This event occurred in the Winter of 1977 - I don't remember the precise date -when I accompanied my room-mates on a skiing trip to Breckenridge, Colorado.
Since I wasn't a skier, I decided that this might be a good opportunity to take a Cineroc and booster rocket along to see if I could get a good film shot of the resort and surrounding mountain scenery. Herb was always keen on encouraging me to take flight films that showed mountains. Well, now - here was a golden opportunity!
Once we arrived at the resort, I noted that the parking lot was of ample size to accommodate a single stage D-engine flight with no problem. It was a crystal-clear day with a bright blue Colorado sky and no perceptible wind, whatsoever.
So, whilst my buddies were 'shooshing' down the slopes of a nearby mountain with boards strapped to their feet, I prepared to 'shoosh' a Cineroc into the sky strapped to the Mountaineer, an Omega rocket built by Herb and mailed to me all the way from Silver Spring, MD.
This first photo shows me in my 60s purple 'mod' cap preparing the launch 'pad'.
No, I didn't just stick the launch rod into the snow and call it good. I was actually using a vintage MMI-style wooden launch stand (remember those?), secured in place by packing snow on top of it. Nice thing about this setup is that no blast deflector was required.
The next photo is of the Mountaineer ready for its flight.
Upon ignition, the rocket and its camera took off on a straight-up trajectory. The sudden noise startled a nearby group of skiers who were unloading gear from their car. The model boosted very high in the rarified mountain air, arced over, and popped the ejection charge. I gleefully watched the parachute blossom out.
My glee was short-lived however, when I noted that the model began drifting - very rapidly drifting - toward a pine-wooded area outside the bounds of the parking lot!
Even though air conditions were dead calm at the launch site, there appeared to be a very brisk cross-wind going on at a few hundred feet aloft!
With growing dismay, I helplessly watched the parachute carrying the Mountaineer and its valuable payload drift over the forest and disappear from view.
@#$%^&* !!
With a heavy, sinking feeling, I set off to see if I could hopefully, maybe, possibly, recover this thing out of a whole forest of RETs.
When I reached the edge of the parking area, I discovered an altogether different heavy, sinking feeling - 4 feet of snow! I nearly fell down and buried myself in my own little personal avalanche!
OK, what do I do now? I really do want that rocket back.
Thinking quickly, I ran back to the launch area next to the car and grabbed the launch rod. Taking bearings toward the direction I had last seen the Mountaineer, I walked to the edge of the lot and planted the rod in the snow as a directional marker.
Since the car keys were on the person of one of my buddies up on the slopes, I walked to the town of Breckenridge. I found a shop where I was able to rent a pair of snowshoes. Now this was SERIOUS Colorado-style model rocketry!
I valiantly spent two full hours traipsing through those woods on my big webbed feet searching both the ground and treetops as far as I could see.
I never found the Mountaineer.
Needless to say, it was a very dismal ride home that afternoon from Breckenridge, Colorado.
Not only did I lose a Cineroc and its booster rocket, but with it went what I am sure would have been a magnificent piece of film footage that Herb would have been extremely delighted with. Luckily, this flight was made with a new film pack that didn't have any previous flight footage on it.
Later that week I called Herb and told him the bad news. He took it well, saying he wished he had a dollar for every Cineroc he had lost, or had destroyed by a crash or CATO. He even thanked me for the attempt, and shared in lamenting the loss of what was probably some really nice footage.
Nowadays, as a BAR, I don't think I would have tried something like this with such an expensive rocket vehicle. If I did, I would probably take along an expendable small 3FNC marker rocket to test the prevailing wind conditions before risking a camera-carrying vehicle.
Hindsight is 20-20 (And, at my age, 20-20 is hindsight!)
Cheers....
