Most northerly pipers

[benwalker]

Anyone played pipes within the Arctic Circle?
Just that I have a series of gigs playing to the Elk and a spot of Yoiking.
I don't get out much these days
So ... Who is the most Northerly Piper YOU know?
And problems associated in playing in a cold climate to people who HATE music but LOVE fish and fish by-products?

[Lorenzo]

Our friends in Finland have us all beat I suspect. There's a sign not far from my cabin in Oregon that says 45th parallel. I guess that puts me about even with our pipers in southern France. There may be one or two pipers in Alaska.

[PJ]

I'm at about 48 degrees north but from mid-january to mid-march I may as well be in the arctic. We frequently have -40 C (with the windchill) and 3 years ago we had a week of -50 C.

Problems associated with cold weather piping, in reverse order of preference:

5. Bits falling off the pipes (and the piper) due to the extreme cold
4. Huskies howling when you play in the second octave
3. Audience members being treated for frostbit and/or hypothermia
2. Having to pipe despite a sever case of "Tuque-head"
1. Getting tongue stuck to ferrules when trying to lick the frost off

[djm]

PJ, watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow.

djm

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

Thank you Frank.

I think an Alaskan piper wrote a piece for the Pipers' Review. There's a BC piper's club, I'm sure some of them are chattering their teeth at this moment. This Montana piper Dave Latham has homemade antler mounts...
Good luck with your nightmare gig there!

[liestman]

I have played pipes at Pruhoe Bay, on the north coast of Alaska, which is at latitude 70° 24.0' N, well within the Arctic Circle. Admittedly, they were Northumbrian smallpipes, but you did not specify uilleann, so there you go. I have a picture of me doing that somewhere, with a dogsled at my side and the icy waters behind me. I was not there long enough for the pipes to really dry out or for any bits to fall off. I did not see any yellow snow but did go to a great pancake breakfast (where I stole the margarine).

[tommykleen]

Problems associated with cold weather piping, in reverse order of preference:

5. Bits falling off the pipes (and the piper) due to the extreme cold
4. Huskies howling when you play in the second octave
3. Audience members being treated for frostbit and/or hypothermia
2. Having to pipe despite a sever case of "Tuque-head"
1. Getting tongue stuck to ferrules when trying to lick the frost off

You forgot cannibalism.

t

[Thies]

Well ... I'm only at 63 deg North and know that there are guys more up north. One member of the forum (Mikko aka uilleannfinlander) is living in Oulu (Finland) which is at 65 deg North.
I heard of another UP in Umeå (Sweden) which could be about 64 deg N. Then there is Eivind in Trondheim (Norway) which is about the same are I'm here. But if I remember correctly do the Norwegians have an UP up somewhere around the Lofote islands. That could be the "record". But luckily they have milder climate (but on the other hand even less light). But as from now the shortest days are over!

Cheers, Thies

[uilleannfinlander]

Hello frpm Oulu city near arctic circle..200km south from it (http://www.65degreesnorth.com/ )
This winter been now so different than ever , weather changed between
-13 to +6 during 2 weeks.
Normally here is over meter snow , but today +4 and raining... hope we got white christmas.
This is now the weather my reeds like indeed, not so dry indoors as usually(becouse heating), no loosen brass parts etc. and reeds are wonderfully in tune and working condition.
Usually it's been quite figthing with tuning probs during the coldest time,
even tuning is ok but volume and sound getting "weaker".I have allways few apples in my pipebox to keep certain comfortable humidity , noticed that not so much shrinking with wooden parts(no more falling ferrules,drone slides quite tigth too)
Cheers,
Mikko

[Nanohedron]

Problems associated with cold weather piping, in reverse order of preference:

5. Bits falling off the pipes (and the piper) due to the extreme cold
4. Huskies howling when you play in the second octave
3. Audience members being treated for frostbit and/or hypothermia
2. Having to pipe despite a sever case of "Tuque-head"
1. Getting tongue stuck to ferrules when trying to lick the frost off

You forgot cannibalism.

t

Tom, few people can make me plotz. You are one of them.

[tommykleen]

Problems associated with cold weather piping, in reverse order of preference:

5. Bits falling off the pipes (and the piper) due to the extreme cold
4. Huskies howling when you play in the second octave
3. Audience members being treated for frostbit and/or hypothermia
2. Having to pipe despite a sever case of "Tuque-head"
1. Getting tongue stuck to ferrules when trying to lick the frost off

You forgot cannibalism.

t

Tom, few people can make me plotz. You are one of them.

Plotz: is that anything like making shame-shame?

Maybe the term should be crannibalism: that's where other pipers steal your moves.

Wandering in a snowy wilderness of off-topicness,
tommyklaus

[Nanohedron]

Crannibalism: a delicious coinage, that.

"plotz (plots) To explode. To fall apart as with laughter or overeating. At your mother's dinner you have two choices: to eat like a normal human being and disgrace her, or to eat as she tells you and PLOTZ." (from yiddishforyankees.com)

Don't mind me. I still pepper my speech with Yiddishisms now and then. It's an old habit from back in the day when it was fashionable.

[bradhurley]

Okay, so how about the most southerly pipers? Anyone play pipes in Antarctica? If not, Patagonia? Tasmania?

[djm]

I seem to recall a fellow from Brazil or Argentina, can't remember which, but I don't know if he frequents this board often.

djm

[Joseph E. Smith]

I seem to recall a fellow from Brazil or Argentina, can't remember which, but I don't know if he frequents this board often.

djm

Yes, the fella who built his own practice set.