I have a question for my fellow chasers

[Shane Hale]

***** TOPIC WITHDRAWN DUE TO THE DIRECTION OF CONTENT****

These two articles sum up my opinions.

http://www.stormeyes.org/tornado/yahoo.htm

http://www.stormeyes.org/tornado/cancer.htm

 

[Michael P. Morris]

I'll get in my 2 cents before this becomes another one of those "how close is too close" sort of arguments. The way I see it, most of the general public probably thinks there is something wrong with us anyway as we intentionally seek out severe weather for fun/education/documentation/etc. Some people do things that I think are silly for entertainment, such as jumping out of planes or off bridges or skateboarding or whatever and we are no different, it's just that we are playing around with something regarded to be "bigger" than us, for lack of a better term.

Personally, I am happy shooting from a few miles away as long as the light is good, as I don't feel comfortable getting right up under the mesocyclone in case something does drop right close to me. Others like to get close, and that is their prerogative and I have no problem with that at all. Then again, CNN hasn't exactly been hitting me up for my captivating images either!

 

[Willie Dines]

I must admit, that as far as a tornadoes structure, dynamics and behaviour go, I do understand what to look out for, and how close it is possible to get, and for me, depending on the conditions of the day, I would allow myself to get up to about a mile from the tornado, but about 1.5 miles is perfect, because you can still get close, but still have a good distance to make a sudden escape if it is required, so long as you position yourself in a way that the road network allows for this

On 1 hand, I think that it makes great footage and I take my hat off to the guys on www.tornadovideos.net because of the footage that they offer, but on the other hand, I would rather put safety before footage, but that is just my own preference

We only have 1 life, and it is too precious nd irreplaceable to be a bit too hasty, and besides, we're meant to be out saving other people's lives, not putting ourselves at greater risk

Willie

 

[Bill Tabor]

Shane, I would be very careful what you convey to the media in regards to your views of the behavior of other chasers. The media is always looking for sensationalism and some slant to get more marketshare. Chasers like all people come in all sizes, shapes, styles, and colors. Some get close, some don't. Some are learned some are not. Some take chances, others don't. Some are just plain stupid, others aren't. It's just not that easy to generalize or stereotype chaser behavior.

Are chasers crazy for what they do? I don't know....I think almost everybody I ever met was whacky in some way. It's true a lot of chasers are passionate about what they do. Sometimes we do stupid stuff not on purpose that gets caught on tape. I think it's probably crazier to jump from airplanes or bungie than to storm chase. I used to fly and consider that much more dangerous, but that completely depends on what you do as a chaser. With enough technical knowledge and equipment you can drive right into a tornado. I've certainly been able to do that. Hopefully most will have the common sense not too, but whoever does will get extra special kudos because it's "cool".

Take it on a case by case basis. Know both sides of any story before you comment. Realize anything you say can be used against you or taken out of context by the media. As I understand, they do that all the time.

 

[Adam Atkins]

Since when does the media portray chasers in a bad light? Any publicity is good publicity. The chasers who are on TV choose to be and extend their video, they aren't sought out and patronized... Several of these individuals get close because they treat storm chasing not as just a hobby but as a source of income, so the more incredible the footage/dramatic the situation the better.

Live and let live, chase how you want to chase, and lets put an end to this discussion, because we're beating a dead horse.

 

[Shane Adams]

Everybody has or will dvelop their own style of chasing. Some like it up close all the time 100mph, others like to lag and shoot structure, and there are a million types in between. the thing to remember is, just because it looks dangerous or IS dangerous to YOU doesn't mean it is to someone else. Timmer and Taylor are highly-experienced at close-range chasing, as is the Godfather of that style, Jeff Piotrowski. You can add about 30-40 other names to that list as well. "Crazy" is relative. To me, crazy is sitting back 10 miles to shoot the entire storm and not giving a damn about the tornadoes. It's all about personal style.

Chasing is more and more like religion - opinions only, and nobody's right.

 

[Will Astle]

Kinda along those lines...do other chasers think that 'whooting and hollering' and explatives "lessen" or "cheapen" the video? I've always kind of wondered if non-chaser people pay more attention to whats being said by the chaser and less of what's being recorded..

 

[Paul Knightley]

As has been mentioned above, each chaser has their own agenda and style of chasing, and in the main, that's fine. When it's not fine is when the agenda is purely to get amazing footage to sell on, with scant regard for anyone else, shouting and screaming into the mic as they roar after the tornado. Sure, we all get excited, and occasionally scared by severe weather, but in my book, that doesn't mean you have to scream your lungs out for the benefit of the watching audience.

Back in 2001, whilst positioning ahead of the southern supercell on May 29th (TX P'handle, near Tulia), we pulled over to watch the developing storm. Quite a few other chasers were there, including several van loads of what appeared to be university chase teams. One of these teams thought it would be best to put on their music as loud as possible, and several others were making a darn racket. Now I don't mind high spirits, etc, but in the right place at the right time. At the side of a quiet Texas road, near some farmsteads, with a developing supercell to the west is not the time in my book. Not to mention the fact that the first distant rumbles of thunder from a developing storm are priceless, in my mind.

Needless to say we quickly moved a bit further west to an altogether quieter spot.

I often pause before writing/commenting on storm chasing in the US, as I only come across there as a tourist, and as such, sometimes feel I shouldn't really be preaching to the residents. However, as a storm chaser, whether I'm in the US, or back here in the UK, I don't want to be labelled as some kind of nutjob that goes zooming off into the middle of any severe thunderstorm I can find. I'm a meteorologist, and I'm observing, documenting and learning about the most amazing weather on the planet, and I don't see why others should put that into jeapody.