Weighing reading vs Innsbruck right now for masters.
Innsbruck gives me a better quality of life (I’m massively into skiing and climbing) but Reading has excellent industry and academic contacts it seems. I hear a lot of ‘Reading is great’ but not the same about Innsbruck.
If anyone could offer their advice/insight would be much appreciated!
Bit of context:
I graduated two years ago. I spent the first year travelling, then came home to start what I thought was my dream job.
About five months in, I realised it was the wrong move so I decided to leave and apply for a master’s instead.
I now have an offer from a good course (Option 1), starting this September. It’s not my first choice, but I need to accept or decline it before I hear back from my preferred course (Option 2).
I’m leaning towards deferring Option 1. That would let me wait for Option 2’s decision, apply to other courses in the meantime, and still keep Option 1 available next year if things don’t work out with option 2 and other applications.
What I am worried about is how effectively having 2 years out after my undergrad may impact job applications after my masters or if it is post-masters nobody will care?
Also need to find a productive way to use that year out…
Hi all,
Currently holding an offer for a meteorology masters degree from a top programme (physics undergrad) and am looking to enter a startup focused on forecasting/meteorology/adjacent after graduation.
For people with knowledge on the subject:
- where are people in these types of startups generally educated?
- what skills are most useful here? Applied/ theoretical? Data analysis? Etc
Thanks in advance
For anyone here who works with meteorologists/studied meteorology did any of you/your coworkers study at Reading?
I am looking to study the MSc beginning next year however I have the goal of relocating after the degree - either to mainland Europe or western US/Canada. Right now I am not entirely sure how easy it is to develop international connections outside of academia at the university.
Thanks
Been a big fan of the ultralight (and general outdoors) community for its ability to find items that present incredible value or repurpose items outside of the intended use.
Some of my favourites being frog togs, dooy, brs-3000T, trash bag liner.
What are some other great items that do the job well and price comes in way under competitors?
I posted this to r/skiing however given the topic it is most relevant to the folks here I hope it may be of interest:
Hi everyone, first of all I want to preface this by saying this was a fun project I undertook and I thought the findings were interesting enough to share in hopes of creating some conversation and stoke for the coming season. In no way am I trying to shit on anyone who follows the buoy (I do in-fact follow it), nor am I trying to suggest Michael Ruzek, who very kindly posts the buoy's data to The Powder Buoy on Facebook, is wrong at all. This was simply an exploratory project as part of my studies.
For anyone who isn't familiar there is some Wasatch folklore following NOAA buoy 51101 - a discus buoy off Hawaii measuring a variety of variables including swell height.
The buoy is used by many as an alternative (and novel) forecasting proxy: when the buoy shows large swell off Hawaii, there will be snowfall in the Wasatch in roughly 2 weeks time. There is a good article explaining it here.
Generally an accuracy of 80% is thrown around in conversation which, as a standalone indicator, seems pretty damn good (although we all know it should be taken into consideration with other indicators). I decided to have a look at the numbers.
I pulled the long-term buoy record and SWE data from five Wasatch SNOTEL stations, which owing to some gaps in the data, covered 22 useable winters.
The basic test was:
The finding: Large swell measured by the buoy is followed by a storm roughly 68% of the time. However, on any given day when the buoy wasn't firing a signal, a storm followed in the same sized window 63% of the time. The buoy does little to predict anything.
In other words, on any given day in Utah's winter, there is a 63% chance of a storm occurring roughly 2 weeks from that day; the buoy doesn't add anything useful. In other, other words: Utah is so snowy you've got a good chance of catching a storm any day in the winter!
As added conviction Michael Ruzek himself produced a figure of 66% accuracy for winter 2021. I am not trying to say there is no link between the pacific ocean and Wasatch pow days - simply that, much to my disappointment, the buoy actually doesn't help predict anything. There are of course other variables to test such as swell direction, swell period, individual ski areas etc but I deliberately refrained from fishing for a outcome that agreed with what was suspected.
Honestly I desperately wanted the buoy to be a great standalone indicator (because it’s a fucking cool concept) however it turns out it isn't much of an indicator at all (evidenced by the 63% figure). I have no idea if anyone cares much about this but if you do I can share my github repo and any additional figures.
Cheers!
Edit: Figures in reference to u/wa__________ge's comment
Hi everyone, first of all I want to preface this by saying this was a fun project I undertook and I thought the findings were interesting enough to share in hopes of creating some conversation and stoke for the coming season. In no way am I trying to shit on anyone who follows the buoy (I do in-fact follow it), nor am I trying to suggest Michael Ruzek, who very kindly posts the buoy's data to The Powder Buoy on Facebook, is wrong at all. This was simply an exploratory project as part of my studies.
For anyone who isn't familiar there is some Wasatch folklore following NOAA buoy 51101 - a discus buoy off Hawaii measuring a variety of variables including swell height.
The buoy is used as an alternative (and novel) forecasting proxy: when the buoy shows large swell off Hawaii, there will be snowfall in the Wasatch in roughly 2 weeks time. There is a good article explaining it here.
Generally an accuracy of 80% is thrown around in conversation which, as a standalone indicator, seems pretty damn good (although we all know it should be taken into consideration with other indicators). I decided to have a look at the numbers.
I pulled the long-term buoy record and SWE data from five Wasatch SNOTEL stations, which owing to some gaps in the data, covered 22 useable winters.
The basic test was:
The finding: Large swell measured by the buoy is followed by a storm roughly 68% of the time. However, on any given day when the buoy wasn't firing a signal, a storm followed in the same sized window 63% of the time. The buoy does little to predict anything.
In other words, on any given day in Utah's winter, there is a 63% chance of a storm occurring roughly 2 weeks from that day; the buoy doesn't add anything useful. In other, other words: Utah is so snowy you've got a good chance of catching a storm any day in the winter!
As added conviction Michael Ruzek himself produced a figure of 66% accuracy for winter 2021. I am not trying to say there is no link between the pacific ocean and Wasatch pow days - simply that, much to my disappointment, the buoy actually doesn't help predict anything. There are of course other variables to test such as swell direction, swell period, individual ski areas etc but I deliberately refrained from fishing for a outcome that agreed with what was suspected.
Honestly I desperately wanted the buoy to be a great standalone indicator (because it’s fucking cool) however it turns out it isn't much of an indicator at all (evidenced by the 63% figure). I have no idea if anyone cares much about this but if you do I can share my github repo and any additional figures.
Cheers!
Not a q for the fanboys but it’s not secret prices are rising and in some items the quality is dropping.
Always used to rate the arcteryx mid layers but price is pushing me towards the likes of Patagonia and Rab these days. I still rate the hard shells highly - as do many industry professionals.
Which items do you think are still worth the price tag?
Edit: For context I rate arc hardshells above anything else I’ve used, as well as harnesses and alpine packs. I never buy anything at full retail (same for other brands too) and in recent years have found it hard to buy from a company that seems to have lost its respect for the outdoors and the real community who made it what it is today.
I am currently applying to masters programmes.
- My number one choice starts in January, and I expect to hear back in the next 6 weeks.
- I recently got accepted to my number 2 choice but it starts this October.
Due to the misalignment of start dates I will be forced to accept/defer my second choice potentially before even hearing back from my first choice.
If you were in my position what is the best way to go about this? I am thinking of emailing first choice admissions explaining I have an offer and they need a decision by x date so was hoping they could make a decision blah blah.
Also worth noting first choice is abroad so will require me to start a visa application etc so hearing earlier will also be beneficial.
Also for context my option 2 is widely regarded as a better programme (top 10 globally) than option 1 so perhaps could strengthen my application if option 1 were to know?
I really want to avoid coming across like I’m using the outstanding offer as a bargaining chip as I’ve heard of people getting rejected when they have come across like that.
What’s the best way to handle this in my situation? Thanks!
I am potentially about to take a gap year before starting a meteorology masters next September and would like to use at least part of the year constructively by gaining real experience.
Is anyone aware of any opportunities within met/ atmospheric sciences that could fit my criteria?
Can be based anywhere internationally and am open to volunteering.
Thanks
Not necessarily my view (although I think it’s a pretty great climb). What are some other great 5.easy alpine climbs across NA?
I’ve been enjoying some ‘fast and light’ 5.easy climbs recently and trying to build a bucket list of similar routes. So far I’ve enjoyed The Eisenhower tower, East Ridge of Edith Cavell and the NW Ridge of Sir Donald.
Please chime in with your favourites.
Going to pick up a Houdini but having trouble deciding which size. My chest measurements come to 110cm which makes me a large however I would ideally like to be able to fit a few layers under it.
It’s a slim fitting jacket so an XL will be the right size then?
I completed the TMB last week and wanted to share something I noticed even if it helps just one person. This is directed towards those who are camping along the way.
The TMB has become very popular and I was impressed to meet some people who were doing it as their first ever multi day hike.
While it’s certainly not a bad choice due to the fact you’re never far from shelter, towns, food, public transport if you decide to bail, the TMB posts some pretty beefy stats with 170km of distance and over 10,000m of elevation gain - a metric in and of itself inexperienced hikers have no way of contextualising.
The problem with doing it as your first is that you have had no chance to dial in your gear and get things wrong without consequence - if you’re not fit, a heavy pack will make your trip much much harder than it needs to be.
If you’re a novice I really suggest doing some research into what to pack for the trip as for many it is the reason you’ll complete the whole trip or not. For example bringing insulated water bottles, glass jars of spreads, multiple ‘comfy’ t shirts is all weight which adds up to a pack weight that’ll stop you from finishing. Many people assume a heavy pack is just part of multi-days but it really isn’t.
While sat is Les houches after finishing I got speaking to a person who bailed after realising their bag was too heavy @ 16kg. They’d flown all the way from the US for the trip and was upset they’d effectively wasted their time and money by not doing the homework beforehand.
If you’re a novice I’d suggest a couple single night trips to work out what works/doesn’t. And if not make sure you do some research before you leave, it’ll make all the difference and hopefully avoid any disappointment!
I met a few people who bailed for this reason, so I hope this helps just one person this summer.
Starting the tour this Thursday (25th) solo.
I’d like to do as many variants as possible however I am unsure of the current snow cover in the areas. Has anyone been through them and can offer some beta please?
Also if any aren’t worth it then please let me know. Thanks!
I’m thinking of starting the TMB next Wednesday but noticed there’s rain forecast almost every day in the afternoon.
I’m very flexible on dates and would ideally do it in the best weather so was wondering if this is standard for the area at this time of year or if it could be worth waiting until the following week.
I understand mountain weather is changeable and of course mountain forecasts are often not accurate however am keen to understand if afternoon rain is standard at this time of year.
Thanks
Currently weighing selling my dragonfly and getting a 2p hiking pole tent like the Durston X-mid 2.
I love this tent and I genuinely can’t think of anything I’d change about it. I’m not die hard ultralight and when it comes to sleep I’d rather carry a little extra in favour of a more substantial shelter for mountain storms (I do most of my hiking in the mountains).
Is a ≈ 800g weight saving worth it?
Are the trade offs that great switching to a hiking pole tent?
This is obviously late and more of a ‘mini trip’ but thought I’d put up this trip report since there isn’t one from last summer and it occupies part of the GDT. I did several multi days in the Rockies in summer ‘25 and this was probably my favourite along with Berg Lake.
The Rockwall trail is a ≈ 55km (3000m elev gain) point to point in the Kootenay national park in British Columbia stretching between the Paint Pots and Floe Lake trailheads, it shares a decent chunk with the GDT.
I did it from paint pots to floe lake since it means the elevation gain is less aggressive. I decided to take 3 nights to maximise my weekend although could easily be done with one overnight. I would recommend adding a day to stay at Floe Lake regardless.
Conditions: Ranged between 10c and 25c with a mix of rain, thunder and sun. The trail was boggy in parts and excellent in others. Due to the trail’s location on the great divide it is notorious for changeable weather so pack accordingly.
Day 1:
Left paint pots around 6pm after work with the intention of reaching helmet falls for the night however an incoming storm led us to the conclusion that staying at Helmet Junction was the better choice despite it subjecting us to a ≈ 30km day with full packs the next day.
Not much to note however the trail here does not get much sunlight and as a result it was very muddy.
This area of trail is also prone to grizzly sightings due to the abundance of berries.
Campsite is good with a running stream and bear bins.
Day 2:
Slightly later start than originally planned due to the persistent rain but got going around 8am with ≈ 30km to Numa Creek campsite.
The trail to Helmet falls campsite is rather overgrown and due to the wet undergrowth we ended up soaked, the trail was also quite muddy.
Small break at the Helmet falls ranger hut before starting up the first real elevation gain through the first alpine pass - here the route joins the GDT.
Once over the pass you meet the namesake ‘Rockwall’ on alpine single-track - probably the best quality hiking on the route and of any route I did in the Rockies. There is elevation gain/loss here but it is so subtle it’s barely noticeable.
Plenty of opportunities to refill water during this part of the route too.
For those without campsite bookings there is the opportunity along this section to diverge into Wolverine pass, taking you out of the national park making you free to wild camp.
We dropped into Tumbling creek campground where we rested before slogging it back up and over into Numa creek as the rain started again.
The route into this campground is overgrown and we got soaked by water on the shrubs.
To anyone repeating the route I wouldn’t recommend Numa creek unless it’s dry. The campground itself is crowded, doesn’t get much direct sunlight and remains damp.
Day 3:
Left numa creek around 8:30am for the ≈ 10km to Floe lake.
The route is pleasant without any aggressive elevation gain with the high-point depositing you upon Numa pass with the greatest view of Floe Peak.
The descent into Floe Lake campsite is pleasant and takes you through meadows of wildflowers.
For anyone repeating this route I would advise some kind of bug deterrent such as a thermacell as the flies around the lake were near enough unbearable. Nothing of note here besides how incredible the location is.
Numa creek - trailhead is easy enough in a day however we managed to snipe a booking at Floe Lake and wanted to make the most of it so spent an entire day resting, eating and swimming here.
Day 4:
Easy ≈ 10km hike out to the trailhead entirely downhill. This part of the trail is actually quite steep and would be unpleasant with full packs, hence my recommendation to end at floe lake rather than start.
We saw a lot of traffic here with day-trippers and people starting the trail.
Aside:
For a bigger route I would recommend joining this with the ball pass - Sunshine village route through Egypt lake which is equally as impressive and follows more of the GDT. If continuing further you can opt to include the Assiniboine trail and even burstall pass into kananaskis country.
Mods: If this trip report should be longer I can add these parts into the report as I also did them last summer.
This was before I started overhauling my gear so won’t include a lighterpack as it’s hardly ‘ultralight’. This kind of route is a fastpackers dream however.
Planning on doing a multi day hike in the Rockies and cowboy camping as much as possible so make setup/takedown easier. I will have a lightweight shelter with me too as adverse weather is likely but prefer being under the stars.
On an inflatable pad (I have the nemo tensor elite) will my groundsheet be ample protection against the ground?
I often see people carrying a roll or folding closed cell mat however I am flying and hence don’t want anything strapped to the outside of my pack.
Thanks
I think I’m just massively overthinking this but wanted to bounce it off some strangers on the internet.
Applying for a grad programme in which ‘supervisor outreach is not necessary for admission but is encouraged’.
Got responses from two faculty members on the programme re my research interests but the main professor I wanted to be in contact with has not got back to me or my contact sent through her official portal (didn’t know it existed at first so did both).
On review the email I sent at first probably wasn’t the best version I could have put forward but my other outreach was solid.
I’m worried my dodgy outreach as an inexperienced grad is going to tank my application to this dream programme.
I’m just overthinking it right?
I’m interested in investigating how a divergence in the GEFS and EVMWF forecasts may correlate to a spike in vol in prompt Nat gas futures.
But before I do I want to better understand how you guys are using the forecasts and how you’re extracting an edge. Are you assuming the market perfectly prices the forecast?
Cheers
