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Segway Riders Get High on Mount Washington

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the easier-to-walk dept.

TacticalJack writes "Rob Owen, a retired clown, and two other riders surged up Mount Washington at 12.5 mph, the AP reports. It took the Segway riders two and half hours to complete the 7.6 mile endurance test. The team used six batteries, fought off 50 mph winds and battled bitter cold to reach the 6,288-foot mountain summit. All of which begs the question, why not buy a motorbike?"

2 of 369 comments (clear)

  1. Why? Ya ain't from around here, are ya? by babbage · · Score: 5, Informative

    Segway / DEKA Research is a New Hampshire company.

    Mount Washington is the highest point in New Hampshire (or New England for that matter, but not -- as is commonly believed around here -- the highest point on the US east coast: that title goes to North Carolina's Mount Mitchell).

    As a popular landmark & attraction, Mount Washington has great appeal in New England. The "This car climbed Mt. Washington!" bumper stickers are ubiquitous, and driving up the mountain's wind-swept road in the family minivan or station wagon has been a rite of passage for generations of New Englanders.

    That is why they had to drive Segways up the mountain. This is a New England transportation invention, but that just wouldn't be complete without the obligatory drive up Mount Washington.

    The real question is whether or not the Segways they took up the mountain have any space for the bumper sticker :-)

    --
    DO NOT LEAVE IT IS NOT REAL
  2. Solution looking for a problem by Siergen · · Score: 3, Informative

    I think that the Segway has some interesting technology, but I also think that it is still "a solution looking for a problem". For the same weight in batteries, a simple foldable inline scooter could go much further at lower cost. The extra energy expenditure for balance gyros /motors is simply not needed to move ordinary people around on level surfaces...