Drunken Mountaineers Supercooled Water

Who says climbing is a frivolous activity? When combined with drinking, you can get some solid science. Anyone from the newsgroup participate in the study?

Mike,

Interesting article how they pull mountaineering into it. It doesn't sound like some of the mountaineers I know.

'What we found,' Emilia La Nave, principal author on one of the papers, 'is that how molecules diffuse through super-cooled liquid depends upon the way energy is distributed throughout the liquid - its 'energy landscape'.'

'A useful analog,' she continues, 'is a drunken mountaineer amidst a large and confusing mountain range trying to find his way home. Even though drunk, the mountaineer will be sensible enough to find the mountain passes and stumble through them rather than climb over each peak! The key to understanding the path of the mountaineer lies in the topology of the landscape he traverses - he picks the path of least resistance.'

Safe climbing!!

i don't think i know any climbers that take teh path of least resistance. wouldn't that be sitting on your arse on the couch instead of climbing mountains?

Chunk Spiekerphone wrote a proposal for Rabid Inc to fund his participation in the study, but when he couldn't pass the prelims, we had to give him the axe (in the forehead).

The prelims involved one shot of tequila per hour on an all-day climb. He went technicolor on pitch 8, thus losing out to former rec.climber Mattie Thompson, who radioed down from the summit, requesting a bottle of wine for the descent. Next year, we plan to take on the elite drinking climbers in Britian.

Mad 'punky primadonnas, all of-em' Dog

Before you buy.