seam forms aways above you. But it's the whumph that really gets my adraniline surgeing. After a couple of those whumps I usually feel really, really motivated...to turn tail.

[iain]

that's some scary stuff. I've only felt it on flat ground before, fortunately.

[Terminal_Gravity]

Yeah, when it happened yesterday I was on about a 20 degree slope, heading up to a 35. The ski down was nice.

[chelle]

It's the "ping" when on a camhook, with another one below ya that gets to me.

[Montana_Climber]

Or the "crack" of a serac falling while navigating through an icefall.

[ScottP]

That whirring noise rocks and ice make when they are falling through space, especially when accompanied by a panicked scream of "ROCK!!!" coming from somewhere above.

[texplorer]

ScottP - I tense at the thought of that whirring noise.

 

Also that thudding sound of a cam popping out accompanied by a continued movement in a downward vector.

[iain]

sometimes followed by the low thwumpthwumpthwump of a blackhawk in the distance. that fluttering rock sound is terrifying

[iain]

or the creaking of webbing as it sets when you weight it starting a really big rappel.

[snoboy]

How about the sound of a REALLY BIG ROCKFALL when you are in the tent and can't see a thing?

[plexus]

TG,

 

Where were the conditions so bad for you this weekend? Went out yesterday on stuff ranging from 20-55 degrees and the snowpack was a helluva lot better than I thought it was going to be. The crack and sound of falling snow makes me jump, after getting hit by a slide last spring

[salbrecher]

Got to love that "ping" noise and cracking sound ice makes when crossing a marginally frozen lake, mmmmmm.

[Billygoat]

How about the clicking noise the starter on your truck makes when your battery doesn't have enough juice to power the solenoid Particularly when you just get back from a week in the woods and you're daydreaming of and and there are no other cars at the trailhead

 

That's why I always bring beer now.

[Terminal_Gravity]

plexus said:

TG,

 

Where were the conditions so bad for you this weekend? Went out yesterday on stuff ranging from 20-55 degrees and the snowpack was a helluva lot better than I thought it was going to be. The crack and sound of falling snow makes me jump, after getting hit by a slide last spring

 

Behind my house in the Wallowas. Lots of dry freshiez with high winds friday night, warm temps saturday. Above 7500 the crust formed Sat. could just suport my weight but the layer under the crust and above the base had no consolidation. A little lower the crust barely existed and I skied down through knee deep dry powder...in april!

[Lambone]

Or how about when that first time climber hears the velcro coming undone on their harness!

[fern]

my memories of ice and rock falls and avalanches which

came close to chopping me have no soundtrack at all. I've

heard whoomphs and clicks and whirrs but the few times I

was seriously threatened the warning was never a loud noise

... I just remember quiet, which is sorta scary itself.

[cj001f]

fern said:

my memories of ice and rock falls and avalanches which

came close to chopping me have no soundtrack at all. I've

heard whoomphs and clicks and whirrs but the few times I

was seriously threatened the warning was never a loud noise

... I just remember quiet, which is sorta scary itself.

Extreme Quiet - and time suddenly moving at about 1/10th the speed it normally does.

[minx]

unforutanately, the slow down in time is never quite enough

 

it's that split second when you think "oh shit!" then start to get the thought in your head of what do next but can't quite finish it before the impending disaster actualy happens.

[glen]

The slow moments of numbness before the pain of a bad bouldering landing sets in. The disbelief of Is it really broken?

[cj001f]

minx said:

unforutanately, the slow down in time is never quite enough

 

it's that split second when you think "oh shit!" then start to get the thought in your head of what do next but can't quite finish it before the impending disaster actualy happens.

For me, it's rarely even enough time to prepare for impact.

[minx]

tuck and roll...tuck and roll

 

in my younger years i used to ride horses and my instructor made us practice falling off.

 

the phrase tuck and roll goes through my head now whenever i fall from anything!

[Fejas]

Terminal_Gravity said:

 

Behind my house in the Wallowas. Lots of dry freshiez with high winds friday night, warm temps saturday. Above 7500 the crust formed Sat. could just suport my weight but the layer under the crust and above the base had no consolidation. A little lower the crust barely existed and I skied down through knee deep dry powder...in april!

 

Enterprize kicks ass dood!!!

[randygoat]

I was topping out on a steep pillar this winter, about 20 feet or so of vert, when I placed my tool in the flat above the pillar there was a loud CRACK!! Then a low groan , and then 3 more crack sounds. The pillar I was on shifted a little, and therewas a crack running from a few feet above me to the left ,across the top of the pillar, then down along the right side of the pillar past my last screw.After a few undignified " oh, F&ck, oh F&ck"s I down climbed below the screw, fired in another and bailed[ I knew could scramble around to get the screws back on rappel].Ended the day early