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I've just made my first winter summit. In fact it was only a bit over 300 m above see level but I think we all know that hills with unstable steep slopes are scarier than 1000 m mountains with nice trails

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>>2861734
Good stuff. Best time of year for puttering about in the hills and woods imo

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i've been to the Alps several times this winter, 4 times this february alone indeed, but i've already posted all the flags in great detail in the travel blogposting general so i'm not reposting everything again

so, check out the current edition of /flag/ i guess >>>/int/extraflags
in fact all previous editions within the last couple years or so have a good amount of hiking trip dumps, more or less

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>>2861726

Man nothing beats the woods in winter. Beautiful.

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>>2861904
I won't pretend to understand /int/'s flag board culture but it looks very pretty.

I did Pierce with a few friends today, gonna check out Lafayette tomorrow I think. Depends on how much snow we get. I wanna take a stab at Lion's Head this trip but I need a clear weather window for it.

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>>2861977

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Lafayette was wicked today, winds gusting up to 105 and tons of windblown snow. I feel like I made a mistake by going up, it was way outside of my skill level and comfort zone.

Being born with bad eyesight is a debilitating curse, any of you guys had lasik? I can't go on without ski goggles and I need to decode whether to spring for prescription goggles or eye surgery.

>>2862047
I got LASIK. It really depends how bad your vision is, and also lasers are probably a bit better than they were 20 years ago when I had it. It might not make it perfect, but it will likely help a lot. You may get dry eye and need to bring moisture drops around with you.

I still wear glasses, but only for driving and hiking really. I can see without them, it's just not as clear. My vision was pretty bad before LASIK though.

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>>2862048
I'm nearsighted but not catastrophically so, I was able to make my way around today with my glasses off without any trouble. I'm mostly worried about the side effects.

>>2862057
I could not read a book without glasses before LASIK, because I would have had to hold it so close it would blur the text. If you have moderate nearsightedness, and you don't have crazy astigmatism (I think that's a bit harder to fully fix), I highly recommend LASIK. Just make sure to see an opthalmologist and ask them any questions you have. They have to scan your eyes to make sure your corneas are sturdy enough to handle lasering. As I said, dry eye is really common, you will likely need moisture drops for a few months, and possibly forever, but totally worth it.

Remember, the surgery takes 5 minutes, it doesnt hurt at all (your eyes will fill with blood which is spooky, but not painful). And once it is done, your vision is fixed. You won't be able to drive for a few days, and I remember being very sensitive to light so it took me a while to readjust to driving, but again, my nearsightedness was on the edge of severe.

That all said, in the meantime, maybe you should invest in rx goggles. You sound pretty serious about this, and I'm amazed you did it without them. There's sort of a point of cold weather where you just need them.

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>>2862059
>That all said, in the meantime, maybe you should invest in rx goggles. You sound pretty serious about this, and I'm amazed you did it without them. There's sort of a point of cold weather where you just need them.
Yeah, I'm thinking I'll go in for a consultation on the surgery when I have time, I don't wanna spring for the prescription goggles AND cough up the cash for lasik though.

Did the Lions Head winter route today, ended up turning back a couple hundred feet from the namesake rock due to windblown snow. I managed the steep crux of the route fine though, and that's really what I wanted to try. There was a bit of a backup at the steepest part, a couple of guides with 1-on-1 clients and a group of younger guys.

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>>2862103

>>2862103
this is way too much technical bullshit just to hike
im glad to live in the mid atlantic
>I don't wanna spring for the prescription goggles AND cough up the cash for lasik though.
anon you have the money like who cares
you aren't gonna get LASIK tomorrow

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>>2862104
I'm taking a day off for my calves and knees so I won't be spamming the thread as much.

>>2862106
the funny part is the views aren't even that great, I mean clearly you have all this athletic ability
just sorta feels wasted on second tier photos

>>2861726

>>2862107
nta but the fun is in the journey, nice views at the top are just a bonus

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Last Saturday was kinda lame, theres been next to no snow this winter so I was excited to get out after a dusting, but it was all very anticlimactic

>>2862107
Respectfully, I'm not going to get into some "east coast vs west coast" argument. These mountains are only a few hours from home so these are the ones I'm going to hike.

>>2862172
im a viewwhore

>>2862174
I mean, maybe there are ones a few hours away that offer better photography opportunities. Maybe you are just choosing stuff based off of pure difficulty alone.

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Spent some time outside last night watching the lunar eclipse

>>2862047
I got PRK a couple months ago. I had a complication in one eye, so that eye isn't perfect... yet.
I took a drug 5+ years ago called Accutane, an extremely harsh drug for acne. It worked wonders on my acne, but the side effects were significant and longterm. I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. That's a personal choice. In some ways, you might consider Accutane vain, but I experienced substantial pain from my severe cystic acne.
Likewise, I wouldn't flippantly suggest getting PRK, even if you are approved, but not having to wear glasses has improved my QOL. No more hassle with ill-fitting glasses, and no more worry about potentially damaging this instrument I need in order to see. I need eye drops (dry eye prior to surgery), but at least I don't have to think about glasses. For me, despite the possibility of less than perfect vision (I'm a perfectionist btw), I'm, at this moment, quite satisfied.

>>2862700
why in the fuck would you get prk in 2026 when lasik has existed for decades, for those who don't know prk is a much older procedure with higher risks

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>>2862175
that's fair, if I didnt do lions head I was gonna be up on hight and carter dome which is known for it's fantastic view of the presi ridge.
>>2862712
I went to a consultation on monday and found that I had some misconceptions, I was worried that the eye flap from lasik was more fragile than it actually is. Apparently you need a direct traumatic impact with the eyeball to risk damaging it.