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Blog: No Exit, or Tragedy of the Commons - an Act in III parts

Drew Hardesty
Forecaster

Scene 1. The Room. Jean Paul Sartre's 1944 play No Exitdepicts anafterlife where three people sentenced to Hell find themselves locked in a room together. Each of them wait and wonder how they will be tortured...until after some great length of time, they come to find that they are there to torture one another. Forever. The reader might be expected to come away with a perverse view of humanity; that is, the idea that"L'enfer, c'est les autres" or "Hell is other people" after being a voyeur of the unfolding relationship of the three. Kirk Woodward writes that the three are in hell because they are trivial, pretentious people. This is Sartre’s satiric point: they are in Hell because they are petty-bourgeois. Their concern for the world goes only as far as the extent to which the world services their needs. When it doesn’t adequately cater to their desires, they blame the world and the people in it – that is, they say that “Hell is other people.”

Scene 2. The Commonwealth. In writing about the British commonwealth, theeconomist William Forster Lloyd well described a phenomenon wherebyindividuals acting independently and rationally according to their ownself-interest behave contrary to the best interests of the whole by depleting some common resource. Over a hundred years later, the ecologist Garrett Hardinpopularized the term"Tragedy of the Commons" in a 1968 essay of the same name. One may be tempted to look at the spoiled resourceas the lone tragedy, but it's not.

Scene 3. Cardiac Ridge, Big Cottonwood Canyon. The camera pans around from Little Superior to a single skier skinning up the far north edge of the slope whosoon gains the saddle keyhole and looksinto Mineral Fork's Room of Doom. He rips hisskins and skis the 1200' fall line back into Cardiff. He puts hisskins back on and heads back up for another lap. And another. He waits for a moment at the top of the fourth run. Soon, other ski tourersarrive, skin half-way up the track and cut across the slope beneath the man waiting at the top. Snowmobilers arrive from Reynolds Flat to check out their private land in the upper reaches of the drainage. The heli-skihelicopter loaded with clients lands atop High Ivory just to the north. More ski-tourers arrive, havingjust skiied the Hallway couloir from the ridgeline to the east. A backcountry ski guide directs herclient down the left chute of Superior into Cardiac Bowl.

There is No Exit. We are all here together in the Wasatch for the long run. What will be its future? What will be our mindset?

photo credit: Jim Harris

Comments
Interesting perspective to say the least. Some 40 years ago I was fortunate enough to fly with Lucky Chuck and WPG in their early days. At that time, there were very few back country skinners, and some of those that were there took great glee in throwing things at the helicopter. Interesting that these same folks, when they got in trouble, could not wait for the sound of the Bell 206B with Chuck at the controls risking his life and others, to save theirs. Which he and we did without hesitation. Point being this. We all have to live together. And be polite. And considerate. And be there for each other when need be regardless of the mode of transport. Personally, I and a small group of folks regularly traveled to Toad Hill without the use of skins, just the strength in our legs and the desire to ski places that had never been done before. The mountains don't belong to us. We belong to them. It behooves us all to remember this.
Christopher Thiel
Tue, 1/5/2016
Scene 4. Exit Cottonwoods. Somewhere not far but outside the central Wasatch a skier is breaking trail and never sees or crosses a single track all day. He rips multiple 2000ft fall line laps in peace and quiet. There will be no hash tagged sensationalized captions found anywhere on the social networks from the day, because it never happened...it never happened.
diamond d
Tue, 1/5/2016
Amen!
I.B. Anonymous
Tue, 1/5/2016
<p>Hahahaha! &nbsp;That is certainly an alternative method.</p>
Brett
Wed, 1/6/2016
***True adventurers loudly applaud.***
Suzy Williams
Wed, 1/6/2016
So dubbing yourself a "true adventurer" on blog is somehow better than hashtagging. #irony
Yawn
Thu, 1/7/2016
It's the Hegelian Dialectic. Problem, reaction, solution. Solution? Put lifts in everywhere. "Huis Clos" putain d'enfer, Merde! Thank you very little, social media. Might as well SUP Malibu.
teleroi
Tue, 1/5/2016
Been through all that! Adapt, evolve, and survive, stay ahead of the masses through HARD work, dedication,experience, and love of the mountains, and don't forget why your there in the first place, love of snow covered mountains
Mark white
Tue, 1/5/2016
While Hell may be the other people, No Exit is a play about the "devouring" gaze of the others and how it restricts one's freedom. It seems the people in your Scene 3 are unencumbered by any perceived restrictions. Although they may be creating a collective purgatory for the rest of us, they are unfazed. Ps.: Thanks for integrating existentialism, economics and backcountry behavior -- though-provoking, as always.
Scott Williams
Tue, 1/5/2016
<p>Although I&#39;ve left the Wasatch for less tracked and perhaps more heavenly terrain, I&#39;ve never considered the ever so crowded&nbsp;Wasatch as a Hell or even a Purgatory. &nbsp;At least the masses in the backcountry stand on common ground. &nbsp;We may not enjoy the company of others, but we&#39;re all after the same experience. &nbsp;Everyone loves the greatest snow in the world (south of Revelstoke), and wants fine untracked powder and snow flying in the face... &nbsp;Rather than the tragedy&nbsp;of the Commons, seems more like we&#39;re talking about tracks in powder snow, and some&nbsp;of the most accessible and well-used public land in the world.</p>
Toby
Wed, 1/6/2016
What about the women who don't feel comfortable around the guys? All I notice every year is more segmentation. Skier vs split boarder, woman vs man, heli vs skinner, snowshoer vs sled rider. For example, if a woman does not feel comfortable taking a safety course around men, would that same woman not feel comfortable in a rescue situation involving a man? I see comments on all the segments and I see that UAC encourages segmenting us each up not realizing it only makes us more apart. I feel uncomfortable knowing there are others in this community who do not like a segment of us because we were born male or ride a chair lift up the slopes. We are all here together, that is natural. It seems odd to break everyone up into a group. Look at the progression...a bunch of groups on the mountain vs 1 group of HUMANS that love being outdoors.
Human looking in
Wed, 1/6/2016
HLI, I see this on the web, not so much in the outdoors. Humans generally rise above and improve when recreating in the outdoors and face to face. Humans on keyboards get a bit nuts. It's the way we are wired I reckon.
Scooby2
Wed, 1/6/2016
Not sure how this discussion of crowding wandered into gender, but I'll tell a story. I was supervising a beacon search class and had cleverly concealed a target beacon. There was a couple in the class. She was struggling to find the target when her boyfriend moved to help her. Several of us pointed out to him that if he was buried and she hadn't learned to do a search, he was toast. He got the message and pulled back.
Walt Haas
Thu, 1/7/2016
When teaching a class you noticed men and women can act differently. You successfully made it a teachable moment. A very good one I would say. You make my point. The more we are grouped into separate male & female groups for avalanche safety, the less chance we will have to learn from one another.
you make my point
Sat, 1/9/2016
What does it mean to post about something only to state that it didn't happen? . . . I've said too much ;)
Scooby2
Wed, 1/6/2016
Sticking with the existential theme, social media is an expression of the essential aloneness of the human condition. We are all desperately looking for connection and meaning, therefore we blog, we selfie, we tweet from the backcountry. "Look at me, I matter!" If your inner self-worth is robust, then none of that (actually most of us need SOME) is necessary. I can be that solo skier out in the Tushars. Our challenge (and this is just one more representation of the current state of affairs) is how to change our culture to look outwards for connection and meaning in others where, with crowding and competition for resources there is distrust and fear. How do we make it not just ok but lauded to talk to one another? It's incredibly challenging to ask someone why they are doing something without pissing them off.
Lynne Wolfe
Wed, 1/6/2016
The answer is snacks. I learned a lot from you Lynne, but probably one of the biggest lessons was talking and sharing of knowledge. I learned to ask questions, and to take the time to submit observations, and to share with my touring partners. To take this a step further, I try to share with other parties in the hope they will do the same. If there is one distinct benefit of crowds, it is crowd sourcing knowledge. I have tried to just start conversations with others when I can. This is where snacks come into play, an offer of some chocolate or cheese can go a long way towards starting a conversation. Or "knowledge snacks", a bit of advice on an easier skin track or line out, and that persons day becomes a whole lot nicer. The vast majority of people in the back country don't have a huge breadth of knowledge. I know I always appreciate some sound local advise when explore territory new to me. If everyone starts talking without precondition, all of a sudden we have a community first, and the resource is secondary. With regard to the UAC compartmentalizing user groups (comment by ILH), I must respectfully disagree as to the motives. There is the conversation the does distinguish between user groups, but for a very important reason. Different user groups have historically behaved differently in the same terrain, and the mode of travel also influences the type of risk that user is subjected to. This is a fluid and ever changing situation, but none the less important to address the fact that different groups need to be spoken to independently in the context of avalanche awareness. As a young snowboarder in the 90's I was part of a group at risk due to lack of knowledge and a rise in the popularity of the sport. With a downturn in the popularity of snowboarding and a rise in skiing and snowshoeing, these groups need special attention now. The outreach to snowmobilers has had a great effect in reducing casualties I'm sure. As users though, it is upon us to be kind to all those in the backcountry while still voicing our concerns if we see behavior that we are uncomfortable with, in the kindest way possible of course.
Justin Brown
Thu, 1/7/2016
I agree with Lynne. Her last sentence is something I ALWAYS am thinking about. It is not a woman or man issue about feeling uncomfortable/challenging. It is a human issue. When I see the UAC support segmenting us into further social groups, I only see a greater divide. UAC says the women only feel comfortable around other women. Instead of focusing on creating women groups, why wouldn't we focus on changing that culture. What if men also feel "they are an outsider" when they want to go to a workshop? To me, it is the same issue. What if a man wanted to go to a class or workshop but felt intimidated by the instructors or group think? We should be looking at why it is like this.
Yes Indeed
Wed, 1/6/2016
I lapped leg burning Sultan chair @ DV today ALONE. Less crowded than your average day in the central Wasatch. WINNING!
teleroi
Wed, 1/6/2016
<p>I am often conflicted when I see on one hand, an amazing community of die-hard enthusiasts that all treasure this tiny, wonderful mountain range. All with the same goals, purposes, and intentions, and treating other fellow winter travelers with respect. However I also see a very polarized population at times, where people are trying to outdo one another, while lacking the respect and civility we all deserve. What Wasatch will we become?</p>
Greg
Wed, 1/6/2016
We live in the mountains directly adjacent to almost 2 million people. Interaction between users is inevitable. We can however at least be civil in our attitude and respectful for others safety.
Sarge1957
Thu, 1/7/2016
Perhaps the myth of Narcissus is a more appropriate context for this than Sartre's existential mumbo-jumbo.
mark twain
Sun, 1/10/2016
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Susanne
Mon, 3/14/2016