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Written by Lisa Nix
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Saturday, 07 July 2007 |
Snow Special
Episode # 82
Date Aired: 6/20/07
Snow Special
Myth # 1- Will yodeling cause an avalanche?
The Experts: Craig Sterbenz, Snow Safety Director- Telluride Ski Patrol
Liz Masterson, Professional Yodeler
Memorable/Quotable Moments:
Jamie: You think I can yodel?
Adam: I know you can!
Jamie: You think I’m gonna yodel?
Adam: No, I don’t!
Jamie giggles!
The Action/Results: In previous experiments the guys have proven that sound waves from the human voice are powerful enough to shatter glass & even extinguish a flame. This time they will test whether or not the voice is powerful enough to cause an avalanche. A slab avalanche is when a strong, cohesive layer of snow is formed over weaker snow and is then triggered to break loose.
Adam builds a mountain in the shop. Well, actually a fiberboard tray attached to a tilt-able stand. The flat plane design will eliminate the variables of a mountain’s topography. Snow is simulated with flour sifted though a frame of screen attached to the scissor lift.
Adam & Jamie watch their scale test to determine the exact point the snow will slide. Once they’ve determined that they stop the flour just before that trigger point. Adam starts yodeling (which mostly involves him screaming YODEL! at the snow) at a soft volume & slowly builds up while Jamie monitors the decibel level. Adam’s voice alone doesn’t cause the “snow” to shift. Adam then uses a megaphone- maxing out the decibel meter at 120 db. He aims the megaphone at different parts on the “mountain” until finally the flour obliges by sliding off the plane. The concept of triggering snow with voice is proven- now on to the mountains!
At the Telluride ski resort the safety division of the Ski Patrol has found the guys a site that is prime for avalanche and well away from public ski areas. A professional yodeler, Liz Masterson, joins the guys and yodels away- first with just her voice & then with a police bullhorn. Except for freaking out the local wildlife, nothing happens.
Causing an avalanche through yodeling is busted.
Adam decides he’d like to try his bullwhip. When cracked, the thin, flexible tips of whips move faster than the speed of sound- creating a sonic boom. A sonic boom generates an enormous amount of sound energy- a lot like an explosion. Adam cracks his whip a few times to no avail.
Using the sound of a cracking bullwhip to cause an avalanche is busted
Next, Adam & Jamie test the idea that machine gun fire will cause an avalanche. The theory is that sound waves combined with the physical impact of the bullets is enough to break the snow pack apart resulting in an avalanche
A simulated is placed on the mountain in an area that is, according to the Ski Patrol, ready to come down. Adam & Jamie want to see what would happen to a person caught up in the path of the snow. The guys both shoot MP5 sub machine guns at the mountain and despite the fact that the noises was louder & there were actual projections hitting the mountain- no avalanche.
The myth that a machine gun alone will cause an avalanche is busted
Now the guys want to see what it will take to cause an avalanche. The safety division of the Ski Patrol places over 100lbs of explosives around a specific part of the mountain. All set to go off simultaneously, with Buster’s stand in ready to take a ride. The explosives detonate with a satisfying KA-BOOM and the snow starts to slide, bringing the simulaid with it. Jamie hikes up the mountain to check on little Buster & while the snow looks soft and kind of pretty from a safe distance it’s actually more akin to a sea of concrete that pummels anything in it’s path.
Next, Adam gets to ride with an airborne snow safety team and chuck explosives out the window to set off an avalanche. No, it doesn’t get any better than that. The team determines an avalanche prone area and Adam’s job is to cut the fuse, pop on the igniter, hand them to the team member who ignites them and throws them out the window. They are out for over an hour & a half and successfully set of 3 avalanches.
The guys have been unable to cause and avalanche by yodeling, cracking a bullwhip or firing a machine gun. However, as Jamie points out, with an infinite variety of snow fields and trigger points on the planet it’s not impossible that the methods they used would, in fact, cause an avalanche. Based on the data gathered and tested, they’re going to call this one busted.
Myth # 2- Does your tongue really stick to a frozen flagpole?
The Experts: None
Memorable/Quotable Moments: Grant- “ It’s just like sewing on a button! Except this
button is tongue shaped and made out of meat”
The Action/Results: First, Kari creates a spit tube to collect their saliva. Kari establishes some strict rules for the use of the spit tube as a thing like that can get out of hand in a hurry.
SPIT TUBE RULES
1. Do spit as often as possible
2. Don’t add your phlegm- known as the “loogie”
3. Do keep yourself hydrated
4. Don’t spit right after eating just because food particles are really gross
(more to follow as needed)
Grant is responsible for getting a pig tongue ready for testing. The tongue needs to be at body temperature when it comes into contact with the flagpole. To achieve this, he connects a thin plastic tube to a small electric motor and places it inside a bucket filled with hot water and inserts the tube in between the halves of the pig tongue. He creates a groove in the tongue, places the tube in the groove and sews the whole disgusting thing shut. Once the hot water flows through the tube, the tongue is ready for “pole licking action”.
A frozen flagpole is delivered in a refrigerated truck. The water warmed pig tongue is secured to a stand next to the pole. They slather the tongue with the saliva gathered in the spit tube and press it to the frozen pole. The tongue sticks to the pole like glue.
To truly substantiate this myth Tory is elected to stick his own tongue to a flagpole. He sticks his tongue to a flagpole that’s measured at 14 degrees Fahrenheit and it sticks fast. Or according to Grant, obtains “sticktion”. He is able to remove his tongue, albeit missing several tiny chunks.
The myth that licking a frozen flagpole will cause your tongue to get stuck is confirmed.
Myth # 3- Is it better to drive backwards on icy roads?
The Experts: None
Memorable/Quotable Moments: Grant screaming “STOP THE CAR!” as he gets out of the car after Kari finishes driving backwards.
The Action/ Results: When traveling on slippery roads, will you get better traction driving in reverse? More traction = more pulling force. For the scale test, Tory welds together 2 troughs made of steel. The troughs, when filled with ice, will represent the wheel tracks on an icy road. A front wheel drive test car is chained to a weight and attached to a force gauge. The build team will measure which direction, forwards or backwards, results in a better grip on the ice. In drive the car got 2300 lbs of force, in reverse 3200 lbs. The concept of reverse providing more traction is proven, now it’s time to do some real world testing.
The build team goes to the facility where the CA Highway Patrol teaches its officers how to drive on ice. They have brought a front wheel drive car; a rear wheel drive car and a 4 wheel drive SUV. A track is marked out with cones and each car will be driven at 15 MPH forwards and then backwards the length of the track.
Kari (in her first time driving on snow) drives the front wheel drive vehicle. It doesn’t go well, she takes out a bunch of cones. In reverse, it goes even worse- she wipes out a total of 14 cones. Grant, who was in the car watching the speedometer, seems anxious to get out.
Tory fares better in the rear wheel drive (a sweet convertible) going forward- not knocking down any cones. In reverse he has very little control, knocking down 12 cones and, nearly, 1 cameraman.
Grant, in the 4-wheel drive, is in total control going forwards. In reverse he does fairly well at first but loses control on the turns, knocking down a whopping 20 cones.
The conclusion is that going in reverse is nuts. Any slight edge you may receive in traction is negated by loss of control. Myth busted.
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