 |
|
 |
Name: Miroslav Caban
Nickname: Miro
Sports: mountaineering
Date of Birth: 4th of April, 1968
Home country: Czech Republic
Marital status: Married
Website: www.448.cz |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
As my passion for mountains started to develop into more demanding climbs and expeditions I started to look around for a reliable and smart equipment to help and accompany me on my ways. Suunto has been known for its reliability and features very well among mountaineers, hikers and travelers for years so it seemed a natural choice. I have to say that I was hesitating for a while because at that time it wasn't pocket money for a Suunto wristop for a guy from the Czech Republic. But Suunto's reputation cut my thinking short and I bought my first Suunto - the renowned Vector in 2000.
As I was learning the features I started to wear my new 'super sports watch' everywhere with me. Many of you might be surprised but the major feature for me wasn't the altimeter, though it is an important function indeed, but the measurement of barometric pressure and weather prediction based on that. The basic rule is that any increase / decrease of baro pressure by 2 millibars means a weather change is coming. Of course, the most accurate weather prediction is much more complex than that, combination of clouds' shapes, barometric pressure development, and own knowledge and experience, but it's always nice and sometimes also crucial to have a smart instrument casually resting on your wrist to alarm you. About the weather prediction I will tell you more in a separate article to be published later on here and about the wrist alarm, here is my personal story:
As I mentioned my climbing became more demanding and in a way also more dangerous. That was one of the reasons I bought my first Suunto before climbing Aconcagua for the first time in 2000. And as it turned out it was one of best investments in my life. Aconcagua is the highest peak of South America and it sits in Argentina. The nature around it is incredibly beautiful in its bareness and rich colors. The sky can play a sonata of different shades of blue and greenish colors throughout the day but the beauty can easily become a beast. No surprise when talking about mountains.
At the time I was climbing Aconcagua my teammates were having relaxing time in Santiago de Chile for few days already. Being alone in the mountains feels very natural and takes off the responsibility you have for your teammate(s) but can also be dangerous. Fortunately, I wasn't that alone at all. I stopped in Canaleta to have a drink and short rest. As I looked around I noticed that the clouds started to look like the shape of stencil and the sky was becoming full of them. It's the cloud shape you don't like and I thought to myself: Not good. I checked the numeric value of the barometric pressure on my Suunto Vector and kept drinking my tea (for an accurate measurement it is necessary to keep the watch at a constant altitude for a while). In 30 minutes the pressure dropped by 4 millibars and my worries virtually materialized. Though taking into account a rough 2 millibars difference from previous slow climbing I knew bad weather was coming and I turned back. I tried to be as fast as possible and soon I was running down the hill tumbling over stones, heading back.
In 15 minutes the hell opened its gates. The so called White Storm of Aconcagua, the well known Monte Bianco, erupted. It's the worst a man can experience. The temperature dropped by 30 - 40 degree Celsius in an hour and a strong wind became more or less a hurricane. The struggle for life started. I don't remember how or when exactly I reached the Base Camp but it was just in time to see the wind tearing off the tents. The kitchen tent 'took off' with chairs, tables and other stuff inside and was taken down into the valley. I threw into my tent two or three boulders lying aside but it started to hover anyway. I jumped atop of it but the wind carried the tent for few more meters, the boulders tearing the bottom as it shuffled across the ground.
But everything ended up well. I survived and was richer by a thrilling experience as well as knowing that I can count on my Suunto 100%. It was my last climb on a peak that year but since then I have been checking the measurements on my Vector every now and then (also during our family holiday and sometimes much to the dismay of my wife when I started to drag her from the beach back to the hotel before a storm came). It's kind of an unfounded (thank God) speculation but I'm quite confident that at Aconcagua Suunto more or less saved my life. It's not nice to imagine what could have happened if I turned back few minutes later or only when it started. That might have been too late and extremely dangerous as I was there alone and nobody could have helped me in case of an injury.
So don't you forget: mountains can be and are dangerous in many ways and blue sky doesn't necessarily mean nice weather. It's not only important what you see but also what your wristop shows you. Therefore you should always remember to check your barometer or you can set up an alarm that will warn you if the pressure drops too much!
|
| |
|
|
