I didn't know there was a Via Ferrata up at Honister. I can't wait to have a go. Look it's only £25 to climb up Honister Crag http://www.honister-slate-mine.co.uk/via_ferrata.aspQuote:
Originally Posted by upfelldowndale
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I didn't know there was a Via Ferrata up at Honister. I can't wait to have a go. Look it's only £25 to climb up Honister Crag http://www.honister-slate-mine.co.uk/via_ferrata.aspQuote:
Originally Posted by upfelldowndale
I'm definitely up for that. When do you think the weather is likely to be at its worst?:DQuote:
Originally Posted by mapper
I think you are all being beastly horrid about Mr Weir.Quote:
Originally Posted by Guick Dotto
The poor man has a helicopter to maintain.
Those who made it to the finish at Buttermere were told to walk back over Honister to Seathwaite. When they got to Honister they were told that they couldn't go any further. So naturally, if the offer is made of somewhere under cover to sleep, you'd take it wouldn't you?Quote:
Originally Posted by TheReverand
Mystery seems to surround the identity of whoever was telling people they could continue to Seathwaite. Many people say it was Mr Weir. Some say it was the Police or Mountain Rescue. Whoever it was, they (inadvertently) caused most of the confusion. If everyone had been allowed to return to the event centre, then there'd have been no doubt as to where we all were. Those who did carry on down the hill reported conditions that were bad, but nothing compared with what we'd coped with on the hill for most of the day.
My partner and I reached Honister at about 3-4PM on our way back to Seathwaite. Mr Weir was telling everyone to turn around at the Slate Mines or to wait there to be ‘rescued’. He certainly convinced my partner and me as we thought he was someone from mountain rescue and therefore speaking with authority and local knowledge. We returned to the barn at Gatesgarth. On talking to others when we eventually got back to Seathwaite on Sunday we should have made straight for the base camp. On reflection it is clear to see that Mr Weirs intervention (whatever his motives) confused the situation.
It’s worth pointing out that late arrivals to the barn found no room and a few were forced to camp in the field anyway!!!
It’s also worth pointing out that whilst we were walking down the pass to Buttermere we could see his bus driving up the mountain to the mine, so the weather conditions did not stop him trading!
I think he was feeling left out – maybe we should send him an entry for next years OMM?:D
Stu
Looks like we've been knocked out of the news by a couple of radio non-entities slagging off a Spanish waiter. Kind of puts a media perspective on our sport!!
Got to go, seen some hairy TV types..........
Baaa, grrr
We camped in the field on the basis that the barn was cramped, cold, draughty, and wet, and would also be really noisy. We thought camping outside couldn't be any worse.Quote:
Originally Posted by Grit Britain
How wrong we were!
I best not tell you about the hot soup they served up at about 10PM then :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Toreador
Given Mr weir's Safety concerns. I thought you might like to know about something I witnessed earlier on in the year, whilst out on a BG recce.
A Green Helicopter came flying overhead in the Honister area. It carried out the most amazing aerobatic display very close to the crags. I like aerial displays, but had to look away more than once fearing it was going to crash in to the hill side. This went on for about 5 minutes before the helicopter landed outside the slate mine. Dont know whether this really means anything apart from the fact the man in question obviously likes to live dangerously when it suits him.
Im up for day two anytime...
I was planning on doing a Winter BG in a couple of months. How do I make sure my support team don't get rescued while their waiting for me?
Be careful they don't get swept away by a weir.Quote:
Originally Posted by Headless
I most definitely would be up for day two at some stage! :)
And I also admit to being one of the people that Mr Slatemine considers 'rescued' by him, because I used the shelter of his barn to get my waterproof bottoms on (who had ever thought I'd use them, they have been unused in my racekit for ages) and to study the map without it being blown away in the wind...
Headless,
When I were nobbut a lad, in the dark days, we all wore badges saying "if hospitalised I do not wish to be visited by Margaret Thatcher". Perhaps your supporters could wear similar badges, on the lines of "if I am seen running on the hills when its raining a laal bit, I do not wish to be rescued by M... W..." - or similar, I'm sure someone can think of a snappier title...
Excellent idea Malky!
I think I am going to have a top printed that says I am not lost, I am just out enjoying myself, leave me alone!!!
The latest from 'BBC Look North'...
Quotes; calling for 'new rules to govern adventure activities' 'left Cumbria with a bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds' time to 'indemnify against the costs' 'thousands rescued'.
The BBC seem to have taken a stand on this with an obvious bias.
How about a T-Shirt with...
"I survived the wet, cold and wind off OMM 2008. But the media grilling from ITN was too much for me!!" :p
Profits to MRT of course.....
stuff like that will just give the press amo to say that fell runners dont see the seriousness of it and in a way are mocking and being inconsiderate to the emergency services etc, thats how they work, latch on and translate to their language to gain public support of their opinion.
As it stands, I was approached by BBC Wales yesterday and was asked to answer some questions about OMM from a competitors point of view on Radio Wales yesterday afternoon... for what it is worth, the questions were actually quite good and they were clearly looking for a better, more truthful perspective of the whole thing and even had the guts to ask my opinion on the media coverage!!!
Hi Hypo! Pitty I did not see you the weekend... Mind you, it was hard recognising people wrapped up in their pretty universal and similar waterproofs with taped seams ;)
whatever dude, i'll be up Kings How thursday about 2 if you can make it for a run i'll be happy to swap anecdotes, failing that do you fancy Buttermere round with me friday? :p :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Guick Dotto
I saw that... head of Cumbria Health Trust. He was complaining that we all just drove to the Lakes, took part in the event and drove off again without spending any money in the local economy...Quote:
Originally Posted by invalidpassword
One of the plus points of all this has been the very positive material that has surfaced from the likes of Simon Barnes and Richard Askwith, so thanks to them for putting over our/their point of view in such good style.
I came across some words the other day in a book I was reading and they really struck a chord with me in this and related contexts:
"We are wild but tamed by television, controlled by Captain Clock, hemmed in by routine and obedience to petty convention. The more suffocatingly enclosed we are, the louder our wild genes scream in misery, aggression, anger and despair. In wildness is our self-willed, self-governing freedom, and such wild freedom blossoms within us, bubbles over with an anarchic ivresse of feeling. And we glint when the wild light shines."
Wish I could write like that.
Morgan
nice piece of writing, and hits the nail on the head.
Many years ago, 1979 I think, the yachting fraternity had a far worse situation on thier hands when the Fastnet race became a survival epic. There was loss of life and heroics in equal measure. The media frenzy and all the scorn-pouring-pundits didn't change the sport one jot, all the changes came from within the sport. I believe a lot of sailors woke up to the idea that a liferaft is not as good as a semi-swamped yacht, liferaft manufactureres were shocked into better designs having seen liferafts torn apart by the sea conditions, with consequential loss of life.
Many years later and the race organisers and sailors are still here, doing the same race under very similar rules. Best approach seems to not fight back, express gratitude to those services that came when call upon, avoid making political/inflamatory acts (as the T shirts could be interpreted) and just let the media circus have its feed before it moves on. A month from now we'll be as obscure as ever.
So heads down, let the media drift away then back to the fells with a grin.
What an utterly feeble response. Earlier in the thread, I got similiar abuse for daring to post a contrary point of view to the majority. It amuses me that for a group of people who like to see themselves as individualists, free-spirits, and iconoclasts, anyone who dares to express an opinion that demands a bit of self-analysis and swimming against the tide is instantly insulted. Pathetic. Turns out the majority on this board -- like Guick -- are just as much a bunch of sheep as everyone else out there; just fell running sheep instead.Quote:
Originally Posted by Guick Dotto
Two things struck me further as this episode has unwound. First, the partner with whom I would have run OMM until injury caused me to drop out went ahead with a new partner. Just for the sake of provenance, between them they have BGRs and Mountain Trial's galore. Their view was that a). the OMM should never have been started, and b). once it was started, there was absolutely no reason to call it off. Not saying
they are right or wrong...simply that there is a debate to be had with informed viewpoints on ALL sides.
Secondly, while the likes of Guick Dotto are mouthing off and insulting people who don't agree with them, I note that the viewpoints of people whose opinion I would actually respect, and who are the most qualified to speak here are keeping their own counsel (Yiannis, John Fleetwood, etc.) No surprise there. Go stick your head underwater, Guick.
oh dear me, calm down one and all, however, i do think that opinions can/should be expressed without getting "shirty".
Results are now up and so is route gadget all over at the OMM site :D:D
I don't think I'm a sheep :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Splinter
The OMM should have started and it should not have been called off.
If people were not up to it they could retire, going on the results a lot chose not to retire.
Its a pity this happened in the Lake District if it had of been some where more remote I don't think it would have the got the media spotlight it did
Know what you're saying but the state of the overnight camp left them withlittle choice but to cancel. I don;t think the fell conditions were sufficient to call it off and i'm not sure they ever could be, but when there's nowhere to put 1000 tents in such a way to organise the day 2 start then logistically the event is screwed.
Noone's fault, just bad luck.
Not sure if this has been posted yet:
http://www.theomm.com/event/eventNew...ouncement.html
Me: "Stick to the roads Reverand "
You (Splinter): "Go stick your head underwater, Guick."
You: "mouthing off and insulting people who don't agree with them" Who's insulting who?
Mate don't you know sticking your head underwater can be dangerous.
I'd rather stick my face round a pint of ale. And I'd invite you to have the other one, but I bet you're an orange juice drinker!
Now that's an insult.;)
Should we start a new thread about possible dates for going back and doing day 2?
My partner and I are up for it. Anyone else for Medium Score?
Hey man respect :cool: But take care up there, for remember "With such extreme weather, the mountains become a dangerous place "Quote:
Originally Posted by TheReverand
I expect you need that advice from another fellrunner don't you?;)
Definitely up for medium score! Have already potentially rallied up a couple of friends for it as well...
We should get the maps of day two in the next week or so, according to the OMM organisers announcement.
I'd be looking at the weekend of 15/16 November perhaps?
That's free for me at moment, need to discuss it with my partner. And of course check the forecast :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
Question is am I going to keep my map safely in its envelope until we get up there. :cool:
I was there from Friday morning til Monday evening......
As far as i know no one was lost, (out of contact, yes, lost no just out doing what they should have been doing, bearing in mind it's an outdoor experience!!) a few got hurt ( how many compared to a equivelent road race??), I didn't see many faces miserable and the press were being very selective about the whole thing..... the only helicopter we saw at the event centre buzzed in to pick up a reporter and cameraman....
We did have people complaining that they couldn't run the day 2 courses.
One camera crew complained cos they couldn't get the footage that they wanted cos the competitors were far to happy??
On the whole a good event well handled
received a copy of this from a clubmate (along with his own personal account of the weekend).Quote:
Originally Posted by IainR
Shows our friend Mr Reid as being even more arrogant/obnoxious than he'd already come across if that is possible. What were his 'other customers' doing out and about in such atrocious conditions?:eek: they should be shot!!!
Hi HannekeQuote:
Originally Posted by Hanneke
I did try to get to the start early to see if I could find yourself and a few others I knew were starting around that time. But as you said, it was difficult spotting people dressed up for once......