UKC

I like the iPad but not sure about these mountaineers saying:
'In a whiteout being able to see where you are on the mountain can be a matter of life or death. iPad is the only way to tell where you are going'

It might be different in the big mountains but the article seems to contradict what most MR teams are saying?
http://www.apple.com/your-verse/elevating-expedition/

In reply to djwilse:
Who needs a map when you have an ipad ay!

"Ballinger and Harrington use Gaia GPS on their iPad to find the exact true summit point "

I use my eyes to see the highest bit myself.

In reply to djwilse:

It's not an article, it's an advert.

In reply to djwilse:

I would take it with a pinch of salt, clearly a lot of apple marketing spin/ selective quoting. Adrian is a top guy.

In reply to djwilse:

we used ipads and goole earth and mac airs on previous expeditions to see where we were, going and play endless games and watch movies and read books

So yes, they are great

In reply to djwilse:

Yes, but it doesn't need to be an iPad or Mac Air. It could be any tablet or laptop.

In reply to JoshOvki:


And it's certainly not difficult to be sure you're at the summit of Kili (one of their 3 examples) without an iPad, you just stand next to the large sign

In reply to djwilse:


The main problem MR have encountered are people trying to access maps online, then losing the mobile signal they need to do that, and so having no maps. It's far, far less of an issue if the map is saved on the device.

Sure, batteries can still go flat, or devices get dropped and broken (and indeed, you still need some map reading skills), but that's more akin to the not unknown problem of the paper map getting blown clean away.

In reply to Martin1978:

I know it's an advert, but I find it amusing that the bottom graphic says an ice axe isn't essential equipment for the summit day. They only need it for the base camp and the 'rotation'.

Mehmet

In reply to djwilse:

This validates my utter contempt for Apple's marketing department. Could they be any more smug as a corporation?

In reply to djwilse:
It's quite obviously a sponsored puff piece and bears no resemblance to reality whatsoever.

In reply to Only a hill:

Think the people that did this advert should be ashamed of themselves. Commercial crap.

In reply to Mehmet Karatay:


LOL - mind you, if you're busy walking round holding an iPad in your hands, you're going to find it quite tricky to use an ice axe, too.....

In reply to Carolyn:


There's an App for that!

In reply to AndyC:

Silly me, of course there is!

In reply to djwilse:

Aspirational advertising at its best/worst. I've seen people use them in the lakes with some GPS solution that tells you which peak was what, if you hold it up at the horizon. Exciting stuff. Tend to use one for looking at google earth before I head off into the wilds. I'd harrumph and wave a stick at myself if I actually took it out walking anywhere. Not sure how it copes with -30 either.

D

In reply to Carolyn:


I wonder how effective an I pad arrest is, it's hard enough to stop yourself using ice axe arrest so got knows what it would be like with an ipad in your hands.

Also, I'd bet with that slick apple styling an ipad would go like stink if it were placed down on a bit of an icy slope, along with all your maps too.

In reply to gethin_allen:

I'll bet an Ipad would make an effective Deadman for belays

In reply to adam11:

I have an ipad in work and it's been sat in a draw pretty much since it was given to me. I considered taking it to a conference so I could wast time on the free Wifi but after a few minutes messing about with it my left hand was aching so much from it's weight I put it back in the draw and haven't seen it for about 6 months now.

In reply to djwilse:
Assuming you were the sort of person who takes a tablet on expeditions wouldn't you at least get a vaguely robust one? Ipads are not exactly known for surviving harsh use or even a bit of moisture. I see an option for a Sony sponsored rip off of that advert.

In reply to Reach>Talent:


Well, I don't imagine it matters so much if your sponsor has given you a free one

Although TBF, my iPad has so far survived the (British) hills in just an Ortleib bag.

In reply to Trevers:


but it still looks like an unequivocal recommendation by the two climbers regardles of spin/marketing ?

In reply to Trevers:


I think if I was going somewhere (anywhere, in fact) that I could possibly get lost and die then I'd have no problems in taking map, compass, gps... iPad.
And if the nice people at Apple wanted to give me money, I'd take it.

In reply to djwilse:

Epoxy a handle on one and you could sledge back down, bit like sitting on a tea tray. Stereo soundtrack and Siri to tell you how fast you are going.

In reply to Mehmet Karatay:

Its mainly jugging up/abseiling fixed ropes on Ama, so you could leave the axe.

I am sceptical about its use in cold conditions anyway. My new iPhone with a full battery refused to stay on at all a while back on a cold but not overly cold day on the cobbler. Keeping it against my skin allowed it to switch on but as soon as I tried to use it in the cold to take some photos it said the battery was dead and turned off again. Full power was restored at the car park.

In reply to djwilse:

Has nobody else noticed the fact that the article/advert claims that the climbers DON'T need oxygen above base camp?

I mean... How even... How do they get that so wrong? Oxygen is one of the things you're almost guaranteed to need!

In reply to jon:

but would you agree to giving such a fulsome endorsement ?

In reply to Milesy:

The screens don't work with gloves.

In reply to Jim Hamilton:

If they gave me enough money, of course I would. People seem a little bit touchy on here. It's no different than any other sportsman or woman endorsing any other products... cars, perfume, whatever. Why should they be any different just because they're climbers and not footballers?

In reply to djwilse:

Actually, aren't they missing something here. Isn't it an obvious use for a Google Glasses type of system. Ipad tucked deep in your down-jacket, real-time "head-up" display of where to go next, climb-rate, ETA, oxygen left etc. You could have the location of other team members available to see how far ahead or behind you are (if they go off the radar, you know they have been avalanched). If anyone from Apple is reading, just email me with royalties, thanks.

In reply to jon:

No reason at all. It's just that some of us might wish rather idealistically but unrealisticallly that climbing were above this sort of shit.

In reply to jon:


Because this is simply a lie:
"... Not long ago, they relied on outdated or inaccurate paper maps to inform their plan of attack. Sometimes maps of these areas didn't even exist."

This is also simply not true:
"Mountaineers Adrian Ballinger and Emily Harrington have scaled many of the most renowned - and feared - mountains on earth." I genuinely admire Harrington's climbing skill and Ballinger's guiding professionalism but that sentence is utter rubbish. I wonder if Emily could look Denis Urubko, Marko Prezelj, Doug Scott, Gleb Sokolov etc etc etc in eye and say this with a straight face? Cos her name is on it.

And does anyone think this is actually true?
"And because it’s a crucial part of how they navigate the mountain safely, the iPad makes it all the way to the top." Crucial for navigation? On Everest South Col route? Really? FFS.

So Jon, there's three lies in the ad which annoy me enough to post a reply. I want my 10 minutes back. I could go on about how it misrepresents climbing to a wider public which then backfires on the rest of us, or how it encourages inexperienced newcomers to rely on delicate, breakable, fallible electronics rather than prepare and act more sensibly with a suitable level of basic independence...

But no, wait, there's this to finish:
"But with the iPad, Ballinger and Harrington can navigate those breathtaking heights a little more carefully. And because these expeditions have been made at least somewhat safer, Harrington says, “We’re willing to try new routes in more remote places now.”

So iPad's make climbing safer and have encouraged these guys to do some new routes? Time will tell, I guess, but until then it's just utter shite.

In reply to Damo:

Do you really think people are gullible enough to believe it?

In reply to Robert Durran:

I agree.
Plus wearing Nike football boots rather than Reebok isn't going to hurt anyone. Heading out into a Cairngorm hoolie with only your IPad to navigate with however.....

It's absolutely cringe-worthy to read. I really hope that the quotes have been taken massively out of context. If they are guiding and totally relying on an IPAD for nav, I don't think I'd be signing up with them.

I agree with Damo's comments above too. Lies, misrepresentation and marketing spin may be the norm elsewhere, but it doesn't mean we need to be happy to see it in climbing.

Cheers,

Stuart

In reply to jon:

Well, people buy Ipads in the first place, so they must be some gullible folk out there... :O)
I honestly don't think Apple would fork out on the advertising if they didn't think it was going to influence people.

I doubt that folk with experience will be casting away their maps and compass in favour of the IPad, but the same folk that wander into the highlands armed only with a phone app and little other nav knowledge are the ones I'd be worried about reading this and taking it seriously.

Cheers,

Stuart

In reply to jon:

Of course they are, absolutely. Most people know nothing of mountaineering.

Apple didn't get huge by being stupid. They're using these two to confer authenticity on the product, attached to the kudos of Everest, otherwise they'd just have the product and it's features and sexy stuff and not bother paying these two. They've been bought for a reason.

You and I are not their target market, but that is not the point.

In reply to Damo:


No, I meant climbers.

In reply to jon:

Yes, but not mountaineers

Surely it's about using mountaineers to sell iPads to wannabe armchair adventurers (who might use them to navigate up the Malverns), rather than actually selling iPads to mountaineers?

I do think it's a load of tripe, but generally find it amusing rather than anything else. Does anyone actually chose their brand of walking sock based on if mountain rescue teams use them or not?

(Sorry, x-post with the 2 above....)

In reply to djwilse:

iPad seems over kill. the iPhone has some excellent maps. but would i rely on my iPhone for somewhere i don't know? no way.

would an iPad even work in such cold temperatures???

In reply to Craigyboy13:

In Jan 2012 I guided four clients on a Last Degree (110km) to the South Pole, with me using a Garmin eTrex30 GPS and Suunto compass and one of the guys constantly checking our progress on his iPhone. It actually worked pretty well and the GPS was accurate enough in general.

In reply to Damo:

+1 from me

In reply to MG:

I've heard that from a lot of people but my iPhone (and iPad but that more rarely leaves the house) both work when I'm wearing gloves (standard cheap ones, not the "touchscreen" gloves) and the device is inside a plastic bag (sturdy ziplock freezer bag for my phone when on the bike). Can anyone explain how this works when it shouldn't??