"Whales" or "wales"?

[VTKilarney]

"Whales" or "wales"?

I saw a lot of people from Nantucket and New Bedford on the slopes this weekend. No doubt they were hunting for whales.

 

[Abubob]

Maybe they're walruses.

or maybe sharks.

 

[Robbski]

Or perhaps it's teh NARWAHLS!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SX9IRXIF5Ak

 

[Abubob]

Or perhaps it's teh NARWAHLS!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SX9IRXIF5Ak

or is it GNAR - wahls!?

 

[wtcobb]

Call me Ishmael.

 

[mister moose]

I would suggest that the application of the term in a nautical reference and/or the pattern of a textile material is the one that was the origin of the term as applied to snowmaking.

The term 'wale' in ships is incredibly outdated. They haven't been in use since, like the mid 1800's. The use in 1950's (dawn of snowmaking) language simply wasn't there. The only surviving term is "gunwhale", which isn't even pronounced the same, it is pronounced "gunnel". For the record, I have read several books on hull design and ocean sailing written in the 50's and 60's, and none used the term wale, nor had them on their boats. Fiberglass hulls came into the US market in the 50's. The Concordias, and even the older Herreshoffs had no wales.

When I considered it the thought came to me that most people assume that it's "whales" because they lack any familiarity with the term "wale" as it has mostly left common usage. However, when snowmaking was starting to develop, the 50-60's, the term would have been more common.

Huge assumption. It wasn't. And news flash, the 50's wasn't that long ago in terms of linguistics. My parents nor my grandparents ever used the term. And my entire mom's side is from England. Lastly, I was a young kid when snowmaking was in its infancy. Everyone I knew used it in the sense of large marine mammals, not millimeter high cotton tufts, nor ancient forgotten wooden ship hull stiffeners.

But while we are on the subject of confusion, you may want to sort out that a combination of wales in fabric would be something like corduroy. But an individual ridge would be a "wale", singular. So a snow gun would create a whale or wale, a series of guns would create whales or wales. Corduroy is a combination of wales, not a wale in and of itself. Does that clarify or did I confuse you further?

Except whales are humps. Dollops. The height is not even throughout the hump, and the base of the hump is arced, not straight. Wales are extremely parallel, have exactly the same height with zero variation, and continue in a linear lengthy form that whales do not.

This whole line of reasoning would be like saying the trail Devils Fiddle refers to the Devil seam on a planked deck of a ship.

Please go back to geometry class, and don't go quoting boats when you clearly have never stepped on a gunwhale.

 

[Whitey]

This whole line of reasoning would be like saying the trail Devils Fiddle refers to the Devil seam on a planked deck of a ship.

Ummm, no. That's actually nothing like what I was saying. But that's a nice straw man you've built there.

Please go back to geometry class, and don't go quoting boats when you clearly have never stepped on a gunwhale.

Thank you for making my whole point. We assume that it's "whales" but no one really knows. I thought that maybe someone would have some actual working knowledge and might be able to say one way or the other with some degree of authority. But you go ahead and keep banging that drum that people in the 50's in Boyne MI and Pittsfield MA would have looked at a pile of man made snow for the 1st time and thought of a marine mammal and not of a man made "ridge".

Your assumption that I have never set foot on a "gunwhale" (sp - it's "gunwale", but it's OK, I knew what you meant) is about as far from accurate as we are from the moon. But again, thanks for helping me point out how quick we are to make assumptions that turn out to be completely inaccurate.

You seem like a really charming person. And because of that, I am including a screen shot of the wiki definition of the "incredibly outdated" term that has a on-line definition in the year 2016. The last update to it was 2 days ago. I think it was an aging English lord who updated it. I guess I am really crazy to think any of those definitions sound like they could describe a pile or ridge of snow:

 

[Abubob]

If the ridges or whatever were long and lined up perfectly then - yes - wales.

Snowmaking whales are piles or humps - like a humpback whale. See?

But I vote for gnarwahl. It's a new term for a new/newish phenomenon to be shredded. Let's argue how that's spelled.

 

[Whitey]

If the ridges or whatever were long and lined up then - yes - wales.

You mean like this? Great - duly noted that Abubob now agrees with me that it's "wales". As the chairman of the "wales club" I will, however, grant you an exemption to use the term "gnarwahl". Just because I kind of like that one. Now there are 3, me, Abubob, and Edd's wife. This movement is gaining momentum! Sorry Mr Moose, you aren't allowed to join.

 

[Edd]

You mean like this? Great - duly noted that Abubob now agrees with me that it's "wales". As the chairman of the "wales club" I will, however, grant you an exemption to use the term "gnarwahl". Just because I kind of like that one. Now there are 3, me, Abubob, and Edd's wife. This movement is gaining momentum! Sorry Mr Moose, you aren't allowed to join.

Sticking to the guns. Admirable, but those things you're grasping at...those are straws.

 

[makimono]

Are you sure that the term Whale/Wale/Wail has been in use since the dawn of snowmaking?

I first heard it in the late 70's...and I spent many days back then ducking onto closed trails to ski those whales.

 

[Abubob]

You mean like this? Great - duly noted that Abubob now agrees with me that it's "wales". As the chairman of the "wales club" I will, however, grant you an exemption to use the term "gnarwahl". Just because I kind of like that one. Now there are 3, me, Abubob, and Edd's wife. This movement is gaining momentum! Sorry Mr Moose, you aren't allowed to join.

Wha.. No ... No.

Several humps in a row does not a wale make.

Why would I agree with you? That's just not in the spirit of things. :argue:

GNARwahl.

GNAR - WAHL.

GNAR - WAHL!

 

[Whitey]

Are you sure that the term Whale/Wale/Wail has been in use since the dawn of snowmaking?

I first heard it in the late 70's...and I spent many days back then ducking onto closed trails to ski those whales.

The only thing I am sure of is how shocked I am that this thread has lasted this long and generated 50 replies. . . .

But I would say that it's reasonable to assume that the 1st pile of man made snow appeared not long after they turned on the 1st snow gun. When was the 1st time someone looked at those piles and called it "w____s" - who knows? That's why I asked the question. I didn't think anyone would really have the answer. But it was worth trying.

The contrarian in me likes "challenging assumptions".

 

[Abubob]

Oh, wait. You said I could use gnarwahl. Okay.

Still not wale, Mr Webster.

 

[Whitey]

Oh, wait. You said I could use gnarwahl. Okay.

Still not wale, Mr Webster.

Sorry, no takebacks. You said if they were a ridge and in line you would call them "wales". You don't want everyone on this forum to think that your word isn't any good, do you? But then again, lack of integrity is clearly identified as a DQ level event in the "wales club" charter. That and "being Mr Moose" are the only two DQ level events listed in the charter. So you may be out anyway . . .

 

[Abubob]

:blink: :roll: :flame:

 

[Not Sure]

Sorry, no takebacks. You said if they were a ridge and in line you would call them "wales". You don't want everyone on this forum to think that your word isn't any good, do you? But then again, lack of integrity is clearly identified as a DQ level event in the "wales club" charter. That and "being Mr Moose" are the only two DQ level events listed in the charter. So you may be out anyway . . .

Why don't you guys compromise and create your own spelling !

 

[Hawkshot99]

But I would say that it's reasonable to assume that the 1st pile of man made snow appeared not long after they turned on the 1st snow gun. When was the 1st time someone looked at those piles and called it "w____s" - who knows? That's why I asked the question.

Theboriginal snow systems were very limited vs today. So they would not have huge lines of whales, but only 1 here and there breaching out of the slopes.

Many people have given you answers, but you don't want to kisten to them....

 

[VTKilarney]

but you don't want to kisten to them....

Please don't tell me that "kisten" is a nautical term. I can't take much more of this!


.

 

[Hawkshot99]

Please don't tell me that "kisten" is a nautical term. I can't take much more of this!


.

It is.....it means lock this thread.