Climbing News from Here and Abroad - 10/1/15

Northwest:

--The Live Like Liz campaign to develop a new climbing facility at Tacoma's Point Defiance Park to celebrate the life of AAI Guide and professional snowboarder, Liz Daley had a hugely successful fundraiser over the weekend. Their goal was to raise $50,000. They did much better than that and raised $75,000!!!! To learn more about this awesome project to remember this awesome person, click here.

--The new Washington State Ski and Snowboard History project has found a permanent home at Snoqualmie Pass. To read about it, click here.

--The U.S. Forest Service has temporarily closed a northern Idaho hiking trail over concerns about aggressive mountain goats after one animal bit a hiker and others reportedly tried to head-butt or charge visitors. Scotchman Peak Trail, which leads to the summit of Bonner County's tallest mountain, was closed last week. To read more, click here.

--The book Crossing Zion will have a release party/presentation on October 1st at Village Books in Bellingham. To learn more, click here.

--Are non-profit ski hills the wave of the future...? Maybe for community hills. Check this out.

--Your first sniff when you open the car door at the North Cascades Visitor Center on the edge of Newhalem tells the story: Did you ever put your nose really close to a cold, dead campfire the morning after a wienie roast? That’s what Newhalem smells like. No mistaking that there have been wildfires nearby. To read more, click here.

--Aerial drops of fire retardant on wildfires are one of the most dramatic images of firefighting. But critics cite high cost, limited effectiveness and potential harm to fish. To read more, click here.

--For 24-years a people have been fighting a large scale ski resort from being developed on Jumbo Mountain in British Columbia's Purcell Mountains. Following is a trailer for a film to #KeepJumboWild.




--Some forests may not grow back after the intense burns. The New York Times has posted an article about the changing landscape of the West. To read it, click here.
Sierra:

--Today marks Yosemite's 125th birthday. To read more, click here.

--The drought crippling the West is the worst it has seen in 500 years—and maybe even in 1000 years. It’s so bad that it’s taking a toll on some of the region’s oldest and largest residents: California’s stately sequoia trees. To read more, click here.

--Here's an interesting accident report from a rescue that took place on Yosemite's Lurking Fear in mid-September. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--A major national parks concessionaire has dropped efforts to trademark names of the Grand Canyon's most popular properties, including a group of rustic cabins, cottonwood trees and cantina on the canyon floor. Xanterra Parks & Resorts, based in Greenwood Village, applied for roughly 20 trademarks before its contract to manage hotels, restaurants and mule rides at the Grand Canyon's South Rim expired in December. It later won a temporary, one-year contract. To read more, click here.

--Zion National Park is now reevaluating its permit system in the wake of a flash flood that killed seven canyoneers. To read more, click here.

--The Joshua Tree Climb Smart Festival will run from October 16-18. To learn more, click here.

Colorado:

--A climber in the Capitol Peak area fell about 200 feet to his death Monday, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office said. A climber called authorities about 5:45 p.m. to report the man had fallen and that a third climber was stranded on a cliff band above the fallen climber near Christiana Peak at about 12,700 feet. To read more, click here.

--A 22-year-old climber was found dead Sunday morning after an apparent fall from a rock formation known as the Fifth Pinnacle. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office says he was not wearing protective equipment. To read more, click here.

--Already a banner year as it celebrates its 100th anniversary Rocky Mountain National Park is also poised to smash last year’s visitation record. Through August, the country’s fifth-most visited national park has attracted 2.9 million visitors, up 20 percent over the same time span last year, which ended as the busiest in the park’s history, with 3.4 million visitors. The park is on pace to draw more than 4.1 million visitors. To read more, click here.

--Visitors, volunteers and staff are helping Colorado Parks and Wildlife track wildlife in state parks with a mobile application. The Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald reports (http://bit.ly/1Wm6Egn ) that the free smartphone app iNaturalist launched in mid-July and since then hundreds of observations have been entered into the State Parks NatureFinder project. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:


--The tourism ministry of Nepal announced that it will seek a ban on climbers who don’t have mountaineering experience above 6500 meters, as well as those under 18, over 75, or dealing with disabilities. To read more, click here.

--The heroine of the Tomb Raider video game is apparently now and ice climber. The preceding image is in malls across the globe to promote the Rise of Tomb Raider.

--After a recent decision, it is highly likely that climbing will be a sport included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. To read more, click here.

--A Seattle-area woman has set a new speed record for an unsupported hike along the Appalachian Trail: 54 days, 7 hours, 48 minutes. To read more, click here.

--At one of the most popular winter riding destinations in Southcentral Alaska, backcountry conditions are getting a little bit more predictable and possibly safer for skiers and snowboarders. This fall, snow sensors designed to measure depth and temperature will be installed at Tincan Ridge in Turnagain Pass at 2,400 feet in a project led by the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center. To read more, click here.

--More mountain naming controversies...? You bet. Harney Peak in South Dakota is likely next. To read about it, click here.

--Here's an interesting article on what a summer of guiding does to the body...

--Trail Runner magazine is hiring.