Trip Reports, News & Mountain Conditions for the Sierra Nevada » Web/Tech

Report on Yellowbrick Tracking System testing on Southern Patagonian Icecap

admin — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:05:58 +0000

We have been reviewing and testing the Yellowbrick 3 Tracking system on the Southern Patagonian Icecap recently. This is a remote and wild place and a good place to put the Yellowbrick and it’s satellite network through it’s paces. Here are our findings and observations.

Our Particular Requirements

Our previous experience on the Icecap in 2010 had been marked by high winds and bad weather. We got caught out and had a rough time getting off the glaciers. This year we wanted to try out one of the new 2 way messaging and tracking systems appearing on the market to aid communications and especially weather forecasting. Our requirements were:
(1) To obtain daily weather forecasts for the Icecap sent from our base in Spain
(2) To report our position to our website at least twice daily
(3) To be able to send emergency messages in case of problems or in rescue or evacuation situations

If the above were possible then we wouldn’t have any need for a dedicated satellite phone.

Why Yellowbrick?

Yellowbrick 3

Quite simply, they were the first to offer us a tracker in time for our Patagonian Expedition starting on 19th November 2011. The Delorme InReach wasn’t available (after months of delay!), the Spot Connect/Messengers aren’t 2 way text messaging systems (they also use the Globalstar network, ineffective in Patagonia), and we needed something quick.

We found the staff at Yellowbrick most helpful, honest and accommodating. The Yellowbrick was still in development, but they said it would fulfill our requirements (see above). The tracker promptly arrived in Spain and we quickly managed to activate the unit, a simple process.

The Yellowbrick 3

Yellowbrick - west face of Cerro Torre behind

What struck me about the Yellowbrick 3 was it’s rugged solidity. It seems bombproof, useful in an expedition or mountaineering environment. It is enclosed in a tough weatherproof exterior casing and feels heavier than it’s mere 305 gram weight suggests. It came with a soft pouch to protect the Yellowbrick 3, with velcro straps and restraining bungee cord. This attaches to almost anything you wish. In Patagonia we had it attached to a frontal rucksack strap, within easy reach.

The Yellowbrick can survive underwater for 30 mins in 1m of water and has been tested in yacht races throughout the globe, so it’s use in a snow/mountain environment should be assured.

It has 4 basic buttons (Up, Down, Left, Right) and an “Alert” button suitable hidden and protected. Unlike the earlier Spot Messengers one can’t accidentally send an alert signal. There is a USB socket at the back for recharging that is also protected from weather and damage. All in all what I do like about the unit is it’s simplicity. What I don’t want to be doing in a blizzard is fiddling around with small knobs, buttons and Querty keyboards etc!

Testing

Receiving weather at La Playita

Our fellow guide, Jane Fields based in Spain, acted on our behalf of our Alerts and Message handling. She became our base communications person. She would receive the Alert or Emergency messages should we be unfortunate enough to need assistance. She had the Telephone numbers of the rescue services in El Chalten, Argentina. She would also provide the team with twice daily weather forecasts via the Yellowbrick.

You can send messages to the Yellowbrick via the dedicated website host or via an email address. Any message sent from the Yellowbrick can be automatically forwarded to whatever email you wish.

When we arrived in El Chalten, Argentina, we tested the tracker to see if it could locate us. This is an easy operation performed by pressing the “up” button for 7 seconds. A green light on the front of the unit tells you that the unit is acquiring satellites and sending a position fix. It took a couple of minutes for the green light to stop flashing. This means that the signal has been sent. We checked over our hotel’s WiFi and lo and behold we appeared on our Expedition Webpage in El Chalten. Amazing stuff. We were ready to go!

It’s use on the Expedition

Moving down the Icecap

When we arrived at our first nights stop at the Refugio at Piedra del Fraile I sent a manual position fix. I had to move away from the tree covered ground and into an open space to do this. When you send a manual position the tracker will automatically bring in any text messages into your inbox. It was a great relief to receive an updated weather report from our base.

Wherever we camped we always managed to get 2 daily weather reports from our Spanish base. We developed a short code system (see examples below) as there is a maximum of 240 characters to a text message.

1840 Tues Update- WED-RAIN7,WIND55. THURS-RAIN34,WIND63.FRI-R17,WIND73. SAT-RAIN8,WIND60. SUN-RAIN5,WIND48. The weather system is moving through quicker than expected leaving you a break between systems at the weekend. Fingers crossed eh?!

Update 1830 – FRI-0900:R0,W7 THEN 1200: R,0,W13 THEN 1500: R0.2,W11. SAT-0900:R0.3,W6 THEN 1200:R1,W8 THEN 1500: R0.1,W11. Got you at Circo de los Altares plus hits down the icecap. Weather OK for next two days…slight risk of rain. Low wind.

The team near Paso Marconi

What was important to us was precipitation (R) and wind speed (W). The precise nature of the messaging allowed us to take full advantage of a forthcoming break in the weather. We got into position and when the weather window arrived we took full advantage. Thus we had low winds and beautiful blue skies on our trip down the icecap.

Occasionally our base would ask for a confirmation of something. This we did using the preset messages included in the tracker. Very basic 1 or 2 word messages but they achieved their purpose (ie Yes, All fine, Every working ok?, No problem).

On poor days I even managed to send a signal by sticking the antenna of the tracker out of the hole in the tent roof, thus saving me getting a soaking!

We sent 19 messages from the tracker and received 56 during our expedition over a total of 10 days. We manually reported our position approx 3 times daily until we left the Paso Marconi on day 5. From then on we set the tracker to automatically report position every hour we were moving. In all cases we had no problems sending or receiving. Average waiting time for a message to be sent or received was under 2 minutes.

From subsequent examination of the tracking on the expedition map the tracker is very accurate and at most only 10m out.

Battery Life

Reading messages in the tent

Before we set off for our 10 day expedition in the wilds of the Southern Patagonian Icecap I made sure that the battery recharge level was topped up. I was a bit worried about this as I had decided, due to weight restrictions, not to take my Power Monkey recharger. For the first 5 days of the trip I operated the unit only 3 or 4 times a day, collecting messages and sending position reports.

But, I needn’t have been worried at all. After the first 5 days the battery level stood at 94%. It was then that I felt confident enough to send hourly signals as we travelled the remaining 4 days down the Icecap and back to civilisation. When we arrived back in El Chalten the battery life showed 84%.

These are excellent figures/results and very much against the grain of most modern technological gadgetry which seem to consume battery life rapidly!

Specific Problems

(1) The message screen – a character is missing from the right hand side of each line on the message screen. This did not inhibit interpretation of the message but was more of an inconvenience. A right hand margin needs to be set.

Future Enhancements

The Yellowbrick did all that we asked of it to fulfill our expedition support functions. Now we come to our “it would be really nice if it…….” requests. Most of these I believe are very close to being released.

(1) Creation of our own text messages to send. This is the most important development in my opinion. We managed ok with the standard built-in text messages, but this would be a welcome addition.
(2) Pairing to a Bluetooth device and Android or iPhone App. Nice, but hardly essential. In a blizzard I’m not going to be thinking of taking my gloves off and connecting to my HTC smartphone.
(3) Update Social Networks – Ok, I know. It’s not that important, but would be a nice touch to add to your website/social sites.

Camp at Paso Marconi, Southern Patagonian Icecap

Pricing

Purchasing the unit – You will find a current list of prices on the Yellowbrick website. Currently the basic model is 399GBP for Tracking, Basic Messaging and Basic Alerts (50GBP more for Advanced Messaging and Bluetooth).

Monthly ongoing cost – I like the new simpler way of monthly pricing. It is 8GBP for Basic and Standard models. In addition you pay 6GBP for a bundle of “50 credits”. To send a position report costs you 1 credit (ie 0.12p). Every 50 characters of message to or from the Yellowbrick costs you 1 credit too (ie 0.12p).

This compares very well when you look at alternative forms of Satellite Messaging. Sat phones are phenomenally expensive to use. The Delorme InReach is much more expensive too, with penalties should you change down contract plans. What I like about the Yellowbrick pricing structure is that you know what everything is going to cost. Then it’s up to you?

Conclusion

We love it! A great addition to our mountaineering team. We made the correct decisions based on the information we received from the unit. Solid build, tough, functional and the Iridium satellite network ensures global coverage. Great battery life, affordable pricing and easy operation. In the tough environment of the mountains we can’t really ask for too much more, can we?

Reference Sources

Yellowbrick Website
Yellowbrick 3 data sheet (pdf)
Our Expedition Webpage

A short (1 min) video showing the unit in use on the Icecap.

The Refugio Poqueira now has it’s own website

admin — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:27:20 +0000

The important mountain hut in the Sierra Nevada, The Refugio Poqueira, now has it’s own website that gives useful information on access, prices, how to book etc. You can find the new website at http://refugiopoqueira.com/

The Poqueira Refuge was opened in March 1997 and is located at an altitude of 2,500 meters on the southern slopes of Sierra Nevada.

The Poqueira hut

Apart from information about booking and reserving, prices and general information the hut provides a weekly update on access and mountain conditions. Very useful information!

The Poqueira hut is also installing 2 webcams that will become very important in seeing likely mountain conditions. A massive improvement to the area.

Here is the latest report on 8th December 2011

Today, Thursday December 8, 2011, from the Refugio Poqueira, we send a weekly report on the status of paths, environment and upcoming summits area.

Accesses the Power Station and the Acequia Alta Cebadilla (for Capileira) are clear of snow and tread only the last minutes before the hut, and in some other shade.

Access the Hoya del Portillo is only recommended by skis: Puerto Molina and from there we will approach across the crest to the Alto del Chorrillo, turn 90 degrees towards the Veleta and then drop to the Refuge, (attention windy days on this route).

On the River Mulhacén you will find snow from the 2700-2800m, great for crampons in the morning but in the afternoon with the heat you will sink 10-15cm. The mountain area is fine for walking with crampons and ice ax, as well as access by Veleta via the Paso Carihuela, although the track has a clean edge snow mostly to the Caldera, remain essential crampons and ice axes, they have to go through high risk areas.

The bivouacs of the Caldera and Villavientos are in good condition and clean.

Delormes InReach Satellite Communicator to compete head on with the Spot Messenger

admin — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 08:44:34 +0000

We have been fans of the Spot Messenger for many years. Now we eagerly look forward to the arrival of a new champion, a 2 way Satellite Communicator due for release in October, the Delorme inReach. We review the initial specifications.

Delorme inReach Sat Communicator

The Delorme inReach delves into somewhat uncharted territory. It is not a Sat Phone. It’s not a GPS Navigator. It’s not a Spot device. It actually falls somewhere between them all and promises two-way communication via satellite-based signals. This is where the marvellous Spot falls down. Despite all improvements made over the past years it remains a one way communicator.

What happens if we want to alert our guides in the Sierra Nevada to the sudden onset of bad weather? Now we just may have the answer.

The inReach device is a small unit made for use with smartphones that run the Android operating system. You can type in a message in the mountains via your phone and then it will wirelessly pair with the inReach device to send a satellite message. The inReach will send and receive text messages outside of cell phone range. It will be available from the autumn in the States for about $250 plus annual subscription (allow $10 a month for basic service).

The Android App in action

Even better is the news that the inReach is partnered with the Iridium satellite network. This gives global, polar to polar coverage. Our existing Spot Messenger (using Globalstar sat network) was found at the edge of it’s signal coverage just when we needed it on the Patagonian Icecap in 2010 and kept failing!

So. It can send 2 way text messages, report GPS position, speed, heading, alert emergency services and more. Will this make sat phones less attractive? I can see major benefits for the mountaineering and climbing community in this relatively cheap alternative. Can’t wait to get my sticky mitts on one!

I don’t want to reiterate the full specs here. That has been done much better elsewhere. Have a look at the following useful online sources…
Announcement from Chip Noble of Delorme
Delorme inReach Questions and Answers

Mobile Cell Phone Coverage in the Sierra Nevada mountains

admin — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 07:36:30 +0000

Don’t head into the mountains of the Sierra Nevada thinking that you will always be able to rely on mobile cell phone coverage for messages, help etc. There are only certain areas that will receive a signal. We tend to use and rely on sat phones or Spot Messengers for communication during our 5 day trek covering the main ridge of the Sierra Nevada.

I have made some notes intended to help walkers, trekkers and mountaineers heading into the mountains.

(1) The section from the Elorietta hut to Veleta. The influence of the ski area has helped boost coverage here in recent years. BUT, pass through the Collado de Cariguela and the signal drops rapidly. North of Veleta to the Hoya de la Mora has very good coverage.

(2) The summit of Mulhacen (3482m) can be relied upon to send and receive calls and text messages.

(3) The summit of Alcazaba has faint intermittent coverage. I have found if you wait long enough a text message will eventually be sent.

(4) Siete Lagunas. No signal generally around here but sometimes on the lip of the valley above Chorreas Negras a signal is obtainable.

(5) The hut doorway of the Poqueira hut is much better than inside the building, where I have never managed to get a signal.

(6) North of Alcazaba don’t expect much until descending from the Picon de Jerez.

(7) On the descent from Siete Lagunas to Trevelez a signal appears at the ruined Campanuela refugio.

(8) The Poqueira Gorge, Genil, Trevelez, Lanjaron and Rio Chico valleys have poor or non existent coverage.

This is not a definitive list. If you have any contribution to add, or know of any changes, please let me know.

New live webcam in Lanjaron alongside the Rio Lanjaron

admin — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:59:03 +0000

There is a new webcam set up in the town of Lanjaron showing the flowing waters of the Rio Lanjaron. Now at first glance this may appear a bit boring to some people. But to the townsfolk of this spa town in the Alpujarras, the waters mean everything. They are the lifeblood of the town! Fortunately we have the mighty Sierra Nevada rising above the town and they provide constant water throughout the year.

Upper Rio Lanjaron in mid summer

The waters gather at high lakes at the head of the Rio Lanjaron, just below the Elorietta refugio. The Laguna de Lanjaron, Laguna Cuadrada and countless smaller lakes are buried under winter snows for over 6 months of the year and this provides the key. Much water is filtered through the mountainsides on its long journey downhill before finally appearing as natural springs.

The Rio gathers water from the slopes of Tajos de los Machos and the long western mountain limb culminating in the Cerro de Caballo. At times, especially in early winter, there is a raging torrent that threatens bridges and fields. In late summer the Rio can become a simple trickle of water.

Local man, Pepe Badaje, has installed the webcam at his cortijo alongside the river. Visit his website.

Watch live video from pepebadaje on Justin.tv

Late summer at the Laguna Cuadrada

The upper Rio Lanjaron in May 2010!

Are Bridge Cameras the best all rounder for the mountains?

admin — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:32:26 +0000

James Jackson discusses the merits of Bridge Cameras and asks “Are these the best cameras for all round mountain use?”. Here he tests the Fujifilm Finepix HS10 “Bridge” camera in the Sierra Nevada mountains of southern Spain.

Fujifilm Finepix HS10 "Bridge" camera

When you head off into the mountains, it’s impossible to resist the temptation to capture the amazing scenery, a tricky pitch, or just the extreme weather or snow conditions. A lot of people are happy just taking little pocket cameras but for enthusiastic photographers like me who want to take home some great photos, these compact cameras just don’t provide the image quality or zoom versatility to capture everything on offer.

The obvious alternative for photographers would be a normal digital SLR camera with interchangeable lenses. They provide the best quality image and if you carry enough different lenses they also offer near unlimited zoom range. However, I’ve had a digital SLR camera with two lenses since moving to Spain and haven’t taken it into the mountains with me once. The problem is they are too bulky and if you are carrying spare lenses they create a massive extra weight to carry in an environment where you need to be travelling light and fast.

To combat this problem, and to reignite my enthusiasm for photography, I recently bought myself a “Bridge” (or super-zoom) camera. Basically they bridge the gap between compact cameras and SLRs. They look like an SLR and have all the same features and options but at a fraction of the weight, bulk and price. They don’t have interchangeable lenses but they are called super-zoom cameras because the lens they come with provides a zoom range that could only be achieved by carrying 3 or 4 extra lenses with a standard SLR.

The image sensor is not quite as a good quality as an SLR but unless you intend to send your photos to National Geographic, who cares? They provide much better images than compact cameras and have optical zoom rather than digital zoom which comes with compacts which can degrade the quality of the image further.

So if you are a professional photographer hoping to take a million dollar photo in the mountains, by all means take a huge SLR with 20 different lenses, just be prepared to hire a few sherpas to carry it for you. If, however, you are just a keen photographer and mountaineer hoping to take some good quality photos, save the weight……and your money, and get a “Bridge” camera. My new camera is a Fujifilm Finepix HS10 (see image below).

James Jackson is an apprentice mountain guide with Spanish Highs.

Alpujarras Weather for your iPhone or Android Smartphones

admin — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:45:23 +0000

Get Live Weather, Records, Graphs, Webcam and Forecasts for the Alpujarras region of southern Spain direct to your iPhone, Android or Smartphone.

Our Davis Vantage Pro weather station here in Lanjaron, in the Alpujarras, has been operating now for some 3 years and provided us with much information and records about the weather patterns here. Now we have prepared a smartphone version integrating readings from the station, utilising software developed by Sietse Vissar.

Alpujarras smartphone weather

Available is the following data…………. (temperatures, humidity, rainfall, wind)

Current weather summary - ie whats happening now!
Live Weather – Detailed breakdowns of current weather
Historical weather data – for the past hour, day, week, month etc
Graphs – Detailed graphs for the past hour, day, week, month etc
Webcam – Our up to date webcam view of Lanjaron refreshed every minute
Forecast – 10 day forecast from the reliable yo.no
Weather Station locator on Google Maps

Settings – there are many settings for displaying the readings (eg degrees C or F). In addition you can change language to spanish as well as many other languages.

Just point your smartphone browser to http://www.spanishhighs.co.uk/smartphone/ and bookmark it to your homepage.

……… and voila!

We have tested this on most smartphones successfully, but have had some trouble getting it to function correctly on Symbian based Nokia phones. Any feed back would be welcomed.

Summary of 2010 Sierra Nevada Mountain News Posts

admin — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Absolutely useless set of statistics this, but as our system produces it automatically I thought I’d bore, sorry share, it with you all as we come to the end of 2010. In 2010 we wrote 158 mountain and Sierra Nevada related posts with 222 attachments in total.

The number of posts in each month:

January:	11 (6.96%)
February:	12 (7.59%)
March:	16 (10.13%)
April:	13 (8.23%)
May:	16 (10.13%)
June:	17 (10.76%)
July:	13 (8.23%)
August:	13 (8.23%)
September:	8 (5.06%)
October:	11 (6.96%)
November:	18 (11.39%)
December:	18 (11.39%)

The number of posts in each day of week:

Sunday:	45 (28.48%)
Monday:	25 (15.82%)
Tuesday:	21 (13.29%)
Wednesday:	18 (11.39%)
Thursday:	27 (17.09%)
Friday:	20 (12.66%)
Saturday:	10 (6.33%)

At what hours we publish new posts:

0:	1 (0.63%)
7:	4 (2.53%)
8:	13 (8.23%)
9:	17 (10.76%)
10:	36 (22.78%)
11:	14 (8.86%)
12:	9 (5.7%)
13:	10 (6.33%)
14:	10 (6.33%)
15:	12 (7.59%)
16:	11 (6.96%)
17:	9 (5.7%)
18:	7 (4.43%)
19:	2 (1.27%)
20:	4 (2.53%)
21:	4 (2.53%)
22:	3 (1.9%)

In 2010 the posts were commented 145 times, from which 31 comments (21.38%) were written by registered users/authors.

TOP 10 commenters in 2010:

Pepe: 3 comments
badaje: 3 comments
Michal: 3 comments
Ivan: 2 comments
6 ways to cross Spains Sierra Nevada in 2 or 3 day trips: 2 comments
Andrew Lowrey: 2 comments
Aengus: 2 comments
Tweets that mention Blown off the peak of Cerrillo Redondo on New Years Day — Topsy.com: 1 comments
A hard days ski mountaineering on Tajos de los Machos: 1 comments
David: 1 comments

TOP 10 most commented posts in 2010:

How to climb Mulhacen in a day in the summer: 15 comments
High temperatures bring avalanche hazards to the mountains: 8 comments
Ruta Angosturas Andalucia Gorge Scramble in Impressive Scenery: 6 comments
Download digital maps and waypoint files for the Sierra Nevada: 5 comments
Crossing the Sierra Nevada in full winter conditions in June!: 5 comments
Rescue services search for british mountaineer lost in the Sierra Nevada: 4 comments
Snow Climbing on the Cerro de Caballo in June: 4 comments
Surviving Patagonia 2010: 3 comments
The Climax is the Coming Back from a Dangerous Place.: 3 comments
Rescue efforts fail to aid climbers on the Patagonian Glacier: 3 comments

The number of comments in each month:

January:	12 (8.28%)
February:	7 (4.83%)
March:	12 (8.28%)
April:	14 (9.66%)
May:	10 (6.9%)
June:	25 (17.24%)
July:	9 (6.21%)
August:	15 (10.34%)
September:	6 (4.14%)
October:	7 (4.83%)
November:	12 (8.28%)
December:	16 (11.03%)

On what days people comment:

Sunday:	12 (8.28%)
Monday:	26 (17.93%)
Tuesday:	16 (11.03%)
Wednesday:	23 (15.86%)
Thursday:	33 (22.76%)
Friday:	22 (15.17%)
Saturday:	13 (8.97%)

At what hours people comment:

0:	2 (1.38%)
2:	1 (0.69%)
3:	1 (0.69%)
6:	1 (0.69%)
7:	3 (2.07%)
8:	6 (4.14%)
9:	6 (4.14%)
10:	9 (6.21%)
11:	13 (8.97%)
12:	17 (11.72%)
13:	8 (5.52%)
14:	14 (9.66%)
15:	12 (8.28%)
16:	10 (6.9%)
17:	6 (4.14%)
18:	11 (7.59%)
19:	9 (6.21%)
20:	6 (4.14%)
21:	3 (2.07%)
22:	6 (4.14%)
23:	1 (0.69%)

This blog has many authors. Here is the number of posts each one wrote:

admin: 166 posts

And the number of comments each one wrote:

admin: 31 comments

Summary generated by 2010 Summary plugin by Tomasz Topa.

Visit the Sierra Nevada. A superb destination for Last Minute Holidays.

Now Sierra Nevada Weather, Snow and Trip Reports to your Mobile Device

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:45:20 +0000

Our websites have now been optimised for mobile phone and smartphone viewing and downloading.

Being dinosaurs we, strangely, tend to only use a mobile phone for making telephone calls and sending text messages. However we realise the modern importance of keeping in touch via our smartphones these days. On our current travels to airports in Madrid and Buenos Aires, almost everybody seemed to be surfing the net and seemed lost without that contact.

We have thus upgraded our websites so that they recognise if you are surfing from a mobile or smartphone device. If you are, then you will be taken to a more “user friendly” location to view the site. This saves you downloading speed and databytes.

Thus all your weather, snow and mountain conditions can be brought to you whilst you are on the move. There are webcam views from Lanjaron and the Sierra Nevada ski resort. Also receive latest trip reports from the Sierras and forum and community comments.

The websites involved are Spanish Highs Mountain Guides (www.spanishhighs.co.uk) and Sierra Nevada News (www.sierra-nevada-news.com). This is still quite early and just released, so if you do find bugs, I apologise and would be grateful if you could you kindly make us aware?

Spanish Highs Mobile Homepage

Sierra Nevada News Recent Entries

Simulated Lanjaron forecasts now incorporated into our weather station

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:36:33 +0000

Our Davis Vantage Pro 2 weather station in Lanjaron has now been active and running now since October 2008. It is a useful resource for those who either live here or are visiting the Alpujarras. We have now incorporated a visual forecasting feature into our station reporting as a result of the technology devised and run by yowindow.com.

Top 7 features:

The weather at your fingertips – real cloud coverage, rain/snow, mist, wind
Total weather control
True Moon phase, Sun and Moon position, sunrises
Watch weather forecast exactly at the moment you want
Current temperature beside the system clock
Takes data from the weather station in Lanjaron.

Go on have a play. Move the controls. Watch the sun set! Visit the weather station

Feel free to use the code below to add the widget to your website or blog. You can alter sizes to suit but please keep the 2 Yowindow links intact at the bottom.

YoWindow.comForecast by yr.no

Coding required……………..

YoWindow.comForecast by yr.no