Steve Holmes
EF2
You're right, John. She was the one who was a bit miffed at me, but she's still talking to me 15 years later so I guess she got over it.
-
While Stormtrack has discontinued its hosting of SpotterNetwork support on the forums, keep in mind that support for SpotterNetwork issues is available by emailing [email protected].
What Do You Look for/Avoid in Chase Partners?
- Thread starter Steve Holmes
- Start date
Ben Holcomb
EF5
It's the best feeling in the world. Some of my best days have been solo or with a beta personality/non chaser type around where I called all the shots. Me me me, yes, but it feels great to score because of yourself and nothing else. Even better if you score big and others do not. Examples for me include 2016-05-22 Big Spring, 2012-04-30 Medford, OK and 2011-05-24 Chickasha.
Dan Robinson
EF5
I have become a dyed in the wool solo chaser, that is, it would really throw a wrench into how I do things to start regularly accommodating a partner. So many of my best chase trips in recent years probably would have been jeopardized by the many complications a partner often would introduce.
The main thing that makes a partner impractical for me is my chasing schedule, and by that I mean I don't really have one. I leave for a chase trip when a.) the weather says it is time to go and b.) I get sufficient rest, I normally don't plan anything in advance. I work irregular hours and have no circadian rhythm, so the time I leave is highly dependent on when I worked the previous day, when I woke up that day and how much of a nap I can take before I leave, etc. Many times I sleep during the late evening before a trip and then start the drive west after midnight. Trying to work another person's schedule into that would really mess things up in either making us late or me sleep deprived.
Also, I've incorporated sleeping in my car during some nights, because it's just easier logistically (IE, why get a hotel when a 3-hour roadside nap on the way out west will get me by). No way could I do that with someone in the car. I don't tend to sleep well with someone driving either.
2004-2007 I had friends and/or family chasing with me, and the main problem was everyone has a different time slot of days they could be off from work. Someone has to be back a day early or can't leave until a certain day. This was especially an issue with people coming from different parts of the country. Where do we leave their car, etc. There were a couple times I had to miss a chase day to drive back to get a partner's car or take/pick up someone at the airport/train station.
That being said, I think it is always more enjoyable to chase with a group of good friends. I am missing that aspect of chasing for sure these days. It's just rare for circumstances to work out for that to happen.
The main thing that makes a partner impractical for me is my chasing schedule, and by that I mean I don't really have one. I leave for a chase trip when a.) the weather says it is time to go and b.) I get sufficient rest, I normally don't plan anything in advance. I work irregular hours and have no circadian rhythm, so the time I leave is highly dependent on when I worked the previous day, when I woke up that day and how much of a nap I can take before I leave, etc. Many times I sleep during the late evening before a trip and then start the drive west after midnight. Trying to work another person's schedule into that would really mess things up in either making us late or me sleep deprived.
Also, I've incorporated sleeping in my car during some nights, because it's just easier logistically (IE, why get a hotel when a 3-hour roadside nap on the way out west will get me by). No way could I do that with someone in the car. I don't tend to sleep well with someone driving either.
2004-2007 I had friends and/or family chasing with me, and the main problem was everyone has a different time slot of days they could be off from work. Someone has to be back a day early or can't leave until a certain day. This was especially an issue with people coming from different parts of the country. Where do we leave their car, etc. There were a couple times I had to miss a chase day to drive back to get a partner's car or take/pick up someone at the airport/train station.
That being said, I think it is always more enjoyable to chase with a group of good friends. I am missing that aspect of chasing for sure these days. It's just rare for circumstances to work out for that to happen.
Jason Boggs
EF5
In the past 18 years, I have chased about 75% of that time without a chase partner. The chase partner that I did have shared these traits with me:
1. We liked the same type of music.
2. We both had the same chasing style.
3. We both basically had the same taste for food.
We both chased for the same tv station, so we were on the same page when it came time for phoners, etc...
I do admit that I prefer to chase alone. It's time I have to myself to meditate on the way to the target. I also feel that if I fail (choose the wrong target)...it's nobody's fault but mine. Also when I succeed, I know that is was because I constructed a well thought out forecast.
1. We liked the same type of music.
2. We both had the same chasing style.
3. We both basically had the same taste for food.
We both chased for the same tv station, so we were on the same page when it came time for phoners, etc...
I do admit that I prefer to chase alone. It's time I have to myself to meditate on the way to the target. I also feel that if I fail (choose the wrong target)...it's nobody's fault but mine. Also when I succeed, I know that is was because I constructed a well thought out forecast.
JamesCaruso
Staff member
Steve- I got to know my current chase partner and two other chasers on chase tours. After a couple years of that, the four of us began chasing together in 1999. So I had plenty of time to get to know him. Eventually the other two fell out of chasing and it was just the two of us. What's funny is that he came to the tours a year or two after the others, and I was thinking to myself, "this guy doesn't get it, he's not going to last at this" - reason being that he wanted to go back home during down periods and would pester the tour guide about when he should come back to enjoy a pick-up in the action. Remember this is back in the late 1990's when we didn't have the models, or easy access to them, that we have today. But my current chase buddy ended up being the only one that lasted!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
JamesCaruso
Staff member
I am intrigued by the posts of those that like to chase alone. I have done it a few times, when my chase partner needed to meet me for our chase vacation a day or two late, or leave a day or two early. (Side note - the logistics of being able to meet up or part ways at an airport is a major hassle that I try to avoid at all costs. One year he flew into AMA on a chase day, rented his own car and met me in the middle of the TX PH, which was kind of surreal, but then we still had to worry about the logistics of returning one of the cars...)
I do enjoy the whole experience of chasing in solitude for a day or two, but I would NOT want to do it for much more than that. I agree with all the positives about the experience that others have described above, but for me ultimately that is outweighed by the boredom of the long drives and waiting periods, the fatigue of having to do all the driving myself, and the overwhelm of having to synthesize so many inputs at once during the heat of the action, which in my view is also far less safe.
If there was ever a year that my chase partner couldn't make it, I would have to seriously consider my plans for that year... I could never see myself skipping out on a chase vacation entirely, but I'm not sure I could stand a full two weeks chasing alone. I would probably make it a shorter trip, or maybe just be much more selective in which days I decided to chase while I was out there so I could avoid excessive time alone on the road for marginal payoffs. For reasons that are obvious from this whole thread, I would be very hesitant to try going with a different partner.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
I do enjoy the whole experience of chasing in solitude for a day or two, but I would NOT want to do it for much more than that. I agree with all the positives about the experience that others have described above, but for me ultimately that is outweighed by the boredom of the long drives and waiting periods, the fatigue of having to do all the driving myself, and the overwhelm of having to synthesize so many inputs at once during the heat of the action, which in my view is also far less safe.
If there was ever a year that my chase partner couldn't make it, I would have to seriously consider my plans for that year... I could never see myself skipping out on a chase vacation entirely, but I'm not sure I could stand a full two weeks chasing alone. I would probably make it a shorter trip, or maybe just be much more selective in which days I decided to chase while I was out there so I could avoid excessive time alone on the road for marginal payoffs. For reasons that are obvious from this whole thread, I would be very hesitant to try going with a different partner.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Steve Holmes
EF2
James, my situation is different from yours. What you consider boredom I call blissful solitude. The quiet allow me to think about life, about work, to listen to WeatherBrains podcasts, to turn up Bon Jovi or Johnny Cash as loud as I darn well please, to write or organize a creative project in my mind. Six hours on the road can get more accomplished than six hours in front of the computer. Once I'm there, I read, or write down what I've just thought, or clean out the car. There is always something to do while waiting. (Being a local chaser, I don't have the chasing drives you do, but I've been known to take a 730-mile day trip for a ball game or a train, so I know long drives).
I can see how a shared experience can be great for compatible chasers. I don't know other chasers personally, and the people I'd go 730 miles with aren't into chasing.
I can see how a shared experience can be great for compatible chasers. I don't know other chasers personally, and the people I'd go 730 miles with aren't into chasing.
I've caught more alone than not. But that's probably just chance. I prefer someone with actual basic knowledge, and experience, rather than someone who just wants to see something. This year I'm trying to have a set driver so I can pay closer attention to radar, and filming. I got a guy who's an aggressive (but safe) driver and also has a good knowledge base. Some days it is nice to be solo though...just to relax and get away from it all.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Peter B. Creedon
EF0
I chased solo locally, but when distance was involved I had a buddy who I met in Clarksville, MO during the June, 2008 floods. He went by the nickname AJ. We would "Tag Team." I would be in my truck and he in his. Since I didn't have all the gadgets and gizmos we relied on CB. It was his gut instinct that got us out of some tough stuff north of Keokuk, Iowa on June 21, 2010. We didn't see the tornado at Ft. Madison, but learned of it later on.
Both times I've taken someone along it hasn't went well.
My first buddy I brought along freaked out the first time we encountered heavy rain/hail/wind. Right after that happened, he started hyper focusing on my driving (which was slightly aggressive, but not anything to panic about). It was annoying and distracting. Also, earlier in the day, I had let him use my DSLR to shoot some pictures while I drove. He filled my memory card up in less than 5 minutes without a single worthy pic. So I had to choose to either lose all the pics I took previously on that day, or not take anymore for the rest of the chase. The only benefit to taking him was I let him drive the 3 hours back home from North Texas.
Second buddy I brought along did ok as far as not griping about driving and didn't freak out when the weather got crazy. He asked "what time will we be done" multiple times, early in the day. But I swear he is a bad luck charm. First reason why; we are driving along a two-lane highway to the target area and a semi truck pulled out and caused us to have to slow way down. It didn't bother me too much, but my buddy apparently took exception. When I was finally able to pass the truck, he leaned out the window to flip off the driver and his glasses blew off his face, LOL! Time was of the essence, but I tried to be a good friend and turned back to see if we could find them since he is practically blind without them. No luck. Wasted about 20 minutes with that.
We made it another 50 miles down the road and he excitedly told me to pull off the road (made it sound like an emergency or something), so I did right away. Unfortunately, one of those black rubber tie-downs was laying on the shoulder right where I pulled off and I didn't see it until I was running it over. The metal hook ended up in my passenger side rear tire and it started losing air fast. I was in a rental car that had a spare, but no jack! I was pretty upset at that point. I called the rental company and luckily we were only about 30 minutes away from the store, so they sent an employee with another car to swap out with me. The 2nd car had a jack, so we used it to put the spare on the first car for the employee to drive back. On the road again, finally, only to end up missing a tornado by about 10 minutes that day.
I haven't offered to take anyone else since. I guess if I were to, my only 2 rules would be;
1) Don't bitch about my driving
2) The chase ends when I say so, and not until then
I gave up on finding a chase partner. I really enjoy being able to make my own calls, and if something goes bad I don't have anyone to blame but myself. Not to say I wouldn't mind chasing with someone else from time to time... but until then, I'm content riding solo or bringing my dogs along if I am not going too far from home.
My first buddy I brought along freaked out the first time we encountered heavy rain/hail/wind. Right after that happened, he started hyper focusing on my driving (which was slightly aggressive, but not anything to panic about). It was annoying and distracting. Also, earlier in the day, I had let him use my DSLR to shoot some pictures while I drove. He filled my memory card up in less than 5 minutes without a single worthy pic. So I had to choose to either lose all the pics I took previously on that day, or not take anymore for the rest of the chase. The only benefit to taking him was I let him drive the 3 hours back home from North Texas.
Second buddy I brought along did ok as far as not griping about driving and didn't freak out when the weather got crazy. He asked "what time will we be done" multiple times, early in the day. But I swear he is a bad luck charm. First reason why; we are driving along a two-lane highway to the target area and a semi truck pulled out and caused us to have to slow way down. It didn't bother me too much, but my buddy apparently took exception. When I was finally able to pass the truck, he leaned out the window to flip off the driver and his glasses blew off his face, LOL! Time was of the essence, but I tried to be a good friend and turned back to see if we could find them since he is practically blind without them. No luck. Wasted about 20 minutes with that.
We made it another 50 miles down the road and he excitedly told me to pull off the road (made it sound like an emergency or something), so I did right away. Unfortunately, one of those black rubber tie-downs was laying on the shoulder right where I pulled off and I didn't see it until I was running it over. The metal hook ended up in my passenger side rear tire and it started losing air fast. I was in a rental car that had a spare, but no jack! I was pretty upset at that point. I called the rental company and luckily we were only about 30 minutes away from the store, so they sent an employee with another car to swap out with me. The 2nd car had a jack, so we used it to put the spare on the first car for the employee to drive back. On the road again, finally, only to end up missing a tornado by about 10 minutes that day.
I haven't offered to take anyone else since. I guess if I were to, my only 2 rules would be;
1) Don't bitch about my driving
2) The chase ends when I say so, and not until then
I gave up on finding a chase partner. I really enjoy being able to make my own calls, and if something goes bad I don't have anyone to blame but myself. Not to say I wouldn't mind chasing with someone else from time to time... but until then, I'm content riding solo or bringing my dogs along if I am not going too far from home.
Michael Towers
Supporter
James, getting away from everybody is one of the aspects of chasing I love! With all the stress and pressure in my everyday life getting a chance to get away and unwind in peace and solitude is like a refreshing cleansing for the mind. I really don’t find boredom to be an issue, especially not on chase days. I love road trips in general so the drives out and back don’t bother me, the drive out is almost always accompanied by an excited anticipation and the drive home by memories of the trip and things I have witnessed, some of them spectacular if the trip went well. During the trip I usually get to see parts of the country I’d otherwise never get to see and there’s something about the rural countryside and small towns that really appeal to me. Instead of being bored with it I really enjoy it, I really like to see and experience what some consider to be "fly over" country. I don’t feel alone or lonely when I’m out, I kind of feel connected to it all even though on a personal level I don’t know any of the people I see or meet. I could take a storm chasing type trip without the storm chasing and I’d still have a great time.
But of course the purpose of the trip is chasing the storms and for many of the reasons cited above (freedom, calling the shots, not having to defer to the needs/preferences of others) doing it solo is my preference. Doing so can add a degree of difficulty versus having a partner or partners and I’ll admit, back in the day I used to feel overwhelmed. Up until 2007 I had no forecasting ability, no in vehicle radar and relied on paper maps for navigation. The radar came in 2007 along with a laptop and GPS, through the years the forecasting has evolved and while I’m far from accomplished I have a system I’ve refined that works efficiently if not also effectively for me. Things can definitely still get hairy and I can do any number of things to mess up a chase but that’s all part of the fun and the challenge and when it all comes together under the base of that storm the reward is oh so sweet.
That reward is of course the objective and realizing it alone just somehow makes it kind of special. Ever since I started chasing one of my ultimate goals was to witness a supercell maturing from its incipient stage to the cusp of tornadogenesis, me all alone in some picturesque meadow with the wind at my back being sucked into the turbulent sky above. I always wondered if the actual thing would meet my expectations and on 5/24/11 in that beautiful meadow near Canton I was lucky enough to find out. By some stroke of luck on a High Risk day in Oklahoma I was able to achieve such a perspective in solitude and the experience was one of the most rewarding ever. Nobody else in sight, no conversation or distraction to spoil the moment. The sound of nature the only thing audible, the fury of Mother Nature above in juxtaposition to the tranquility of Mother Nature below, each connected with the other in a display of intertwined beauty. Maybe sharing it with someone wouldn’t have detracted from the experience, who knows, maybe it would have enhanced it but that feeling of being alone in that environment was one I’ll never forget. Maybe one day I’ll take someone along, both my older and younger brother have expressed a desire to go and I almost always call my younger brother after scoring big on a chase. They both have an open invitation but unless either one of them ever takes me up on it I’ll probably continue to relish the freedom, peace and solitude that chasing solo can sometimes provide.
Brett Roberts
EF5
Yeah, I'll echo much of what Michael said in defense of solo chasing. I think this is where introvert vs. extrovert (and other personality traits) comes into play. I view solo chasing and group chasing as distinctly great experiences, each with many pros and cons. Others seem to view solo chasing as simply a less fulfilling, "boring" variant of what they experience when chasing with friends.
Solitude allows you to reflect and think while traveling, and the experience of enjoying a storm alone -- sometimes without any sign of human life in sight -- is also amazing in its own unique way, I find. I think what I love most is the feeling of disconnecting entirely from the stresses of everyday life. (Hell, that's part of the addiction factor for me.) Those stresses and problems all seem meaningless when it's just you and nature. I suppose you can go hiking or jogging alone for a relatively similar experience, but the sense of challenge and uncertainty on a chase day combined with the sheer power of the show puts it in a whole other league.
Although, speaking of challenges: Michael raises a good point in that certain aspects of the chase, primarily once you're on a storm, are much harder alone. I sometimes fail to appreciate this until I chase with a buddy and mysteriously end up with 10x better footage than usual. I had my primary chase partner with me on the 5/24 DDC event this last year and couldn't be more thankful, as he shot perfect video while I focused strictly on stills. He also helped with navigation and put us on that paved N-S road that the first two tornadoes moved along; I doubt I would've been able to analyze the road network that well while driving if I were alone. Conversely, I was solo on 5/9 Wynnewood, and paid the price: I hit "pause" instead of "record" on my main camcorder, then fell behind the storm unnecessarily after it crossed I-35 because I wasn't focused enough on diagnosing the bad road network. Making the right choices on road options and other in-situ decisions under a tornadic supercell is really freaking hard by yourself, unless you're an exceptional multitasker!
Solitude allows you to reflect and think while traveling, and the experience of enjoying a storm alone -- sometimes without any sign of human life in sight -- is also amazing in its own unique way, I find. I think what I love most is the feeling of disconnecting entirely from the stresses of everyday life. (Hell, that's part of the addiction factor for me.) Those stresses and problems all seem meaningless when it's just you and nature. I suppose you can go hiking or jogging alone for a relatively similar experience, but the sense of challenge and uncertainty on a chase day combined with the sheer power of the show puts it in a whole other league.
Although, speaking of challenges: Michael raises a good point in that certain aspects of the chase, primarily once you're on a storm, are much harder alone. I sometimes fail to appreciate this until I chase with a buddy and mysteriously end up with 10x better footage than usual. I had my primary chase partner with me on the 5/24 DDC event this last year and couldn't be more thankful, as he shot perfect video while I focused strictly on stills. He also helped with navigation and put us on that paved N-S road that the first two tornadoes moved along; I doubt I would've been able to analyze the road network that well while driving if I were alone. Conversely, I was solo on 5/9 Wynnewood, and paid the price: I hit "pause" instead of "record" on my main camcorder, then fell behind the storm unnecessarily after it crossed I-35 because I wasn't focused enough on diagnosing the bad road network. Making the right choices on road options and other in-situ decisions under a tornadic supercell is really freaking hard by yourself, unless you're an exceptional multitasker!
Steve Holmes
EF2
Chad, do your dogs share in the driving?
I wish.
I have 3 Boston Terriers and the closest they get to driving is battling it out for who gets to ride on my lap. And, if you don't like chase partners with flatulence, you wouldn't like chasing with these guys! Lol
They are a handful sometimes, but I have not had a bad chase day on any day they rode along. My tornado count last year was 3, and they were along with me for all 3.
I have 3 Boston Terriers and the closest they get to driving is battling it out for who gets to ride on my lap. And, if you don't like chase partners with flatulence, you wouldn't like chasing with these guys! Lol
They are a handful sometimes, but I have not had a bad chase day on any day they rode along. My tornado count last year was 3, and they were along with me for all 3.
Adam R Davis
EF1
For me, patience is key above all else. Not only the ability to wait out the afternoon for initiation and the long drives, but the ability to keep calm and not jump on the first blip that pops up on radar... or giving up too soon when things look questionable. I've had bad experiences with both of these scenarios. I've also chased with a couple people that don't understand that reaching your target area can mean sitting around for 4-6 hours while the atmosphere cooks. "We're here.... now where do we go?"
I have gone solo on a few occasions. Aside from the occasional pang of loneliness driving on empty roads in the middle of nowhere, I really enjoy calling my own shots. Interestingly enough, failure doesn't sting as bad when I'm alone. Likewise, I get a better sense of pride when I nail a chase on my own. I suppose a good medium would be to have a partner that loves to drive but isn't terribly interested in storms, but then there's a bit of frustration when you're super excited about that giant mothership alive with lightning and they just shrug it off.
I have gone solo on a few occasions. Aside from the occasional pang of loneliness driving on empty roads in the middle of nowhere, I really enjoy calling my own shots. Interestingly enough, failure doesn't sting as bad when I'm alone. Likewise, I get a better sense of pride when I nail a chase on my own. I suppose a good medium would be to have a partner that loves to drive but isn't terribly interested in storms, but then there's a bit of frustration when you're super excited about that giant mothership alive with lightning and they just shrug it off.
Similar threads
