Colorado Chaser Convention: You going?

Wondering who is planning on going and who isn't. I'm probably at 10% for going.

Anybody else looking for a ride who lives east of Denver in the direction of Chicago?

I *MIGHT* be driving. We'll see.

I am 100% sure I am going. Going to carpool with Mike D, Jeff M. and a few others. It should be a great time and I look forward to meeting a lot of you that I haven't yet.

I went to the convention in 2004 and really enjoyed it and learned a lot.
I plan on going to the 2006 convention as it sounds like it just gets better and better! I plan on driving to the convention this year and just hope the weather cooperates (no snow!!).

Originally posted by Jeff Snyder+-->QUOTE(Jeff Snyder)

I'm in Denver at the hotel and it is pretty good. It is not right on the strip or anything with lots of shopping right across the street but there are a few places to eat within a mile and the hotel room service is priced ok for the food. You could and I did make a meal out of the Nacho's alone.

The WIFI, yeah well, internet sucks for speed here. Download was about 256K.

Time to get some sleep, a few of us are heading up to Summit County to go snowmobiling tomorrow.

Oh yeah, not sure about all the rooms but the suites have the sleep number beds.

Doug

I'm not politically correct, and I can go to any number of severe wx workshops, etc. I may go again someday if the fun police get sent to some dark place where they belong, and I'm convinced it will be fun again.

Not trying to pick on you Bob; everyone is certainly entitled to their opinion, but what do you mean by the fun police?

I'll be attending again this year simply because I've enjoyed myself and had a LOT of fun the past two years! I've also got to meet a lot of greet people who I haven't had the privilage of meeting out on the chase, and even got kicked out of the Holiday Inn lobby last year (right David and Graham?) :-)

I think $79 is a bargain for the quality of speakers and the great commaraderie that comes along with the convention.

Regards,

Mike

I filed most of my paper work this past weekend ... still got a good $250 roundtrip ticket from JFK to COS where my relatives live so I should have a truck to get me to Denver for the festivities.

If anyone needs local transportation in and around the area, just let me know ... I used to live in Laramie, WY and I'm very familar with Denver, just stay off Colfax if you catch my drift :wink:

Otherwise if anyone is interested in sharing a room and reducing cost, please PM me or email me ... non-snoring type, though I have been told I talk in my sleep ...

Good Restaurant Suggestion: Wynkoop Brewery (Downtown)

As I recall last year there was actually some video being shown during the icebreaker. People standing around talking and watching the video. I agree maybe a few video sessions of 60-90 minutes spread through the weekend would help instead of a marathon.

I havent looked at the hotel setup this year. Will there be a bar or something similar to last year(gathering place) for the icebreaker or will it be in a meeting room? The more casual the better.

The guys with the probe..that was one of the funniest videos I have seen.

Im going.

As for price...last convention I went to (not storm related) cost $1500 for 3 days...$80 is a steal.

Anybody in the indiana/ohio/kentucky area that *MAY* want to carpool (my car & I cover gas, we split hotels) out let me know. We can make a long several days of the way out and back and maybe get a chase or two in weather permitting. I'll be crashing at a relatives house in denver so an extra couple bodies should be fine.

airline tickets being the prices they are driving just might be cheaper

Yeah 9pm start time or 13 hours after the convention starts. It seems what was the main gist of the deal(pre-convention) is now something to shove almost into nonexistence. Most won't care to stay for it and those that do care will be tired and leave early. That leaves little reason to bother bringing any video at all.

I'm sure the talks will be great however, for those that enjoy them.

Originally posted by Jay McCoy
Kanani and I will both be going this year again. Just finally paid for the rooms and registration. And best of all no wheel chair this year!!

Darn the luck Jay. I myself am having to hold off going this year. Trying to purchase a VX2000 before April gets here and I absolutely need to put every penny I can towards it. I want to go so bad I can taste it. There are a number of talks I am going to truly miss! Graham is tied up with school test about that time and won't be able to go either.

Looks like a lot of fun, but I managed to get myself into something else that weekend. Wish I could be there.

Until I can go to Denver and still chase all the days I want to, I'm a perennial "no". I really enjoyed the years I went, but back then I was making the best money of my life, and it's just too expensive for someone like me (now). Not to be crass, but Denver has become something that's just out of my league.

I don't go to Denver for the reasons others do. I go to party. And doing Denver the way I do Denver would be over $500 in entertainment alone, and I simply can't justify the spending. To be honest, no one parties up there like I do, and five Benjamins is a lofty pricetag for a one-man fiesta :lol:

I was thinking of going but I just found out how much it costs. Now, I'm not sure. If I thnk of the gas to get there plus the price to get in, thats like 5-6 tanks of gas that I could be using for chasing. So I guess I need to hear if it is worth it or not.

Mike, Karen,

Like to see both of ya out there!

Actually....it might be a good idea to start a thread (if somebody wishes) about organizing carpools to get out to DEN. Perhaps this thread would work.

It's amazing how cheap the gas becomes when you team up with 3-5 other chasers to split the gas bill. Get a few cars from Norman, a few from Omaha, Kansas City, Wichita, Des Moines, St. Louis...you get the idea.

One doesn't HAVE to stay at the motel...try hooking up with some Denver area chasers and see if they'll let you crash at their house for a couple of days. Heck, a few can crash on my living room floor if they wish. That is....if you don't mind Coco licking you once in a while during the night....well...if you taste good.

The Colorado convention seems to go up an order of magnitude in quality every year. For those that have attended...am I off base here?

Anyways, I would encourage anybody that hasn't experienced this event to give it a try.

Heck, let the ST members speak for it!

Tim and Coco

Moderators: This thread is probably in the wrong spot.

I'm at 50/50 for going this year. Still working on details. Seems like every year I have every intention of going, but things come up and get in the way.

John - I wouldn't worry about not knowing people. People know you through Stormtrack, so you'll just need to introduce yourself. Probably the best thing about stuff like this is the fact that it lets chasers get to know you outside the realm of this online hubub ... helps people get to know people as they are, rather than based off of assumptions from their online 'personnae' or reputation ... in the real world I feel pretty shy and it's hard for me to meet lots of new people, but when I went to Denver in 2001 I felt at home and at ease. I'm sure you're experience would be similar.

Yes, the Storm Chasing community is odd in that many of us know OF someone, but don't necessarily know someone. It's always fun to be able to put faces (and vehicles lol) to names that we see so often on here, WX-CHASE, and other chasing lists and boards.

I'm undecided if I'll be going, mainly because of financial concerns. Last year was very good, so I want to go, so we'll see...

Unfortunately in recent days I found out my dad will not be able to go to the convention. And since I'm a minor, I can't get a hotel room, which really sucks. Add in the fact I don't have enough money to pay for convention cost and hotel room for two nights, so I guess I'm going to have to VERY grudgingly forgo attending the Convention this year. :evil: Looking at the number of posts by other ST'ers in regards to financial constraints preventing them from attending, I'm comforted by the fact that I am not alone. Maybe next year after I've made some money with my photography buisness... :)
To everybody who can attend: Have a great time. :D Forbidding financial failure of my photography buisness (not likely at all) I'll see y'all next year. After all, we'll turn around twice and it will be time for the Chaser's Convention '07 (hey, that rhymes; coool) 8)

While I love most video, I have to agree that my butt gets downright sore after hour three of sitting there watching Jonny's video of intense downdraft. If chasers edited their video to show a couple minutes of structure plus the two minutes the tornado was actually on the ground, seems like these videos would be a LOT shorter and a lot more interesting. Between the camera shake and the shots of the floorboards of chaser cars, I usually end up leaving the video portion of these gigs early - and only come back if I know something really cool is coming up or someone tells me to get my butt in there and watch. The contest last year would have been better, just because every video was edited and polished up.

Plus, there are SO MANY videos out there these days ... every chaser and his cousin Joe Bob have a video they want to show ... why not have a private viewing area cordoned off where videos are constantly playing, along with a schedule of which video will play at what time ... that way if we know that so-and-so's super vid will be on at 9:00 a.m. a person has a choice between lecture or video. (UNL did this last year) ... the only thing would be making the tough decision when both the lecture AND video are equally good.

Seems like it could be a cool experience. But I'm a little apprehensive because I don't really know anybody (aside from the VERY few of you that I've met out on the range), and my level of experience isn't anything close to those who live near enough to the Plains to chase regularly. What's the honest stance on relative n00bs such as myself?

i know i dont post much here, but this is really important. i am looking for someone to car pool with to the convention in denver in feb. i will be leaving wed the 15th and returning wed the 22. i live in geneva il which is about 30 miles due west of chicago. if anyone has any questions, please let me know!

thanks

matt

Sorry for my 'absence' from this forum...been REALLY busy w/ work and other issues.

I'm really looking forward to this upcoming convention. I've been attending since 2004 and I've enjoyed it.

I welcome the change in location and format. The Holiday Inn (2004/5) was a nice hotel, but, I think the Radisson is in a better location and will provide a better service for the convention. As for the Sunday 'workshop', I'm glad that it is covered in the overall registration cost (no extra fee).

Finally, the agenda...Dr. Charles Doswell, Dr. Joshua Wurman, Dr. Paul Markowski, Tim Marshall, Dr. David Gold, Jim Reed, Dr. Greg Forbes, and Jon Davies...WOW, what a lineup! This convention just keeps getting better and better every year.

Again, much thanks goes to Roger Hill and Tim Samaras for continuing to organize this annual event. It is a wonderful way of meeting up with fellow chasers and severe weather enthusiasts and to put a face to a name to those I've have never met in person before. Also, it's a great way of 'kicking off' the new season.

I am definitely going. I've gone the last couple of years and have had a lot of fun. Most importantly, the conference is educational. I have learned a lot that is directly applicable to chasing. The talks are understandable even to someone that has never taken a single meteorology course. I also enjoy seeing old friends and meeting new people, many who I have only known via internet postings and chase reports. It's also a lot of fun to hang out and swap chase stories, ideas and chase techniques. There is also a nice selection of vendors and there is the opportunity to handle eqipment and talk with the manufactuer's reprsentatives (ie StickyPod or Weathergraphics) Of course, there is always wild video and the chance to talk with the chaser who shot it (ie "I was on that storm from the other side" etc.)

I keep costs down by using frequent flyer miles. For further cost reductions, I would suggest sharing hotel rooms, carpooling or even staying at a cheaper hotel nearby.

Here are some images from last year:
http://www.harkphoto.com/NSCC2005.html

The conference keeps getting better and better.

Bill Hark

Originally posted by Benjamin Sipprell
...and I'm very familar with Denver, just stay off Colfax if you catch my drift :wink:
Yep, he's familiar all right! :lol:

Another good place to eat for those who don't mind a trip to the west side of town; a cheapo mexican joint called Bandido's! Mega yums and mega cheap!!!

Just bought my plane tickets last night. Very good fares right now from St. Louis if anyone from the Midwest is still looking for plane tickets.

I will be coming in a couple days early to ski. :D If anyone is interested in getting together on the slopes on Thursday or Friday, drop me an email or PM.

I'm looking forward to it, as this will be my first time at this convention.

Being in Denver, it's hard to think I wouldn't be there! I hope to see a few of you out this way in Feb!

This year I have too much going on to attend, I'm the maid of honor at a wedding in Los Angeles and relatives are visiting me in Arizona to attend an Arabian horse show. Really bummed I have to miss the conference but I'll be there in '07!

I went in 2002, which was, I believe, the last "Colorado Chaser PARTY". I went again in 2003, and it had become a convention. You'd think that the name change wouldn't really mean anything, but it did. I felt like I should have been paid for what seemed like training for work.

I'm not politically correct, and I can go to any number of severe wx workshops, etc. I may go again someday if the fun police get sent to some dark place where they belong, and I'm convinced it will be fun again.

I am pretty sure I'm going this year. I won't know until some time in January, but I am about 75% sure I'm in.

If I thnk of the gas to get there plus the price to get in, thats like 5-6 tanks of gas that I could be using for chasing. So I guess I need to hear if it is worth it or not.

Depends on what you want out of it. If sitting through talks about case studies and technology and past events is your thing, you'll probably enjoy it very much. For my money, I'd rather chase an extra week. If I could afford to go and not put a dent in my chasing fund, I'd be there every year.

Not sure yet, I've got 2 photo shows and a speech so I might have to get kinda creative.

Originally posted by Tony Laubach+-->QUOTE(Tony Laubach)

9:00 p.m. - midnight THE FAMOUS CHASER VIDEO NIGHT

Sigh.

I wish that aspect would change.

You mean 9PM? Yeah its getting up their in the evening.

It will be fun to be there this year and I'm going to make a long overdue vacation out of it.

Doug
The Weather Paparazzi

I'm almost certainly going for the first time. http://members.cox.net/geonerd/gif/woohoo.gif

At the moment I'm leaning towards a road trip. Hey, I enjoy driving! If anyone from NM, Az, or S. Cal would like to carpool, please holler. With multiple drivers, a one-day dash would be relatively easy. If driving alone, or with a like-minded co-driver, I may well take an extra day or two and do a slower tour of the Southern Rockies in winter.

-Greg

Although it's a bummer I have other stuff going on this time, it is quite amazing how fast the next one comes around. I'm looking foward to next year's. I can't believe the first month of '06 is wrapped up already. Weren't we just sitting down to Christmas dinner?

Originally posted by Mark Farnik
Unfortunately in recent days I found out my dad will not be able to go to the convention. And since I'm a minor, I can't get a hotel room, which really sucks.

Why not just drive down for the day?

I've also got to meet a lot of greet people who I haven't had the privilage of meeting out on the chase, and even got kicked out of the Holiday Inn lobby last year (right David and Graham?) :-)

Mike

Indeed we did Mike, quite a few of us! :lol: A great time that was! 8)

Good day,

I think I will be going again this year like I did since 2002. Just wanna make sure I will be able to first as I am fighting some family / personal stuff right now.

But besides that, the main reason I go is to share my thoughts, feelings, and experiences on weather and storm chasing with people at my same level, who never think I am "crazy"!

The chaser convention, if you have not gone, is a mix of professionals as well as amateurs like many of us, all rolled up into a party like atmosphere, but mixed in with serious and excellent presentations just like a thousand-dollar-a-day weather conference!

There is great vibe at every convention, and I never, ever, had a bad time there! It is the people (yeah, us chasers) that make this event what it is ... For example, having lunch with Tim Marshall and Howie Bluestien, with you and your chase partners - just like if you planned a get-together!

Also, show off your best video for the video night too.

I always flew in for the ice breaker night, then take the convention for saturday, dinner banquet, and sunday morning. Usually, sunday afternoon, and if I can, monday my chase buddies (weathervine) and I usually go skiing or hiking in the snowy mountains ... Remember, we are from Florida, so snow is a special treat for us ;-)

I look forward to also sharing our other "half" of our chasing lives - Hurricane chasing - And we really brought that to town last year!

Anyway, hope to see you all out there again, and if you never went, go at least once, as I highly recommend this convention.

Chris C - KG4PJN

I have never gone to the convention but this time I am 80% sure of going, just depends on the schedule.

I had originally planned to come but am having trouble finding airfare from that I can afford. I have to fly from Boston to Denver, then to Chicago on Sunday since I have to be in Chicago all week for business. Airfare from Boston to and from Chicago is covered by the client but.... Does anyone know of cheap flights to and from Chicago or is anyone driving so that I could be fly into Chicago, drive to Denver with you and drive back to be in Chicago Sunday night?

Ericka

Record subzero temps tonight will be fun for us weather geeks here.

its still too cold!!! :shock:

anyways, back on topic. the icebreaker was great! ran into a few people whom i havent seen in ages. i just wish there was a way to hook up my x-box to the tv in my room so i could watch the Driven By Passion dvd i just purchased.

I'm extremely glad to say we will be attending for our first time this year, It'll be my fiance Katie, my good friend Chris, me and we're also sharing the room with Benjamin S. so its gonna be like a chaser slumber party for four days so that will be cool. We're extremely excited to put faces to names and just to meet everyone. Just watch, I'll have to much too drink at the icebreaker and try to buy everyone a shot, if this happens please feel free to stop me because I have done it before and I can't afford it. :lol:

Monica and I, CC virgins both, are coming! :)

I'm kinda debating now. I'll just have to see what tests I have and when before I decide if I'm going or not.

I think the icebreaker is great the way it is. In fact, I'd almost say it's the best part. The icebreaker is where I heard Tim Marshall tell some amazing hurricane stories--never knew he had so many to share, and the icebreaker is where I talked with David Hoadley for thirty minutes about why on earth we spend so much time and money to see clouds. He's been thinking about that question for forty years and I was eager to listen. To me, an icebreaker involves talking with others. Nobody talks during a video session. It's actually worse than a talk because not only are you expected to pay attentoin, but the lights are out.

I was never a fan of traditional chaser video parties anyway, at least not the way they worked for many years. You sat there for eight or ten hours watching video after video, and invariably someone failed to grasp the term "edited" and everybody was forced to endure lengthy clips of chasers driving through the rain. What a beating! Listen, I don't like to watch *myself* drive through rain in REAL LIFE. I sure don't care to watch others do it on video. Trimming the video session to a few hours and making sure nobody has more than fifteen minutes is the only way to avoid a marathon torture fest.

That being said, it might be cool to have it earlier in the day, or to break it into two sections of 90 minutes each, so that video has an equal footing and chance for attendance as the talks. For my money, I'd rather hear what Jon Davies or Paul Markowski is thinking these days about tornado forecasting so I can maybe see more of them myself next spring (even as tempting as all that rain video might be! LOL). That's what I can get from a conference like Denver that I can't get at home. Chaser video I can buy whenever I want.

I should be settled in Denver by then, so I plan on attending. The registration fee is kind of steep, though. It's been a few years since I last attended... I don't remember it being so expensive.

im 99% sure that im going. i went in 2004. missed the 2005 one(regret it big time!). so i definitely want to attend this years conference.

I also really like tim's idea about car pooling. I was planning on driving from the chicago land area...possibly with one other person. I think i could possibly fit 1 or 2 others in the car. If any one is interested, let me know and we will figure something out!

I'm in. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

I thought about going, but schedule wise, doesnt appear things are going to work out this time around. Come March, I'll probably have some time off, so I'll likely be in attendance at the National Severe Weather Workshop in the OKC area.

I REALLY would love to go, and every friggin' year I say I'm going to go and then I end up getting the flu and can't go. So chances are, I probably won't.

I'm hoping to go for the first time. Timing works out this year since I've gotta be in Chicago for business Sunday night so gotta fly anyway and maybe I can get the client to pay for the extra leg (yeah, right).

I agree that it would be nice to have an 'icebreaker'-like format on Saturday also. Maybe the video showing on Saturday could be set up like last year's icebreaker, as Jay said. That way you could still keep the informal social aspect and keep an eye on the video screen when you wanted to.

Originally posted by Susan Strom
Although it's a bummer I have other stuff going on this time, it is quite amazing how fast the next one comes around. I'm looking foward to next year's. I can't believe the first month of '06 is wrapped up already. Weren't we just sitting down to Christmas dinner?

Tell me about it Susan. I have a todo list that is 5 pages long, with another todo list for chasing that is a full 3 pages now!!! But, I AM getting some things checked off of it finally!

Well I have pressed the GO button and now booked my flight � However I have to attend a meeting in London on the Friday morning �. but my direct flight connection means that I can then make the start of the 7:00pm ice breaker in Denver � how neat is that 8)

This will be my first year attending the conference and really it is the quality and subject depth of the talks that has really attracted me. Also I am looking forward to being able to speak to many of you at length � often when out chasing it is just a few snatched sentences before we shot off after a storm.

Chris C ~ I love hurricanes too! And I have a humdinger of a 2006 season planned ~ please track me down at the conference as I would live to hear of your plans as well as talking over some of the beasts of past years that I know that we have both intercepted.

9:00 p.m. - midnight THE FAMOUS CHASER VIDEO NIGHT

Sigh.

I wish that aspect would change.

I was really hoping that I could afford to go but it's either the convention or chasing this year. I'm hoping for next year. Unless I win the lottery (and I don't play it so it would take a bit of an unusual circumstance for me to actually win), I will not be there. Well, the season has already started and May will come pretty soon, I hope.

Ericka
www.gustfront.com

Just a heads up to all who are flying/driving in Wednesday/Thursday: a long duration snowstorm is looking to come in on Tuesday night and has the potential to dump considerable amounts of snow in the area. Fortunately for travelers it looks like the heaviest snow will be north and east of Denver (good news for me, since I'm a hundred miles northeast of Denver :D and would love a snow day 8) ) but Denver could be in for a solid 4 to 8 inches, maybe more depending on the storm track. Just keep abreast of the situation and plan ahead, because these 4 Corners lows can bomb out quickly and dump massive amounts of snow without much warning.

Great turnout so far. Record subzero temps tonight will be fun for us weather geeks here.

Bill Coyle and I are not having the best of travel luck coming over from the east coast. We both left at around 6AM EST. Both our planes had mechanical troubles. US Airways lost my luggage since Philly and has no idea where it is. Bill's delay made him miss the connecting flight and he is *STILL* in the air as I type this. Hopefully my suitcase is on that same plane. At least I got to Denver before the icebreaker.

Looks like I get to REALLY experience -15 F tonight since my coat, hat and gloves are somewhere between here and Philly.

I'm a no go for several reasons:

a) too busy working on research/thesis
B) no money
c) even if I had the money, it is better spent on other things preparing for chasing ;)

Aaron

well i officially made it. im currently sitting in my hotel room waiting for the iebreaker/registration to start. the trip here was very eventful tho.

the first night i stayed at the super 8 motel in des moines IA. i decided to get a bite to eat around 1am. when i left my room and stepped into the hall way, all you could smell ws marijuana smoke. found out the net morning that the room next door to me was hosting some sort of "party".

Then yesterday as i was passing thru Sterling Co, i was lucky enough to get to meet one of the many Colorado State Troopers! he let me off with a $50 speeding ticket...for doing only 9 over! :shock:

Just another added bit of "excitement". the check engine light is now on in my car :? . well ill see all you at the conference!

Hoboy,

I sure would love to go. I've never been and really would like to experience this convention at least once.

However - the distance is just phenomenal and I'd need to take extra time off work which would lose me even more money. I'd really have to hitch a ride with someone else to split/save gas. But - probably not this go 'round. :(

KR

Originally posted by Edward Ballou
Anyone remember last year's video of the guy who made his own probe?

There's a good convention idea ... a 'build your own probe' contest. Everyone could come up with the latest and greatest shapes and sizes, colors and functions for next year's turtles.

We could follow that by a probe-chucking contest ... whoever can throw one of Tim's turtles the furthest wins a free convention pass. :D

I think I know whose video Edward might be referring to ... I met up with a couple of guys from the Ozarks with their own probe last season. Their probes were a two man operation, though ... no way one person could deploy by himself.

The convention keeps getting better and better. Scheduled after the happy hour/ice breaker and continuing until midnight, Tim Vasquez has put together a "Midnight Madness, Storm Chasing simulator" with chase cases and analysis as a part of his Forecast School

http://www.forecastschool.com/

I'm already scheduled to go to the Convention and I hear there are other folks signing on at the last minute since there are still rooms available and fairly reasonable flights.

Bill Hark

I'm planning on going...I'm really looking forward to it. I fall into the complete newbie category, but I'm hoping to learn, even if I can't bring anything to the table as of yet, lol. Can't wait to meet y'all!
Sarah

For those of you who have never gone. It's totally worth it! Especially finnally meeting some people to whom i have only herd about up until that point. They have all kinds of really cool merchandice for sale (especially the videos and t shirts!! And not to mention, its in Colorado!

I think I may go...I need females to help split the hotel room cost though :). PM me if you're interested.

Originally posted by John Farley

Of course, as fate would have it, severe thunderstorms occurred back home today - my wife headed to the basement with the 2 cats when the sirens blew. No SVR at our house, but 3-inch hail was reported a couple miles west of the STL airport, where my car is parked. It would suck big time to get my car trashed by hail sitting at the airport, when, so far, I have managed to avoid any damage on chases. But what the hell, it was a great ski day, whatever happened or didn't to my car.

Just thought I would let you know that when I got back to the STL airport, my car was fine. Apparently, the worst of the hail passed just to the north. There are still some piles of hail along I-270 - of course, not much to melt it with the temps the last couple days here.

It was great chatting with lots of you at the chaser convention. It was my first, and I had a great time. Worthy of note: record lows were set in Denver on every day of the convention - Friday (-10, in the evening), Saturday (-13) and today (-4), as well as a record low high (7) on Saturday.

Ok , you guys heard of Field Of Dreams right"? well im so shocked and awwed that i heard these voices telling me to Go The Distance and I Will Learn :lol: so IM GOING to my first ever national chaser convention, and this will be my first time to CO , a long long long drive for me, i expect ill need about 600$ in all to cover everything, 79$ per night at the hotel isnt bad figuring fuel costs and hotel/food , and thankfully the convention center is right there" so I wont have to worry about driving around in a city where im UNTRAINED in driving skills , i mean some people are crazy drivers! its bad enough already everywhere lol

So im there for the whole thing, hope everyone has a safe ride there , and i hope the weather cooperates.

:wink:

I'll be in Denver too. Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting some new ones from ST.

I would love to go, but I have niether the money nor the time to go this year. I definitely plan on going in 2007! And I plan on making a killer amateur DVD to present that year! Hope to see you all then.

Doug, the snow will be very good! I skied at Breckenridge today and 5 inches of fresh powder made it a great ski day.

Of course, as fate would have it, severe thunderstorms occurred back home today - my wife headed to the basement with the 2 cats when the sirens blew. No SVR at our house, but 3-inch hail was reported a couple miles west of the STL airport, where my car is parked. It would suck big time to get my car trashed by hail sitting at the airport, when, so far, I have managed to avoid any damage on chases. But what the hell, it was a great ski day, whatever happened or didn't to my car.

See everyone tomorrow - skiing at Loveland tomorrow, then will head for the hotel in time for the welcome reception.

I registered a few days ago. I had to make sure my class schedules wouldn't interfere. So I see you guys there!

Someone find me a job so I can buy a video camera :-D.

Good day,

Yup ... Just booked airfare and registered so I guess that makes me 99% in (the other 1% would be any other thing like me getting sick or something like that) ;-)

Just enjoy the speakers and most of all the crowd of cool chasers there.

Being a hurricane chaser (in addition to a storm chaser ofcourse), I also like to bring that to the plains chaser arena as well.

Hope to see many of you out there,

Chris C - KG4PJN

I'm really bummed as well, but I am going to have to pass on this year's conference. I'm saving up for a video camera and also trying to pay off some debt so my wife and I can buy a house. Looks like I'm going to miss a lot of new people to the convention.

We'll all have to get together for a beer in '07!!

Unless I die beforehand, I'm there. A group of us are planning to carpool out, but final details haven't been worked out.

BTW, Tim, Roger, Dave and everyone else behind the scenes...thanks for all the hard work you put into the convention each years and I'm certainly looking forward to this year's edition!

Regards,

Mike

I know. I have a feeling this year is going to fly. I better start my Christmas shopping for holiday season '06 :)

I belive this will be my 5th year going to the Chaser Convention. Kersten and I are likely to go again in 2006. The last few years we flew in on friday evening and enjoyed the Ice Breaker. Then spend all day saturday watching all the programs, dinner, and video night.

Then on sunday we head out to play in the mountains and the snow since this is the only time of year we see such winter scenes after coming in from tropical South Florida.

Then fly out on monday midday and head back to thaw out and pack away our very small collection of winter gear.

BTW I have posted a poll up on the convention site about whether you are attending or not if you guys want to go over there and vote.

9:00 p.m. - midnight THE FAMOUS CHASER VIDEO NIGHT

Sigh.

I wish that aspect would change.

I think that should start on Friday night since there is usually so many videos to go through. No better way to break the ice than to gather and watch video. Staying up until 3am saturday night just to turn around and get up at 7 for sundays events are a bit tough. Last year I slept in until like 10am and missed a few things.

Kanani and I will be attending this year (less 1 damn wheelchair)

I hate to bust the group rate bubble, but if you get your airfare and hotel together, you can save up to $30 per night. But that was for the most flexible schedule.

With a more desireable schedule, I could save around $10-20 a night.

I am still debating. I really want to go but I think I will wait to see what airfares do in January.

Per the video night comments: I too, was very tired at the end of the day last year and retired early.

I arrived late Friday night and missed most of the ice breaker so another chance to just sit around at chat would be fun.

Per Mike - ... every chaser and his cousin Joe Bob have a video they want to show

Those are the best ones though! Anyone remember last year's video of the guy who made his own probe? (No offense to you if you are reading this) They went to deploy it and the tornado turned so they backed up down the road picked it up again, and redeployed it, only to find themselves a little too close. Absolutely hilarious!

I'm thinking of catching a plane and going to the convention in Feburary... I have never been to the convention before, and would most certainly like to attend. It's sure gonna cost me a few bucks, and I'd rather save up every penny I can for the quickly arriving new season. Still thinking, thou...

I'll most definetly be there! :D Last year was my first time, and I really had a blast listening to the awesome speakers, watching the cool videos and meeting other weather fanatics for the first time! I also got to see Mike Nelson again (I know him pretty well) and got to meet Dr. Forbes from the Weather Channel, which was really cool for me since I've watched him since I was eight years old. Besides, it's only a hundred miles to Denver from where I live, and I'll be able to come by myself this year (I had to drag dear old Dad along last year, but he did actually enjoy it) since I turn 16 on Monday and I can get my driver's license in January 23rd! Yay! :D
Look for a gold Mercedes Benz 300TE station wagon with Colorado plates; that's my ride. I look forward to seeing y'all who can attend in February for another action packed weekend of presentations, videos and general storm chaser hob-nobbing!

I am pretty sure that I will be going this year. I went last year and it was awesome! This year's schedule looks amazing also. $79 is not bad, it is definitely worth it. I can't wait till February! :D

I've attended two Denver conventions and had a blast both occasions. Not only was it a cool chance to hang out with real-world friends without the pressure of keeping up wtih a storm, but I met some veteran chasers willing to tell great stories.

The talks are always solid and the video presentations were fun. I commit to going every year, but like I said, I've only made it twice. Seems there''s always some unforseen chase-related expense at the beginning of the year. I guess I'm 50/50 at the moment.

Originally posted by mikedeason
Unless I die beforehand, I'm there. A group of us are planning to carpool out, but final details haven't been worked out.

Mike

Ok, I'm not dead (inside joke for the few who know what I'm talking about), but I will not be attending this year afterall. I'm sure it's still going to be a great time had by all (like the past several I've attended), but at this time in my life it's probably not the best place for me to be.

I look forward to the reports from this year's convention and hope everyone has a good time. One thing I would like to see, if at all possible, is if any of the presentors or organizers could possibly but their PP presentations online.

My wishes to everyone attending to have an insightful and good time and to stay safe.

Regards,

Mike

Originally posted by Greg Stumpf

p.s. Jim and I are already tentatively slated to produce the "Storms of 2006" for the St. Louis SLS conference. Details soon...

Greg,

I'm certainly willing to give you all my footage of the incredible May 2006 tornadoes... Included in that will be the 150-mile long F1 monster from late April 2006. :lol: {yes, I hope a 150-mile long tornado would only be an F1, though, admittedly, the chances of this are pretty slim)...

I just booked my flight and hotel reservations. This will be my first year out. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and tuning in to some of the fantastic presentations that will be given.

Kanani and I will both be going this year again. Just finally paid for the rooms and registration. And best of all no wheel chair this year!!

Originally posted by Amos Magliocco
I was never a fan of traditional chaser video parties anyway, at least not the way they worked for many years. You sat there for eight or ten hours watching video after video, and invariably someone failed to grasp the term "edited" and everybody was forced to endure lengthy clips of chasers driving through the rain. What a beating! Listen, I don't like to watch *myself* drive through rain in REAL LIFE. I sure don't care to watch others do it on video. Trimming the video session to a few hours and making sure nobody has more than fifteen minutes is the only way to avoid a marathon torture fest.
This is exactly the reason why I volunteered to take over the video shows at the AMS Severe Local Storms (SLS) Conferences and completely changed the format. My first gig was the 2000 conference in Orlando. Chasers were allowed to submit up to 10 minutes of their best video from the 1999 and 2000 seasons (of course, 3 May 1999 dominated that session). Two nights of programming at two hours each was devoted to video and slides, with slide shows taking up 30-40 minutes of one night, and video the rest. An overabundance of submissions forced us to trim some of the submissions to the best stuff. R. J. Evans and I co-produced the show, and re-edited the submissions onto master SVHS tapes. No more rewinding, cueing, nor sitting through boring video was had (like in past conferences).

I took a break for the 2002 conference in San Antonio, but then for the SLS conference in 2004 in Hyannis - those of you who attended, or who have watched the Storms of 2004 DVD (http://towerofstorms.net/sls22) know the rest of the story. Jim LaDue and I took the idea one step further, and instead organized the videos into "stories of the storms", with multiple submissions on each, guest producers, and musical scores. We burned the master onto a 2 hour DVD. It was only after the conference that interest was generated to package the DVD for sale as a fundraiser for charity. And then the Storms of 2005 DVD (http://stormsof2005.org) was born...

greg

p.s. Jim and I are already tentatively slated to produce the "Storms of 2006" for the St. Louis SLS conference. Details soon...

Greg jinxed 06. We can thank him when it is snowing again in May. ;)

Keep in mind that registration fee also includes your dinner on Saturday night (unless something has changed I don't know about, if so please correct me Tim), so it really is a good bargain. Just look at previous years speaker lineups and the ones that are getting lined up for this year. You won't find another lineup of that quality of speakers in the severe weather realm at any other event I don't believe, and it's all geared with a CHASER audience in mind. Not a conference about weather that chaser just attend that's geared for spotters, or EM folks, etc etc. It's all completely for the chasers!

I learn something every year, and it's interesting to see what some of those doing research are doing, getting to visit with people you "know" in person and even though it's growing exponentially every year, seems like you really know everyone there. Heck, it's fun just to climb up and sit in the DOW units. (I may be speaking out of class, but I hear they may be on scene again this year.)

And if your a newb thinking you might feel out of place, don't worry, I met several people there last year that had never been chasing before and wanted to learn more, and DID. You won't be the only beginner there.

I am always sad when it's over. Kinda reminds me of when you went to camp when you were a kid and had fun and hated when the time was over and you had to go home.

First year I went I stayed in a nearby Motel 6 to save on money. It's more fun staying in the same hotel though, and it's affordable if you can stand to share a room with someone.

I do need to pass most of the kudos on to Tim and Roger though. What I do with internet promotion pales in comparison to the monumental task those two go through to pull it all together.

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5 January 2009 | cameltoepants.com | edit