Wordless Wednesday - Knapp Lake

Knapp Lake, Noble County, Indiana. Infrared Photograph.Summer of 1985. Digitized ...Copyright © 1985/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

More details on the newest La Sportiva ski line up for next year, -13

La Sportiva Skis -13 from Skiing Business on Vimeo.









Boulder, Colo.) –La Sportiva North America, makers of the world’s finest mountain products, introduces three new skis and a redesigned line of ski boots for the -13 winter season. La Sportiva will debut its new skis and boots at the OR Winter Market, SIA Snowshow and ISPO tradeshows.



“Ski mountaineering continues to grow in North America and we’re excited to add more innovative products to our award-winning lineup,” states Colin Lantz, winter sports director at La Sportiva. “Our RT Binding and Hi5 ski were well received last year and now we’ve expanded the line to accommodate powder chasers with the Hang5 ski and deliver all-mountain versatility with the Lo5 ski. In addition, our full line of ski mountaineering boots will provide demanding ski mountaineers with the performance that La Sportiva's customers have come to expect from our technical footwear.”



In the ski line, three new ultra-lightweight skis are debuting that are all made with paulownia wood cores and high tech carbon fiber laminates. The Hi5’s little brother, the new Lo5 ski is an all-mountain ripper that has enough rocker to comfortably handle a variety of snow conditions. With measurements of 125-95-115, the Lo5 is available in 168, 178, and 188cm lengths, and weighs 1695g in the 178cm length to keep it light while providing ample downhill performance. At 145-117-135, the new Hang5 is the big daddy to the Hi5 and a pure powder machine that is at home in soft snow. Available in 178 and 188cm lengths and tipping the scales at 1885g in the 178cm length, the Hang5 is still light enough to be comfortable for long, demanding tours. The GTR is a touring-friendly ski that measures 114-82-104, is available in 158, 168, and 178cm lengths and weighs just 1245g in the 168cm length so that it goes up as well as it goes down.

Sun Rays and Ice Clusters

This morning's awe-inspiring sunrise over Lake Superior. This shot was much trickier to obtain than it may seem by looking at it. The entire shoreline here was covered in ice, which necessitated the use of ice spikes on my boots just to even get anywhere close to the water's edge. I had to sit/lay down in this groove in the ice and set up my tripod over my lap in order to get this angle on the scene. Every now and then a wave would wash up in between these two clusters of ice and splash my butt. Good thing I was wearing water-resistant snow pants! I sat in this position on the ice for a good 10 minutes waiting for the sun to peek out from behind the clouds. When it finally did, it was glorious. Beautiful rays of light shone into the sky above the clouds, and by shooting with my lens aperture set at f22 I was able to obtain a nice starburst on the sun. It was definitely worth the cold and uncomfortable seating position on the ice (and the wet butt!) to get this shot.

At the Asylum: an Account of a None Too Sane Patient

Some of you might be wondering where I've been over the last couple of days, either concerned or outraged over my lack of regular posts. Well, if you must know I have been up for the past 48 hours, watching a certain Interview on Oprah again and again, then endlessly analysing it with my internet friends on cycling forums ("Did you see his left eyebrow twitch when he said 'absolutely not' for the 8th time?").




No, I jest. But speaking of analysing facial expressions, readers might recall that I am a psychologist by training and former profession. And you know us psychologists, we love to experiment (that's professional jargon for "mess with people"). Well, last week my PsyPhone - which had grown dusty from lack of use - suddenly rang again, and I was asked to participate in One Last Assignment. "Come on boys," I groaned, wiping bicycle grease off my hands to the sound of jazz in background, "You know that I'm out of that racket." But they wouldn't have it. They needed me. Reluctantly I agreed.




The assignment was in the tradition of theRosenhan experiment. A team of us would infiltrate asylums throughout the country to observe and document their practices - from methods of diagnosis to treatment of inmates. I was assigned to the relatively newArtisan's Asylumin Somerville, Massachusetts.






Armed with notebook and camera, I approached the drab concrete exterior. The need for caution was immediately apparent, given this institution's stealth tactics. Tucked away on a side street lined with warehouses, the enormous building was hidden in plain sight in my very own neighbourhood. Thus it had managed to evade my attention despite being operational for an entire year.






I examined the street conditions to gauge inmate demographics. Bicycles of all types were locked up to every available post. It was clear that I too would require a bicycle, so a to appear a convincing inmate candidate. Luckily, I already had one with me.






At the front desk, several staff members were in place to scrutinise visitors. According to plan, I walked in presenting with vague symptoms of artisanry. Among these I listed: painting, knitting, sewing, persistent compulsions toward bicycle design, and a one time incident of framebuilding. I did not elaborate, I did not exhibit flamboyantly artisanal behaviours, and my hands and clothing were relatively clean. Yet the staff member required no further evidence to admit me. On a notepad I saw them quickly scribble what looked likepsychosis framebuildis, poss. acute. Then another staff member came to escort me.






The inmates call him Dr. Carson, but we never see his face. He, as the other senior staff members, wear welding masks at all times. He appears to be legitimate, even if his interaction tactics unconventional.






Another specialist is called Dr. Skunk. He interacts with inmates exclusively from behind a curtain. He too is purportedlylegitimate, and even runs his own clinic on the side.






Inmates appear well-kempt and not in apparent distress. Possibly they are medicated. Those who have been in the facility long term, enjoy a good degree of freedom. Some rely on two-wheeled devices to assist with mobility around the floor space.






However, new inmates are required to wear green polka dotted metal "gowns," so that they are easily identified by members of staff. This contraption severely limited my speed and range of movements, making note taking and photography challenging.






The interior of the Asylum is vast andlabyrinthine. Endless hallways connect shared spaces designated for inmate activities such as woodworking and metal working.






Private spaces are only partially walled off, allowing staff members to observe inmates.






Primary colours are commonly used.






Evidence of traditional (some might say outdated) treatment models, such as brazing activities, abounds.






Nutrition available on the premises seems limited to beer and coffee, which the inmates are required to brew themselves.






They must also make the tools and dispensers necessary for its production and serving.







Each inmate receives a thermos in which to store hot liquid meals.






Yet I also noted sculptural renditions of used dishes piled up in several communal areas,






which could explain why the premises exhibit signs of insect, rodent, and possibly dragon infestations, in metal and paper form.










A variety of instructional signs guide inmate behaviour. Voluntary compliance rates are considerably higher than I've seen in other institutions.





While I have not noticed any overt force or violence used on the inmates, some visual displays seemed designed as intimidation tactics to keep them under control.






After my tour of the premises, I noted the staff members administering a subtle series of tests to confirm my diagnosis. First, I was exposed to a disassembled vintage Bianchi bicycle in the traditional "celeste" colour scheme while a hidden video camera measured my pupil response.






This procedure was then repeated with tubing, then lugs, then finally some unpainted brazed joints used as stimuli. At the end, Dr. Carson shook his head and jotted down some notes, which I saw to be a confirmation of the initial diagnosis.As far as I can tell, no other steps were taken to probe into my history or consider the appropriateness of my presence at the Asylum.






Following a brief consultation among staff members, my fate was decided. My condition was serious. I was to stay at the Asylum and undergo intensive treatment.






Devises to be used in this course of treatment were shown to me.






Noticing I appeared to have familiarity with them, only confirmed to the staff members the correctness of their diagnosis.





"Much of this is our own technology, made inhouse," Dr. Carson said soothingly. "I believe it will be effective in addressing your needs."







He then showed me other inmates undergoing similar treatment. How happy they were, how engaged, how productive.






Having witnessed everything I came to witness at the Artisan's Asylum, at this stage I attempted to explain myself and depart. But denial is such a common symptom of the condition I was diagnosed with, that this proved to be challenging. I tried to present evidence contradicting my diagnosis. But the staff members only nodded gently. "The pupil test does not lie," said Dr. Carson. From behind his curtain, Dr. Skunk tapped out in Morse code: "you. must. remain."




At length I managed to get to a phone and contacted the project leader of my assignment. He listened to my report. A long silence on the other end then followed."But Dr. [Redacted]..." he finally said, "You have not worked with us for some time. We have no record of such a project as you describe."






What can I say, dear readers. Sometimes life takes us to strange places. Places that exist in pocket universes right under our noses. Places that have brazing and welding facilities (and beginners' workshops, for anyone local interested). I still think the diagnosis is inaccurate, and I am still not sure how I got here. But maybe I will stay a while after all.

Star Trails over the Sage Creek Wilderness

Here is another shot from my trip to the Badlands and Black Hills. This was taken in November on a chilly night, temp was just below freezing. My friend Roger and I were camping in the Sage Creek Campground of Badlands National Park and spent a good portion of the night photographing the stars. This photo was made a few hundred yards away from our campsite. It is a 24 minute exposure and is one of several star trail images that I made that night.

Spring Flow, Glen Avon Falls

Yesterday I went down the shore to photograph some of the rivers at their spring flow. The rivers have really opened up over the weekend and boy was it ever cool to see them flowing at such high capacity. There was water everywhere along Highway 61 as I drove south. The ditches were full of water and temporary waterfalls were everywhere along the highway rock cuts. The rivers were bursting at their seams with water. Some of the larger rivers still had chunks of ice that were floating downstream. The photo you see here is of a waterfall on the Beaver River. It is a location that I visited for the first time last year, but I was there when the water was low. At that time I thought it would be cool to come back when the water was high, and I was right! This spot was amazing, I love how it doesn't even really look like a river, it looks like the water is just running straight down through the forest. It was 71 degrees here when I made this shot, and just a few miles away where the river empties into Lake Superior, the temperature was only 43 degrees! I guess spring and "cooler by the lake" is now officially here :-)

Snowshoe adventure on Mt. Josephine

My last few snowshoe hikes have been up Mt. Josephine, but not on the "normal" trail that everyone knows about. I decided to go up the back side of the ridge, going in from Highway 61. There is an old trail that runs along the spine of the ridge but it has not been maintained in years and is very difficult to see in most places. It took two trips on two consecutive days to break the trail to the summit. The first day I only made it halfway up the mountain and was completely worn out due to the depth of the snow and uphill climb. Most of the "trail" goes through some pretty thick brush, but once you get to the summit the terrain opens up and the views are worth all the effort it took to get there.








Once I had a trail packed all the way to the top I returned with a couple of friends who wanted to snowshoe the trail with me. We took our time and spent most of the day on the trail. Its only about 3 miles round-trip, but we took our time and savored the views along the way and spent quite a bit of time at the summit. Along our snowshoe path we saw 4 or 5 places where deer had bed down for the night. It was interesting looking at the indentations in the snow and thinking about a deer curled up there for a good night's sleep. When we made it back to the highway the sun was getting ready to set and the colors in the sky made for a perfect ending to an incredible day.