http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1346734/Now-thats-piste-Daredevil-skier-ski-floating-iceberg.html

the words ‘bell’ and ‘end’ spring immediately to mind

Err and the point is?

…has made him the first person to ever ski down a moving iceberg.

Because he could?

Why not? No harm done and its something different to do.
Does there have to be a point to everything?
Do all your rides start where they began i.e. a big circle? Why not just stay in the same place and not move for 4 hours?

The thing is though bigyin, I like going out riding. The Belmont descent is my favourite local downhill.

But if someone said “Hey Binners. We’ve taken the first 100 yards of the Belmont descent, not the rest, just the first 100 yards, and we’ve floated it out to sea. Quite a way out to sea, as it happens. It’ll take us half a day to get to it by boat, then you’ll have to climb up it with your bike on your back – but… do you fancy it?”

Nah – I think I’ll go to the pub instead actually

He’s, like, TOTally KRRaazy. Or a bit of a knob. Either way, there’s nothing clever about skiing down a small bit of snow.

It’s a bit like the bloke who used to do Mayhem with an ironing board on his back. Words can’t decribe how cringeworthy I find this sort of “look at me!! see how wacky I am!!!” activity. What, you’re so extreme that normal skiing or cycing isn’t enough, you have to do it with a laptop on your head, or a life-sized replica of Ghandi strapped to your knees.

Binners you are a dreamkiller.

Must be a really slow news day.

Andrew, from Park City, Utah, conquered the iceberg as it floated through the Antarctica Peninsula 1000 miles south of Argentina two years ago.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1346734/Now-thats-piste-Daredevil-skier-ski-floating-iceberg.html#ixzz1AvMEWhZQ

And thats a bit clever from the mail getting that link in with a simple cut and paste that didn’t include it. So clever I have chosen to leave it in.

Wasn’t there someone who ski’d down pistes while ironing? I’d have enjoyed cutting that twunt up.

On the other hand, total legend ski mountaineer Andrew Maclean was in Antarctica pioneering some extremely committing routes, and did a bit of photogenic pissing about while he was there.

Somehow, the photogenic pissing about was more “news”worthy.

Wasn’t there someone who ski’d down pistes while ironing? I’d have enjoyed cutting that twunt up

And I thought it was just me that was a grumpy sod. Cynic-al, I salute your misanthropy.

Bout as much point as riding around in a circle for 4 hours in the rain and mud. Or climbing a big sheer cliff. Or being towed around the sea by a kite.

Each to his own.

Either way, there’s nothing clever about skiing down a small bit of snow.

Does there have to be something clever about it? Why do you need to give a crap? There is no evidence that he’s being a nob – he is just having a laugh. More nobs on this thread than in that article.

I’ve had loads of people imagine I am trying to prove I’m better than everyone else by riding my bike, or by rock climbing, even by not drinking would you believe! When in reality it’s them that has the issue not me.

Sounds to me like Molgrips has just called everyone a bunch of gay nobbers, and challenged everyone to a drinking competition.

RIGHT! OUTSIDE!!! NOW!!!!

RIGHT! OUTSIDE!!! NOW!!!!

Can we do it on a Iceberg?

Lol at the thought of STWers storming out of the houses or offices in a rage, standing outside blinking in the rain and wondering where people are…

binners, nickf: some perspective for you:

http://www.sierradescents.com/skiing/mclean/the-steep-interview-2.html

It’s like doing that ride, ending up at the pub, and then doing a little drop off into the beer garden just for the hell of it. You’re there anyway, not busy for the next half hour and it might make a nice photo. Why not?

Perspective? Are you mad? To quote david st hubbins: “Too much ****in’ perspective’

I want to skim read snippets of information, taken completely out of context, then issue flippant remarks based on my cursory observations

Perspective indeed? Have you forgotten where you are?

😉

ned – I entirely take your point, but equally, it’s not like he was skiing and just hopped onto an iceberg which just so happened to be passing, is it?

No, but close.

He was on a boat with his ski gear, sailing through icebergs on his way to (or back from) Antarctica and a 1st ascent/descent in the Vinson Massif (innit blud).

what he did probably has more ‘point’ than what most of us do on a daily basis

I would love the chance to play about on a iceberg, skiing on it is a bit pointless but then if I had the chance I would.

icebergs are awesome.

Dear Mr Binners

Please accept my apologies.

The Daily Mail, their story and this thread were all thoroughly enjoying themselves without the burden of bothersome perspective and it was an inappropriate and irresponsible for me to spoil the natural flow of scorn and indignation.

Yours sincerely,

Mr N. Rapier

I would have seen the point if he had a life size replica of Gandhi strapped to his knees.

Cheers Ned. I can relax again now 😉

GlitterGary – What about one of the actual descendants of Ghandi.? Strapped to each knee? That would be even better.

Where was his ironing board that people keep going on about?

Strapped to his knees?

Nah – I think I’ll go to the pub instead actually

Lack of imagination perhaps?

So what I say, I bet he had fun doing it..

He’s American.

He probably shouted “YEEEAAAAHHH!!!! USA!!!!” when he finished.

His mates probably chanted “U S A….U S A….” while he was doing it.

He’s American.

He probably shouted “YEEEAAAAHHH!!!! USA!!!!” when he finished.

His mates probably chanted “U S A….U S A….” while he was doing it.

Yeah. That is probably definitely exactly what happened. Maybe.

I read somewhere that 2/3 of an iceberg is underwater. HTH.

The Hackenthorpe Book of Lies

I read somewhere that 2/3 of an iceberg is underwater

Where did you read that? The Hackenthorpe Book of Lies?

2/3? More like 8/9.

Now if he’d have donned a wetsuit and some really heavy weights. And full breathing apparatus and stuff, then he could ski down that little bit above the water, do some, like, some totally stoked triple back-flip shit, then ski down the underwater bit

Now THAT would be worthy of a piece in the Daily Mail. If you can’t bring me stuff of that caliber then can we keep the usual stuff about nasty illegal immigrants eating babies while claiming invalidity benefit and joining unions?

I read somewhere else it’s 1/9th of it above water. It gets more confusing by the minute…..
I feel an experiment later with icecubes in vodka could be valuable.
Do you think it makes a difference depending on the temp of the vodka?
What about the age of the ice-cube?

Personally I never bother with ice cubes made from anything less than 10,000 year old water. Filtered through unidirectional speaker cables, obviously.

temperature of the vodka, I’d say that has to make a difference. Not sure whether it’s significant.

age of teh ice cube: depends on how it was made, the proportion and distribution of air bubbles, how much it’s sublimated (and from what surfaces) and wheter it’s accumulated frost (and again, whether that’s ll over, or just on the top surfaces)

Given the complexities, I’d say a great deal of research was necessary…

I once read a thesis which suggested that approx 11% of an iceberg can be seen from a boat, but roughly 89% can be seen when in a submarine.

I’m not sure what to believe.

TSY, please share the results of your experimentations (I mean the ones related to the iceberg).

Hmmm… does the submarine have a telescope?

I might move this experiment to the bath. I will use goggles and a snorkle to simulate a submarine.

I’ll drink the vodka.

TSY, why on earth do you want to stimulate a submarine? Or is it that you were wearing beer goggles and necking down 1/9 of a bottle of vodka at the time (which explains almost any otherwise irrational act)?