Would you rather (part 3)

[Adam Lucio]

I hate nighttime tornadoes. Theyre pretty useless in terms of quality video. I will continue to pursue them if the chase started off during the day, but I never bite on a setup if it appears it will be after dark.

 

[Todd Lemery]

I figure I better fess up to being the only to vote for option two. Option one seemed like the easy choice, but then I started thinking of the other nine chases that would have ended with nothing.
I'm not out to sell any videos or pics, so after spending all that time on money on a chase, I wanna be able to go to bed at whatever hotel I'm at and at least have seen a "birdfart". Nine chases in a row would really suck not seeing anything. I know structure and lightening are nice, but I'm pretty sure that isn't the goal of most of us.
Now, I'm not a complete idiot (close though), I wouldn't want it to go like that year in and year out. If I really had a choice, I'd alternate between the one nice twister and the 10 crappy ones. Not to pad stats, but to try and have the best of both worlds.

 

[Jason Foster]

These days, though not much different than all my years chasing, I get a limited window to chase in. Before it was just because I worked at an architecture firm that only allowed me certain times to chase (based on the projects happening at the time). Granted, I had an awesome boss that let me chase for two to four weeks at a time, but advance scheduling, etc. meant I couldn't ebb and flow with the pattern.

Now-a-days I'm just focused on other things professionally and frankly, while I love chasing, I would not be upset with heading out for a spot chase for 3 to 5 days, getting one or two good chases in with a few fantastic shots from one really good photogenic tornado and then immediately heading home to get back to work.

If option 2 happens, I am not disappointed though. But this poll is about picking one or the other...so one it is.

 

[Doug Crisp]

#1 for sure id rather see one good tornado and have great pics/video Vs a bunch of crappy vid/pics

 

[JamesCaruso]

This was a harder choice for me than for some, because thinking in terms of my usual two-week chase vacation, would I really be happy with just one good day with a photogenic tornado - and nothing at all on the other days - versus ten active chase days, where maybe the tornados aren't photogenic but they are exciting chases of tornadic supercells - and nobody said the storms couldn't still have decent structure, correct? I think in that scenario I might actually go with option 2.

But if you're saying the 10 crappy tornado days are also messy storm mode days with no structure, then I guess I would take option 1 instead.

I thought back to my 2010 trip that included Campo. When my chase vacation was over, I have to confess to feeling a little bummed about that year's trip as a whole, because Campo was the only good day for us that two weeks. Campo was a career day so you probably all think I am crazy for feeling that way, but that's how I remember feeling. It had been a disappointing trip until Campo, then Campo day was like "yes, THIS is why we come out here!" and it just made me want more, but then next thing you know, a week of nothing and we're on our way home in the blink of an eye. But looking back on it now, I certainly wouldn't give Campo up for anything, even if I could have had ten other days of supercell chases with bird fart tornados.

 

[Alex Heimberger]

Hard choice. Guess it depends if these bird fart tornadoes dropped from amazing structured supercell. Or if every bird fart tor was minutes away from home. Always want the most photogenic tornado, but some circumstances could put me on the other side.

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

Actually a super valid point. April 14 2007 Nickerson KS was bird fart city - but I supposed I'd take 10 of these bird farters a year.

c96f87_0318bd3ba72e68949dd58dfd512f3fcc.jpg_srz_p_640_480_75_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz by Andrew Pritchard, on Flickr

 

[Wesley Luginbyhl]

Nickerson was actually highly enjoyable to me as I was less than a mile away for all of them. Actually had 2 within a 100 yards. Bird farts at that distance can top a lot of things.

I chose # 1, for the record though.

 

[Ethan Schisler]

I'll choose #1. However I will echo what has been said above, if said bird fart or low contrast tornadoes are close to home, I might be swayed the other direction. I can appreciate pretty much anything that is close to my house or doesn't require me traveling very far. However, driving 500+ miles away from home, I'd certainly rather have 1 photogenic tube versus a bunch of bird farts.

 

[Nathan Hoelting]

I'll take #1 for the record if forced to choose, but I could honestly not care less if I see a tornado or not. I just love the chase. I've had blue sky busts that were exponentially more entertaining than others where there were storms.

 

[Adam Reagan]

I prefer quality over quantity. I saw 5 tornadoes during the April 14, 2012 outbreak (the most for me on a chase), but I'm not as happy about that day as I am with the Rozel day because of the bad quality of my video.

 

[Verne Carlson]

1 photogenic tornado per year! Those are the days that stick in your mind.

 

[joel ewing]

I'd take the 10. My cousin / chase partner and I stay away from our homes (Arizona - Massachusetts) for upwards of a month each spring to chase. Only 1 big score in a month would leave me feeling pretty thin. However, I guess if it were a day like June 16th / Twin EF-4's / Pilger, Nebr.....which we DID bag...I might feel differently. For the entire time I've chased, the photography end of the gig never was what turned me on the most. I've always preferred to see if my non-meteorologist-pea-brained-self-forecasts happen to verify. If I'm seeing 10 naders spread over several chases, then it also means I've been led into different areas of the alley most likely, and this also allows me to often get to see all the cool scenery around the alley, and visit different locations that perhaps I've never been to before. There is so much about chasing that I dig besides just scoring an incredible tornado or two. That's why I hope to do it well into my later years! BTW....this is my (Joel's) opinion...I can't speak for Doren.

 

[Ric Burney]

I'll take one photogenic one. I'm not out there just for the tornado but to grab that really good one is preferable. It's kind of like having one full rack hunting trophy on the wall instead of a bunch of hamster butts.