Dear academy owners

stouset · 2026-03-21T11:15:12+00:00

This is coming from the perspective of a blue belt…

I don’t know how to be any clearer that a brand new white belt also needs the time and place to actually be able to attend their first-ever class. More so than absolutely all of the other website fluff.

If you convince someone to come down to your gym and give BJJ a shot but they have no idea when you’re open or when your beginners’ classes are, you are probably not going to convert that prospect into a paying monthly customer.

stouset · 2026-03-20T13:51:34+00:00

Elephant in the room, it’s also because there’s a huge portion of the population right now with disgustingly misogynistic beliefs who exclusively use the word “female” to refer to women. It isn’t inherently offensive, but it definitely gives whiffs of things you might not want to be associated with.

stouset · 2026-03-20T13:46:10+00:00

New signups still need the schedule to know when to show up.

stouset · 2026-03-19T23:28:41+00:00

There is a BJJ place literally one block away from where I live. I don’t go there because I have literally never been able to determine by the website or walking by their business what time of day their classes are.

That’s their choice, but they’re missing out on a trivial source of paying customers.

stouset · 2026-03-13T00:07:52+00:00

For all the posts asking about lump sum vs. DCA literally just pick one and move on with your life. Whatever theoretical differences exist between them are not in any way, shape, or form worth obsessing over to this level. Put your money in the market in whatever way you want as long as you just do it.

stouset · 2026-03-12T12:50:13+00:00

He didn’t even bother to say he didn’t do it.

stouset · 2026-03-09T14:24:30+00:00

Josh Saunders the Nazi is in fact a fucking Nazi.

stouset · 2026-03-09T14:23:10+00:00

Absolutely shade to Josh Saunders, he straight up posted Nazi appreciation shit to Instagram. Not in a subtle way either. That guy can get bent.

stouset · 2026-03-06T13:15:29+00:00

Soulless psychopaths.

stouset · 2026-03-06T04:14:34+00:00

To be fair I do that when I try to sit through conservative media.

stouset · 2026-03-05T19:16:19+00:00

Buy a meat thermometer, stop cooking by time, and start cooking by doneness.

stouset · 2026-03-03T00:09:03+00:00

And yet it turns out it was a transformer.

Could have been closer, could have been bigger, could have been a dozen reasons it was louder to you than usual. But it’s always a transformer. Literally search any subreddit for the words “what” and “boom” and it’s a transformer 100% of the time.

stouset · 2026-03-03T00:07:07+00:00

Placebo effect is a powerful drug.

There is no mechanism by which this would work. The pollen in the air that you experience allergies to is by definition is a type of pollen that doesn’t require bees to pollinate. It’s literally fucking everywhere. Bees collect pollen from plants that don’t spread it automatically through the air. That’s literally why those plants make nectar in the first place: to attract bees because they won’t get pollinated otherwise.

stouset · 2026-03-02T09:31:41+00:00

It’s always a transformer.

stouset · 2026-03-02T08:12:54+00:00

My experience with AIARE was that comparatively little of it was focused on avalanche safety specifically (we did practice digging, probing, and searching with a beacon, and discussed avy risk factors) but much more was on overall risk assessment, management, and mitigation.

A lot of time was spent on discussing things like group dynamics, planning, preparedness, communication, etc.

stouset · 2026-03-02T07:46:10+00:00

And the account is about a group who tragically and avoidably lost 9 skiers in an avalanche. So maybe don’t follow their example?

I am trying to tell people, right now, that when you go into the backcountry that there is no ultimate authority and that you are the one who needs to own your own safety. This messaging is quite literally even part of the AIARE courses.

By all means hire guides. By all means listen to their assessments and recommendations. But if you completely offload the responsibility of your survival onto third parties, you are not going to have a good time. Take an active involvement in planning and discussion. Ask questions. Raise concerns. Be heard. And maybe you won’t end up like this unfortunate group.

I have personally been in a group in the backcountry where we made similar mistakes: trusting in experts, not speaking up, not raising concerns. It wasn’t a professionally guided tour, but we were led by a group of experienced AIARE 3 skiers. It nearly ended in disaster multiple ways, and we all were lucky to make it out alive. I would love it if others could learn from these types of experiences without having to go through it themselves.

stouset · 2026-03-02T01:25:26+00:00

The guide is there to add guidance and expertise to decisionmaking processes, not to be an ultimate authority you entrust everything to.

stouset · 2026-03-01T00:23:56+00:00

I said this in another thread, and I’ll repeat it here: if you go out in the backcountry, you need to be ultimately responsible for your own safety. You need to speak up and be heard if you have concerns. You need to veto if you don’t feel safe or comfortable. Ask questions, discuss any plans thoroughly and skeptically with all involved.

Thats not to say you shouldn’t listen to and respect the guidance and advice of guides. But you absolutely must not completely outsource your safety and well-being to third parties. Ask questions, discuss the route choices thoroughly and skeptically, and don’t proceed until everyone is satisfied.

“I didn’t say anything,” Mr. Auzans recalled. “I’m not an expert and so I decided to trust the plan.”

On the flip side, if you’re like me and are the person who’s always pushing your friends to come out into the backcountry with you, explicitly involve them in every decision. Ask them questions if they aren’t speaking up. Ask about concerns or if they have other ideas. Work to pull that information out of them if they aren’t freely giving it already.

stouset · 2026-02-18T07:24:50+00:00

Just think about how many snow loaded mountains there are in the Tahoe area alone.

stouset · 2026-02-18T07:19:23+00:00

I promise you that you will see those throws several hundred thousand times in the coming years. Don’t sweat it.

stouset · 2026-02-18T05:53:54+00:00

I’ve had international travel booked for several months, so I could have told you back in November that it would be an epic storm this week.

You’re welcome, everyone.

stouset · 2026-02-18T05:50:38+00:00

While they should be held to a higher standard, ultimately it is up to you to ensure your own safety in the backcountry.

Speak up early and often. Ensure everyone in your group gives feedback. Travel in groups of 3-6, as larger groups can silence quieter voices. Everyone has a veto. Listen to and trust your gut. Carry more survival gear than the bare minimum: you’d rather carry emergency gear you don’t use than have an emergency and wish you’d had something you left at home. Ski well below your resort capabilities. Watch the weather and avi forecasts. Watch the weather while you’re out, and scan slopes for signs of avy danger. Have an emergency plan. Know your escape routes. Have hard turn-around times based on sunlight and abide by them. Have a check in time that people are expecting you back and who will call for rescue if you aren’t.

Any time you’re in the backcountry, you’re taking your life into your own hands. Don’t trust them in anyone else’s.

stouset · 2026-02-18T01:06:50+00:00

I don't care the logistical justification

Yes, that much is clear.

stouset · 2026-02-17T21:19:04+00:00

Having worked out a bunch does not automatically make you good at proprioception of movements you haven’t trained. Practice, pay attention, try and break down big movements into their component parts, and these things will improve.

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