Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 11/30/15

There were a fair number of injuries and fatalities in the mountains this week. Be careful out there...

Northwest:

--The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday night that it had suspended its search for a missing Portland music teacher who planned to climb Colchuck Peak in Chelan County last weekend. To read more, click here.

--Authorities have recovered the body of a climber who died after falling into a crevasse on Mount Jefferson in Oregon. A combat medic with the National Guard and a climber with the Corvallis Mountain Rescue Team were lowered onto the mountain on Tuesday. The two assisted a helicopter in recovering the body of Tommy Fountain. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--On Saturday, Nov. 21, after a four-day search and up to fifty volunteer Search and Rescue members from across the State, Inyo County Search and Rescue (SAR) recovered the body of missing UCLA graduate student Michael David Meyers for the Mt. Whitney region. Meyers’ was the first avalanche fatality of the 2015-16 winter season. To read more, click here.

--An Ohio woman who came to Los Angeles for a student fashion program died Sunday, Nov. 29, after a skiing accident at the Bear Mountain ski resort in the San Bernardino Mountains. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--The visitor center and the 13-mile Scenic Drive at Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area were closed for much of the day last Wednesday because of a power outage, but both are expected to reopen Thursday. Kirsten Cannon, spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Southern Nevada, said the visitor center was closed at 8 a.m. "due to lack of power." The Scenic Drive was shut down about two hours later because of a "misunderstanding about what areas should be closed during a power outage," Cannon said in an email. Historically, Thanksgiving Week and Weekend is one of the busiest weekends of the year in Red Rock. To read more, click here.

--An iconic Joshua tree caught fire and had to be cut down this Thanksgiving weekend, according to Joshua Tree National Park authorities. A visitor reported the tree burning on the roadside within the park around 8:10 p.m. Saturday and investigators believe the fire was human-caused. To read more, click here.

--An injured climber was evacuated last week from Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. To read more, click here.

--Officials are working to find ways to mitigate crowds in Arches National Park. To read more, click here.

Colorado:

--Two brothers survived a massive avalanche — and then a second slide — on a popular backcountry ski route Wednesday, despite the fact they both thought the other was dead. To read more, click here.

--A new report finds that A hunter who was found dead in the Colorado mountains succumbed to altitude sickness. To read more, click here.

--The U.S. Forest Service has approved zip lines, canopy tours, ropes courses and more trails at Breckenridge ski area as the Summit County resort ramps up plans to draw a wider swath of summer visitors. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Two ice climbers were attacked by a bear on the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada this week. It appears that after punching the bear in the face he released the man's knee. To see photos of the carnage and to read a thread about it on Facebook, click here. To read a blog about the climb and the bear, click here. To read a news article, click here.

--A snowmobiler survived a full avalanche burial this week in Alaska. To read more, click here.

--Dr. Liam Walsh, a 33-year-old anesthesiologist from Wasilla, Alaska has yet to be found after going skiing in Alaska's Hatcher Pass on November 22. To read more, click here.
--The UIAA has just released a paper on the corrosion and stress corrosion on climbing anchors. To read the paper, click here.

The concept for a new apartment complex with a ski run.

--A new apartment complex planned for Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, is set to include a 1,000ft ski slope, running from the roof to the ground. The 21-story building will comprise shops, apartments, and an outdoor ski slope running alongside the building. To read more, click here.