Top 5 Ski Mountains

[Coleman]

Here in New England you always know someone who have the special distinction of being Mayflower descendants.

My family is the French equivalent - the first boat of settlers from France to Québec.  

I'm always greeted with a "Welcome home." (Bienvenue maison.) and sometimes gotten hotel upgrades or something compted at dinner.  
Surprisingly, my Aunt & Uncle on a capitol tour in Ottawa were given a special bonus tour to include the Prime Minister's office as well as the usually non-tourist areas of the parliament building.  (Of course, this goes way back and may have even been early 80s when Trudeau was PM.)

I'm also French Canadian. My folks came from Dieppe, Normandy in the 1640s and settled in Trois Rivieres, Quebec.

[Benny B]

I know another major factor in the hard living pilot lifestyle is that the early days of military aviation were brutal in terms of Class Alpha mishaps. The likelihood of "buying the farm" was higher than in any other chosen field of endeavor - in fact the term 'buying the farm' is from military aviation because Uncle Sam would have to write a check to farmers for damages after a pilot crashed in their fields.

Because of the inherent dangers and ridiculously high fatality rates there emerged a culture of pilots cramming as much fun into their existence as possible. Since they were always young men this centered on overindulging in those passions and hungers that absorb so much of a young man's attention.

Having spent 2 years on a carrier I could see another dynamic at play with Naval aviators - life at sea is a 24/7 marathon of deprivation in an all male, completely dry environment. So when the battle group dropped anchor in Subic, Pattaya, Perth, or Hong Kong you had thousands of thirsty, horny men looking to rectify their deprived status. Throw in the fact that they know they have to cram months of fun into a week and you had full on Animal House behavior.

And while aviation has become safer than the earliest days it is still a damned dangerous line of work. The only way a military pilot can get life insurance is through USAA - nobody else will touch you.

When I first joined my F 16 squadron at Misawa the coffee mess guy asked me for $200 for the "Mort Fund." He explained that when a pilot in the squadron dies everyone meets at the O Club. A photo of the deceased is placed on the bar and everyone drinks to his memory. These sessions last hours, a lot of alcohol is consumed, and the Mort Fund covers the tab. And while this custom may sound strange to outsiders it is an indispensable component of the warrior culture and a vital psychological comfort knowing that you will never be forgotten.

How many jobs ask you to contribute to your own wake as part of the on-boarding process? I think that summarizes the context for the fighter pilot mentality rather well.     

I was amongst a group of about 12 who took the ASTB in spring 2002 at Great Lakes (I don't know if it's still true, but all Navy OCS recruits had to take the ASTB even if they weren't interested in aviation).  After the OA portion of the exam, nearly half were dismissed, and the remainder of us who remained in the room were polled by the officer proctoring the exam in alphabetical order as to what field of service we were interested in.  Having my last name at the end of alphabet, I watched as the other recruits rattled off either surface warfare, submarine warfare, or intelligence, each time the officer indicating that they weren't actively recruiting in those fields (read: your OA score was good, but not good enough), but if they were interested in aviation, they could complete the remainder of the ASTB; otherwise, they were shown the door.  I was the only person who came in that morning with aviation as my first choice, although three others did indicate the requisite interest in aviation (presumably just so they could finish the exam).  So I finished the ASTB as one of four, and at the end of the day, I was the only one who remained after the exam to talk options with the testing officer.

Keep in mind, this was post-9/11 but pre-Desert Storm... every one of us in that room knew what we were getting into even though we really didn't, but at the time, it was clear who the enemy was, and it was clear to everyone in that room that any Naval engagement would be in the skies, not on the seas.  Granted the small sample size, out of 12 officer recruits, 8 had no interest in going to AOCS, 3 couldn't pass the ASTB, and 1 was sent to his pre-comm physical (where I was summarily shown the door following said physical).  But even as the demand for aviators was soaring and patriotism was at a historical peak, the snippet of the process I witnessed seemed to imply that the Navy was having some serious difficulty recruiting to AOCS.

One could make the argument that I was both the smartest and dumbest person in the room that day.  Planes may be safer, but most would still rather take their chances working underwater a few yards away from a nuclear reactor.

[keefe]

The attrition rate for the USAF undergraduate pilot training is almost 90%. It's a steep curve but then it should be. UPT crams 4 years of aero into a year during which you must also master the art slipping the surly bonds, the science of weapon system employment, and integrating your skills into a huge combined arms leviathan that demands precision, accountability, and thoroughness. All the while the flight docs are poking you and prodding you while the head shrinkers are asking you if you, "loved your mother..."

At the end of the day, it is not merely the grant of lethal authority to kill but the moral and ethical rigor to understand the how and why of armed conflict. A tremendous articulation of that moral dilemma is Twelve O'Clock High with Dean Jagger and Gregory Peck. A fascinating case study on leadership and the intellectual demands of commanding not just machines but men. There is a reason that the Twelve O'clock High Case Study is taught at both Harvard Business School and the Air War College.

As we reflect on the Greatest Generation my mind always goes to the men of the Mighty Eighth. The Army Air Force had the highest casualties of any service in WW II - their losses were staggering. These were 17-24 year old kids who were a cross section of an innocent America who were asked to do the impossible and they responded magnificently.

[mu03eng]

I was amongst a group of about 12 who took the ASTB in spring 2002 at Great Lakes (I don't know if it's still true, but all Navy OCS recruits had to take the ASTB even if they weren't interested in aviation).  After the OA portion of the exam, nearly half were dismissed, and the remainder of us who remained in the room were polled by the officer proctoring the exam in alphabetical order as to what field of service we were interested in.  Having my last name at the end of alphabet, I watched as the other recruits rattled off either surface warfare, submarine warfare, or intelligence, each time the officer indicating that they weren't actively recruiting in those fields (read: your OA score was good, but not good enough), but if they were interested in aviation, they could complete the remainder of the ASTB; otherwise, they were shown the door.  I was the only person who came in that morning with aviation as my first choice, although three others did indicate the requisite interest in aviation (presumably just so they could finish the exam).  So I finished the ASTB as one of four, and at the end of the day, I was the only one who remained after the exam to talk options with the testing officer.

Keep in mind, this was post-9/11 but pre-Desert Storm... every one of us in that room knew what we were getting into even though we really didn't, but at the time, it was clear who the enemy was, and it was clear to everyone in that room that any Naval engagement would be in the skies, not on the seas.  Granted the small sample size, out of 12 officer recruits, 8 had no interest in going to AOCS, 3 couldn't pass the ASTB, and 1 was sent to his pre-comm physical (where I was summarily shown the door following said physical).  But even as the demand for aviators was soaring and patriotism was at a historical peak, the snippet of the process I witnessed seemed to imply that the Navy was having some serious difficulty recruiting to AOCS.

One could make the argument that I was both the smartest and dumbest person in the room that day.  Planes may be safer, but most would still rather take their chances working underwater a few yards away from a nuclear reactor.

Part of the experience could be that you were OCS, right or wrong, 90 day wonders are still very frowned up(in my experience).  The pecking order was Canoe U grads, Mustangers, ROTC, something left in the microwave, and then OCS.  Additionally, in the Navy and I believe the Air Force, front line aviation is viewed as the quickest way to stars and they are a lot less likely to give those spots to non-Career types.  Hell, to command a carrier you have to have brown shoes and most of the task group assignments go to aviator types as well.

Keefe is spot on of course, failure rate in the naval aviator pipeline is insanely high, north of 90%.  It takes almost nothing to get bounced, if they were having trouble filling slots there would be some relaxation of the standards, especially on the medical end.  Haven't heard of any relaxing at all.

Also keep in mind, the number of fixed wing aviation billets in the Navy is relatively fixed.  There are only so many carriers and air groups to fill the need.  I've always heard SWOs were harder to fill than aviation.

[Strokin 3s]

It all starts and ends with Alta for me.

Started going out there when I was about 12 years old, went every year for 4-5 in a row in first week of April and every year was not disappointed with anything less than 12 inches.  Sometimes subtantially more and on consecutive days.

Added bonus was the friends we went to visit, there father was a part-time ski instructor at Alta, so knew the place inside and out and took us to all the secret spots.  Cut my teeth on the Baldy Chutes as my first "non lift accessible" areas.  Good thing I was young enough to not know any better, but what a rush.

To this day there are only a few things in life that are as exciting as being on the first lifts to the top and hearing the yips from people cutting fresh tracks through 12-24 inches of powder and being amongst them.

[keefe]

It all starts and ends with Alta for me.

Started going out there when I was about 12 years old, went every year for 4-5 in a row in first week of April and every year was not disappointed with anything less than 12 inches.  Sometimes subtantially more and on consecutive days.

Added bonus was the friends we went to visit, there father was a part-time ski instructor at Alta, so knew the place inside and out and took us to all the secret spots.  Cut my teeth on the Baldy Chutes as my first "non lift accessible" areas.  Good thing I was young enough to not know any better, but what a rush.

To this day there are only a few things in life that are as exciting as being on the first lifts to the top and hearing the yips from people cutting fresh tracks through 12-24 inches of powder and being amongst them.

I mentioned Baldy in an earlier post but it is a GREAT off piste run. Here's video - the one dude is shooting Baldy on Tellies!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/xvRrIpD7_0E?hl=en_US&amp;amp;version=3&amp;amp;rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/xvRrIpD7_0E?hl=en_US&amp;amp;version=3&amp;amp;rel=0</a>

[Benny B]

Part of the experience could be that you were OCS, right or wrong, 90 day wonders are still very frowned up(in my experience).  The pecking order was Canoe U grads, Mustangers, ROTC, something left in the microwave, and then OCS.  Additionally, in the Navy and I believe the Air Force, front line aviation is viewed as the quickest way to stars and they are a lot less likely to give those spots to non-Career types.  Hell, to command a carrier you have to have brown shoes and most of the task group assignments go to aviator types as well.

Keefe is spot on of course, failure rate in the naval aviator pipeline is insanely high, north of 90%.  It takes almost nothing to get bounced, if they were having trouble filling slots there would be some relaxation of the standards, especially on the medical end.  Haven't heard of any relaxing at all.

Also keep in mind, the number of fixed wing aviation billets in the Navy is relatively fixed.  There are only so many carriers and air groups to fill the need.  I've always heard SWOs were harder to fill than aviation.

Like I said, that was simply my observation; I do recall having been told that the Annapolis boys typically get first placement, even if I scored straight-9s on the ASTB.  In retrospect, I'm glad I was bounced in pre-comm... I have a feeling I would have probably ended up with walleye vision & watching radar somewhere.

[keefe]

Like I said, that was simply my observation; I do recall having been told that the Annapolis boys typically get first placement, even if I scored straight-9s on the ASTB.  In retrospect, I'm glad I was bounced in pre-comm... I have a feeling I would have probably ended up with walleye vision & watching radar somewhere.

The USAF places a lot lower priority on Ring Knockers than Big Green and the Navy. I think that's because the original Air Corps guys were seen as renegades tilting at windmills. And because the Air Corps was smaller the surest way to make rank was in the much larger traditional Army. The reality was, before WWII, West Point grads went Armor, Infantry, Engineers, and Signal Corps before aviation. As a result there has been an anti-Academy bias in the Air Force since its earliest days before WWI.

The original leadership of the independent Air Force in 1947 was a bunch of guys who were commissioned through the Cadets and OCS programs. Instead of West Point heritage these guys had pounded the Axis Powers into submission so combat experience was much more valuable than where one had matriculated. As the Air Force grew and evolved, and the AFA was established at Springs, the need for highly trained engineers and physicists made recruitment in civilian schools essential to the intellectual nourishment of the service.

[Benny B]

The USAF places a lot lower priority on Ring Knockers than Big Green and the Navy. I think that's because the original Air Corps guys were seen as renegades tilting at windmills. And because the Air Corps was smaller the surest way to make rank was in the much larger traditional Army. The reality was, before WWII, West Point grads went Armor, Infantry, Engineers, and Signal Corps before aviation. As a result there has been an anti-Academy bias in the Air Force since its earliest days before WWI.

The original leadership of the independent Air Force in 1947 was a bunch of guys who were commissioned through the Cadets and OCS programs. Instead of West Point heritage these guys had pounded the Axis Powers into submission so combat experience was much more valuable than where one had matriculated. As the Air Force grew and evolved, and the AFA was established at Springs, the need for highly trained engineers and physicists made recruitment in civilian schools essential to the intellectual nourishment of the service.

Actually, that makes a lot of sense.

In fact, last time I was in the Springs, I took a picture of the "Highway Cleanup" sign on I-25 near Briargate which was sponsored by the LGBT Society, positioning my camera at an angle so you could see AFA in the background, and sent it to my cousin (USAF Col.).  It was intended as a non-sequitur to rag on my cousin's ultra-conservative ideals, but he instead printed it off and evidently he and his OCS buddies have used it as firepower to hammer the AFA grads on base.

Ironically, I never considered the Air Force, despite wanting to go into aviation (and the greater likelihood of succeeding).  Maybe it's because my HS was so small that only the Army and Navy sent recruiters there... when I finally got my degree and was considering service, the only OCS recruiters I sought out were USN/USMC.  Interesting how life throws many twists and turns at you... just like those Baldy chutes.  Although Baldy just doesn't do it for me; probably because I'm just too lazy to really get up there, not to mention I haven't been lucky enough to be up there when they dropped the gate... once you miss the window and there's already a few dozen people hiking up the ridge, the day's over.

[keefe]

  Although Baldy just doesn't do it for me; probably because I'm just too lazy to really get up there, not to mention I haven't been lucky enough to be up there when they dropped the gate... once you miss the window and there's already a few dozen people hiking up the ridge, the day's over.

Not sure I necessarily agree. The best is knee deep powder but once the polar bears start forming Baldy takes on a hugely different vibe and is actually a more challenging experience.

I mentioned in a response to Glow that my off piste runs nowadays tend to be more technical than catching air and Baldy's moguls certainly make it one of the more skill-based challenges. Regardless of time of day it is one hell of a run. I will say, however, that whereas in the past we would go right back up to the cornice now I am content to shoot Baldy once then find other pastures.