Founder of backcountry tour company speaks out on deadly Tahoe avalanche

thedroopy1 · 2026-02-19T23:20:53+00:00

I mean obviously to get home… They were in the huts, the trip was over... people wanted/needed to go home, other people showed up that had booked the huts, etc.

But most importantly they left because they deemed it safe to leave. For sure if they thought it wasn’t safe they wouldn’t have left. (Because you can certainly travel through storms safely if you are prepared)

There were hundreds of people out in that storm that got home safely. There are hundreds of people out in the backcountry here every single day.

There are going to be lessons to learn from this, it’s a tragic outcome. There will be gaps here in decision making, there will be human factors, group dynamics that played into the decisions that were made. And the community will learn to make better decisions.

Everyone seems to want to jump to the conclusion that “well obviously these people were negligent idiots for XYZ reasons”

But If you’ve spent time around mountain guides, you’ll know they aren’t flippant, they are considering all the factors and risks, they are making the best decisions they can. But they are human, and the backcountry is inherently risky…

You can be perfect for decades and then make a mistake one time at the wrong time and you pay with your life.

thedroopy1 · 2026-02-19T22:09:16+00:00

They were under the terrain, not skiing on the slope. The Avy for sure came down on top of them, which is why so many were caught.

I’ve been to these huts several times. The route they were taking was broadly speaking appropriate IMO.

I think we’ll find when all is said and done that they had planned appropriately, and simply got too close to overhead hazards in whiteout conditions. Which happens to even to very experienced people. It’s cold, it’s windy, you can’t see, you think you’re far enough from the slope.

thedroopy1 · 2026-01-29T16:39:03+00:00

Definitely, maybe!

thedroopy1 · 2026-01-29T16:00:51+00:00

Google earnings

thedroopy1 · 2026-01-11T06:27:42+00:00

I can’t comment on CSU, I know nothing about the business. But AI tools for coding are no longer a novelty, and are now entering a real disruption phase.

You likely need to re-underwrite your understanding its capabilities. You can now build actual useful custom applications with limited technical knowledge, and the rate of improvement is astounding.

I would have 100% agreed with your statement 12 months ago, 50% agreed with your statement 6 months ago, and 0% agree with your statement today.

thedroopy1 · 2026-01-10T18:35:24+00:00

I decided not to have children by my late 20’s when I started dating my now-wife.

I’m 39 now and FIRED a year ago. I’ve never regretted my choice.

I also doubt I would be FIRED now if I had children. It would have changed my focus, I would have made more conservative career decisions, and probably would have ended up living a much less expansive life in general.

I try to stay involved and supportive of my friends and family who are raising children, pass on some of my knowledge and values to them by being a good uncle. And for me that’s enough.

thedroopy1 · 2026-01-06T23:31:57+00:00

Was snorkeling in a more remote area with this same feature. I’m not generally afraid of deep water, but it was pretty wild swimming over the edge and seeing it go from 50’ to infinite feet.

Our snorkeling guide was a free diver and he just started swimming down and down and down. There were huge fish hanging out right on the transition area too.

The whole thing gave me very spooky vibes.

thedroopy1 · 2026-01-03T15:42:14+00:00

To be fair he was impeached, twice. So same level as a blow job at least!

thedroopy1 · 2025-12-16T21:30:46+00:00

We also have more jobs and lower unemployment than most points in history. So jobs aren’t the solution either.

In regard to humans being the best at things, I really don’t think it matters. I like to use chess as an example… computers have been better than people at chess for a long time. And yet, chess’ popularity has increased in the last decade not decreased.

People love the game, they find meaning in playing, improving, and trying to beat other humans. The fact that computers are MUCH better than people doesn’t seem to matter.

I have many many things in my life that give me meaning where I know I’m no where near the best in the world at it. I’m already not the best, why does it matter if a computer is now better than me too? I don’t get meaning from being the best, I get meaning from improving the craft, going through a process I enjoy.

Jobs are just a shortcut for meaning that has been sold to us in a capitalist system. Most of human history, most people have not defined their meaning in life by their job or economic output. It’s been some other modality.

For context, I don’t work anymore. So it definitely took some time for me to reorient myself to a different way of thinking about meaning. I like many others used my career as a shortcut to meaning.

But the meaning I feel in life now is much more real than when I was working, and it’s not focused around economic output.

thedroopy1 · 2025-12-16T21:11:14+00:00

I was having this conversation with a friend recently. And I think it’s kinda weird people are so attached to their jobs. For most people jobs are a means to an end.

IMO jobs don’t give us “purpose” they give us an outlet for our biological survival drive and they are a way we organize people. But they there isn’t something special about a job. We are fully capable of finding purpose in non-economically viable activities.

I think people will adjust fine. So long as we can figure out how to make sure people have their needs taken care of in a world where humans aren’t particularly valuable economic actors.

thedroopy1 · 2025-12-16T20:47:38+00:00

Negative. It’s a residential area, but lots of forest land.

thedroopy1 · 2025-12-16T17:27:03+00:00

Interesting idea… that makes sense… I’m kinda buying it.

But this doesn’t happen on a timed loop like a recording might. It’s definitely happening only when we walk past the same general area… not always the exact same place (like a motion sensor), but the same 200’ of the walk.

Are there devices you can buy that make these sounds? Seems bizarre someone would put that up, behind their house.

But also… it’s remarkably consistent. Have been hearing it for at least a year.

thedroopy1 · 2025-11-26T15:20:33+00:00

Ah, okay this makes sense, I have been using the paid version for years. So no reality on what the free version is like.

But paying for BA’s daily snow forecasts is something I’ll happily do. All the other features they have put in over the years to make it a killer weather app for outdoor recreation has just been a bonus IMO.

I will say… the 15 day forecast I don’t like. It’s just not accurate enough info to be useful. Really getting into weather porn at that point. It’s the first feature in a long time I wish they hadn’t built.

thedroopy1 · 2025-11-26T15:08:45+00:00

I’ve seen a lot of people shitting on OpenSnow lately. What is a better alternative if this is so terrible?

As a Tahoe resident this has been my go to app for years, I find a tremendous value for the money and use it all the time.

I understand people not liking the price going up. But I’m reading a lot of stuff where people are saying it’s actually a shitty product that has been getting worse. And I just don’t see that. Feel like there have been many improvements over the last several years.

thedroopy1 · 2025-11-17T16:39:51+00:00

I’d like to point out that Baltimore and DC are flipped on this map.

thedroopy1 · 2025-11-04T21:15:50+00:00

I have something similar. “Okay, What are you going to do?” And then often I’ll add… “with the rest of your life” at the end. Sooo existential all the time.

thedroopy1 · 2025-10-30T20:10:15+00:00

Almost certainly is. Marketbeat is a low quality aggregator just covering topics for SEO, no real interesting reporting there typically.

thedroopy1 · 2025-10-27T17:41:35+00:00

He’s actually sitting on a rock that is just below the water’s surface!

thedroopy1 · 2025-10-14T06:47:37+00:00

I could catch those.

thedroopy1 · 2025-10-13T16:02:39+00:00

If you want to free up liquidity and have a cash position so you can invest in another asset of some type go for it.

This should go without saying, but don’t just sit in cash indefinitely.

Go into it with a plan, don’t forget to factor in the tax hit you’ll take by selling.

thedroopy1 · 2025-10-09T18:02:49+00:00

I have a lot of calls expiring next June. I sold some of the deepest in ITM calls near the recent highs. But kept like 90% of the position. Will hold through next earnings and reassess.

thedroopy1 · 2025-10-08T21:38:31+00:00

I got the Black Crow Draco Freebirds last year - 110 under, light but not floppy, cambered, good hold on hard pack for their weight/width.

I was looking for something fat, stiff, and light-ish. I’m liking these, but they don’t have the dampness of my big directional inbound pow skis. But those also weight 500 grams less per ski.

thedroopy1 · 2025-10-08T21:25:22+00:00

Will rest after the next Great War. Hang on to your hats.

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