Scaling Mount Everest, with jerks

Want to improve your chances of surviving a climb to the summit of Mount Everest? Don't go climbing with entitled jerks, or people who feel vast sums of money makes one person superior to another.

Russell W. Belk, a professor of marketing with the Schulich School of Business at York University, and Gülnur Tumbat with San Francisco State University produced a research paper that proves having a platinum VISA isn’t a guaranteed ticket to a transcendent experience.

More specifically, just because you can pay top price to take you and your executive team to the top of Mount Everest doesn’t mean you will be able to bond or work in tandem with the people you are travelling with.

“In order to escape the rules, contraptions, and stresses of daily life in the city, many people search for new and liberating experiences that transcend their normal bureaucratic and corporate existence,” wrote the authors.

The authors focused on people who paid a premium to scale Everest. Tumbat has experience climbing and was able to work with touring companies and interview guides. She also spent time at base camp interviewing climbers.

“Although we were initially guided by the expectation of more of a communitarian spirit, we came to realize that consumer behavior scholars had failed to appreciate and understand the competitive, individualistic, and status-seeking aspects of such activities,” the authors write.

The paper Marketplace Tensions in Extraordinary Experiences will be published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

The average climber on a guided expedition (at least the ones studied) could pay between (US) $65,000 to (U.S.) $100,000.

It seems climbers operating in that pay bracket were more inclined to jostle for status and experience a forced sense of camaraderie, compared to actually bonding or escaping the highly competitive pace of their daily lives.

“Money versus personal skill and experience compete as climbers argue that they deserve to summit the mountain while others there do not," the authors wrote.

That means the climbers actually judged people on their worthiness to be on the mountain by the money they paid, or made in daily life. There was a sense the people with more money had earned the right to be there and more importantly to reach the summit, the report showed.

On a personal note: In a setting as dangerous as Everest I would be terrified to be travelling with someone who put their own interests above everyone else. Not that I have ever attempted to scale anything larger than a ski hill, but in terms of survival, I'm pretty sure selfish behaviour during any kind of team expedition is a quick way for people to get killed.

So what did the authors conclude?

 “What we found in the context of Mount Everest is individualism, competitiveness, contradiction, and power-seeking through extreme experiences purchased from what is now known as the experience economy,” they said.

“Our study finds that extraordinary experiences, when bought in the marketplace, can be destructive of feelings of camaraderie and reinforce an individualistic and competitive ethos that I, the climber, am the only one who matters.”

At least there is no way to get a Hummer into base camp.

How to change a tire

 

Hoisting a 10-kilogram tire 20 centimetres off the ground when you are kneeling is not an easy task.

Lining up four tiny holes in the middle of the tire with four threaded wheel studs – they look like big screws - protruding from a jacked-up car is even more difficult.

“This is where you wish you had your oatmeal in the morning,” says Jessica Gilbank, 38, owner of Ms Lube by Mechanchik, at 499 Bathurst St. near College St.

Gilbank and I are on our knees at the front left wheel-well of a cherry red 1979 Triumph TR7, in the shop for winterization. We are halfway through changing a tire, about to do the most difficult part, physically lifting the tire off the ground and holding it to line up with the wheel studs and put it on.

The trick to lifting the tire so you are not holding 100 per cent of the weight, is to roll it on top of your foot, says Gilbank, 38.

I try lifting it without using my feet, it takes a few good tries and a few shifting of positions to get it lined up and on. I start on my knees - earning myself a few wicked bruises that bloom to the size of a golf ball -  but find that sitting cross legged is actually the easiest position.

Gilbank opened Ms Lube by Mechanchik in March 2009. It is the first and only female service station in North America. And with customers clamouring to winterize their cars, the three women doing the lion’s share of work at the shop are kept busy.

There are three things to keep in mind when changing a tire at the side of the road, says Gilbank.

First, make sure you and your car are visible to other drivers and you are in a safe spot. Next, pull the emergency brake, put the car in park and turn off the engine.

And last, but certainly not least, don’t panic. “You can do this,” says Gilbank.

She is right. The tire is heavy, awkward and dirty, but, all whining aside, it is really easy to do.

All cars, if properly certified for safety, will have a spare tire, owner’s manual and a tire iron, or the wrench used to loosen lug nuts, as well as a jack.

The first step is to loosen the nuts with the tire iron while the car is still planted 100 per cent on the ground. Turn right to tighten and left to loosen.

The weight of the car makes them easy to loosen. Just use the weight of your body to lean on the tire iron, if they are extra tight, instead of trying to wrench with only your arms.

Next, jack up the car and remove the nuts. “Each of the manufacturers will tell you exactly where to jack your car,” says Gilbank adding there are specific reinforced points behind the wheel well and beneath the car.

Once the nuts are off it is as simple as bad tire off and good tire on.

Wrestle the tire onto the wheel studs, and then tighten the nuts a bit by hand, so you know they are properly lined up with the threads. Then use the tire iron to tighten. Lower the jack and when the wheel is on the ground give a few final cranks to tighten the nuts.

With instruction it takes about 10 minutes, working fast and with practice you could do it in five.

The spare tire is not necessarily a permanent solution, says Gilbank. “The idea is just to get you to someone who can fix the tire that went flat.”

As I pack up Gilbank gives me a small disposable cup filled with a gritty soap to get the ground in dirt off my hands. I try it the moment I get home. It works like a charm, but I am so oddly thrilled to have needed it I resist throwing out what is left for a few days.

Take me to your AED (machine)

By AED I mean Automated External Defibrillation, or using special equipment to stimulate the human heart during some types of medical emergencies.

A few questions for you: When was the last time you had to use the first aid kit at your workplace? Do you know where it is? With people packed shoulder to shoulder at local malls and stress at an all-time high, do you know where to find the equipment needed to provide AED? Would you know how to use it?

Four horsemen of the apocalypse and Teva Stilettos

Short of a pack of men on flying horses, evangelical Christians being gathered into the air, or a mushroom cloud, how would you know the end was imminent?

Apparently Teva Stilettos fit the bill, according to the creator of a blog called the End of Civilization. Its  theme: what the "surprisingly shallow facets of humanity" say about our culture or how fast it is headed down the drain.  

Full disclosure: She is a friend of my cousin. But after sharing a few doomsday scenarios over quite a few beers, I can say we definitely share a similar perspective on the fate of the world. Or at least think the early signs can be seen on the Shopping Channel.

She has yet to analyze the grim societal implications of the camouflage Snuggie or the cast of Lake Shore, but the blog is in its early days.

I would caution anyone who does not want a case of the cold sweats not to type “End of Civilization” into Google.

It isn’t so much the idea of what will happen when we run out of oil (face it, we are collectively far too greedy not to deplete a finite resource) or after meteors crash into the Earth, but more about imagining the creative process behind something like this.

To end this on a bright and far more thoughtful note than I could manage on what our fashion choices say about the direction of our culture, the search also turned up this.

Or just enjoy this video about Sarah Palin.

What to pack in your car to survive a winter storm

So what should you have in your car in case you're trapped on a Canadian highway in fridgid weather for more than a day?

Below is the list of items the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) recommends drivers pack in  case of sudden, sustained stops in winter weather. It seems like a lot, but chances are that none of the hundreds of drivers trapped on Highway 402 (some for more than 24 hours) will head out on winter roads again without most or all of these items on board.

The list was repulished in a report from Transport Canada on winter safety and driving. It also contains pointers on avoiding skidding and keeping your exhaust pipe clear (to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning) if you are running your car for heat.

For your trunk:

A shovel, sand or kitty litter (to create traction on ice), traction mats, tow chain, compass, cloth or roll of paper towels, warning light or road flares, extra clothing and footwear, emergency food pack, booster cables, matches and a “survival” candle in a deep can (to warm hands, heat a drink or use as an emergency light), fire extinguisher, extra windshield washer fluid, fuel-line antifreeze, reflective vest.

For inside the car:

Road maps, ice scraper and brush, flashlight, first-aid kit and a blanket (special “survival” blankets are best,” according to the CAA)

How to splint a broken (plastic) wrist

Paramedic Julie Grainger, right, teaches Emily Mathieu some splinting techniques.

When I arrive at the Riviera Paramedic Response Station in Markham, paramedic Julie Grainger has already started unpacking the arms on to a table laden with medical supplies

Fire, frustration and large sticks in my apartment

I am preoccupied with fire, or more accurately my inability to create the tools I need to make it.

About a month ago I connected with Andrew McMartin, head of the Primitive Integrated Naturalist Education (PINE) Project, a registered non-profit organization in Toronto.

Urban survival, Canadian-style

One more reason I love living in Canada.

A quick Google search for tips on urban survival could – depending on your geographic location — result in one of two responses:

1. You will make a reasonable assessment of the items you have in your home and make plans to replenish or stock up based on your personal needs in case of an emergency.

2. You will arm yourself with a kitchen utensil, rush to your local corner store where you will engage in a bloody battle for Snickers bars and Spam then barricade yourself in your apartment.

The Government of Canada has an entire website dedicated to preparing yourself for a variety of emergency situations. They recommend creating an emergency kit that can sustain you for at least 72 hours, complete with food, water, medical supplies and preparations for lack of power or heat. Helpful tips include "Having a plan, and discussing it with loved ones, will save time and make real situations less stressful." Already have a few candles, bottles of water and Band-aids... but am a long way away from what I would need for 72 hours, planning on stocking up at some point.

As an example of extreme contrast, U.S. site Hide Your Guns offers readers a fear-drenched primer on how to make sure criminals, in times of emergency or economic uncertainty, don’t break into your home to steal your weapons. Despite what I would describe as extreme content this didn't take more than two clicks to find.

For context, a lot of the material relates to the heightened fear following Hurricane Katrina. If you don't have time to read the entire book on gun safety, you can purchase the audio version.

Enjoy the giant red and blue letters spelling out “Hide your guns” and “Former Special Forces Officer Shares His Guerrilla Secrets For Hiding Your Guns From Criminals And Other Predators.”

Of course, there must be a few Canadians quivering in fear and preparing for the end of days and there are plenty of websites based in the U.S. with sensible plans, but I have yet to find a Canadian site that uses a mushroom cloud to sell goods. If anyone finds it please let me know.

Adrift (and hungover) in the ocean for 50 days

This one takes seasickness to whole new level. Not to mention being a potent reminder why alcohol and boats don’t mix.

Last week Samuel Perez and Filo Filo, both 15, and Edward Nasau, 14 were rescued at sea after drifting in a small boat in the open ocean for 50 days.

The reason they headed out in the first place? They ran out of booze, specifically vodka.