Skiing, Life and NatureMill

This weekend I replaced the broken clips which had caused a problem with the NatureMill. The machine had stopped transferring waste from the top compartment to the bottom.

The replacement clips arrived via UPS from the States, sent directly from the clip manufacturer. NatureMill had emailed me the instructions for replacement. Before starting the repair I dumped it's contents on our compost heap and hosed the machine down to try and make the job as pleasant as possible.

The instructions were mostly fine, and taking the machine apart went OK. The only 'issue' was how the new clips actually fitted. The old ones had completely broken and there was no hint as to how the new ones went in. In the end I had to refer back to the photo's I took when the unit arrived and luckily there was one which gave the answer.

Fitting the clips was OK once I'd managed to free up the trap door. The main thing is not to accidentally throw out the small plastic grommets which help secure the clips with a friction fit. The instructions also suggest ensuring the trapdoor 'arms' are parallel, so I checked and bent them as required.

Reassembly is disassembly in reverse. Because I'd hosed the unit down I decided to restart the composting process from scratch and I reset the NatureMill when I powered it up. I added some chippings and soil and eventually the machine went in to 'Mix' mode. The the clips seem to have held OK.

The real test will be if the transfer function works and how long the clips last for. 4 months is the record so far. Fingers crossed !

Good news on the Nature Mill. I've been testing the unit with an alternative to the saw dust I bought after the saw dust pellets which shipped with the machine ran out.

When the original pellets ran out I popped down the local pet shop and picked up a bag of sawdust for pet bedding. However it seems that this type of sawdust isn't helping the smell issues I've been having with the Nature Mill. I'm unsure as to why, other than perhaps its pine softwood.

During the Winter I had a couple of big Pear trees behind the house heavily pruned and the Ivy removed. The job left behind a large pile of finely cut wood chippings which have started to compost down. So I fed the Nature Mill with a couple hand fulls from the chippings pile and the results have been encouraging. A smell is still there when the lid is opened but it's a bit more pleasant.

The bad news is that the machine has stopped transferring from the top chamber to the bottom one which means that I've not been able to test the wood chippings over a full cycle. I found a broken clip which must the the cause of the problem.

The good news is that the Nature Mill company in the US have been very helpful and redesigned replacement clips are on their way. The guys emailed the instructions for replacing them but it looks a messy job as the unit has to come apart.

I'll let you know how it goes . . . . .

Earlier in the year I took part in some research for the Canadian Avalanche Centre who in collaboration with the Simon Fraser University were conducting a study on avalanche awareness of out-of-bounds skiers and snowboarders. The goal is to develop better avalanche awareness materials for this group.

Analysis of the data collected is ongoing but as a thank you they sent me a copy of their pocket book and reminder card entitled "Avaluator" which was based on initial research cumulating in 2006. I received mine in the post yesterday and it looks to be a useful tool to aid decision making and a check list for those venturing off piste.

Obviously this type of publication is no substitute for training and using a guide but it aims to provide skiers and boarders with a tool which will enable them to avoid obvious mistakes and "set them on a path of learning and practising good habits".



For more information see the Canadian Avalanche Centre web site at:

http://www.avalanche.ca/default.aspx?DN=428,4,558,3,Documents

And Pascal Haegeli's site at:

http://www.avisualanche.ca/adfar1/avaluator.html


Update:

Following a couple of emails to Pascal, he comments:

"The Avaluator combines two methods for personal risk management on backcountry trips in avalanche terrain.

The Trip Planner allows the user to pick reasonable trip destinations based on the regional danger rating from the avalanche bulletin and a trip rating that expresses the exposure of the trip to avalanche hazard in general. For more background in terrain ratings visit:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/visit7a1_e.asp
http://www.avalanche.ca/default.aspx?DN=646,428,4,558,3,Documents

The Obvious Clue Method was developed by Ian McCammon based on US avalanche accident data. The idea is that the more clues are present, the more similar your situation to past avalanche accidents. You can find more background on this method in the following papers:

http://www.avisualanche.ca/downloads/2004_ISSW_DecisionFrameworks.pdf
http://www.avisualanche.ca/downloads/2006_ISSW_McCammonHaegeli.pdf
http://avalancheinfo.net/ADFAR%20Proj%20Docs/CAAReviewEuropeanDecisionFrameworks.pdf

There are two parts to the recommendations of the Avaluator:

1) The colors on the Trip Planner Chart and the Obvious Clue Scale (green-yellow-red) are expert recommendations about what level of training and experience is necessary to safely travel in avalanche terrain under the given conditions.

2) In the booklet we also provide estimates on the percentage of historic US avalanche accident that could have been prevented if the accident parties would have followed these guidelines. A comparison of US and Canadian avalanche accidents showed that their characteristics are comparable and these percentages are applicable in Canada as well.

So while the Avaluator contains some common sense recommendations, the user should be aware that the recommendations were developed by North American experts and that the percentage of prevented accidents is based on North American accident statistics.

The Avaluator does not have any capabilities to predict individual avalanches. It is built on historic avalanche accidents from North America and its goal is to make users aware of conditions that have resulted in accidents in the past. The recommendations of the Avaluator provide the users with a sense of how much training and experience is necessary to safely travel in avalanche terrain under different conditions. The Avaluator provides a new accident perspective to complement the existing avalanche safety methods such as snow science, group management and rescue skills."

This is an example of posting to the blog from a mobile phone via the text-Connect service. The SMS text message is sent to our text number and the system forwards it to a pre defined email address, in this case my blog. See http://www.text-connect.co.uk for more info.

Winter and skiing seem a long way away sitting here with the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing across the garden.

Even though it's early Summer there are things we can do to help set up our skiing for the Winter. Perhaps one of the simplest is walking up the stairs. It's the perfect chance to develop a key skill which will speed your up skiing development, it's free and one no one need know !

In order to climb the stairs you need to use your legs effectively, as you do when skiing. Because you've been walking up stairs quite successfully for years it's likely you don't give it a second thought, but if you think about it the movements you make are actually quite complex.

So the next time you walk up the stairs try and pay close attention to feelings you get from your feet and legs. Are you stomping ? Is your footfall soft ? Where are your feet landing ? Does the left feel different to the right ? Use all the 'feedback' mechanisms available to you. Feel, listen and maybe take a quick look at what's going on too.

Then walk up the stairs again. This time modify your movements based on what you have just felt. Maybe make your steps softer, or their placement more accurate. Or if you noticed a difference between the left and the right see if you can even it up. Each time you walk up the stairs or go for a walk, try and be aware of your footfall and how your legs are moving.

This simple activity helps you develop your 'internal' feedback skills, in this case a heightened awareness of what your legs and feet are doing. This is a key skill which will help you improve your skiing. By accurately feeling what's happening under your feet means that you are able to modify your movements and make fine adjustments, and then feel the difference.

When you get back on skis this will pay dividends. Your heightened awareness of whats happening under your feet will enable you to know better how you are skiing. You can then change how you are skiing and feel the difference. When working with your ski Coach or Instructor you will be able to compare your 'internal' feedback, i.e. how your performance felt to you, to your Coaches verbal feedback, how your run it looked to him.

By having more accurate information and a fuller understanding of how you are skiing you will be able to progress faster.