Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 6/9/16

Important Recall Notices:

--WARNING: Petzl has reported that a third party has been selling "modified" Petzl ASPIR harnesses on ebay. These harnesses have been modified in a way that makes them EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. If you own a Petzl ASPIR harness, click here to learn more.

--Black Diamond Equipment has issued another recall. They are recalling the Easy Rider and Iron Cruiser Via Ferrata lanyard sets, Index Ascenders, Camalots and Camalot Ultralights. This is in addition to previously announced recalls of select carabiners and nylon runners. To learn more and to see if your equipment has been affected by this recall, click here.

Northwest:

--A 24-year-old man is missing after he fell into a waterfall hole while sliding down Asgaard Pass near Dragontail Peak in Chelan County. A group of people were "glissading" on the snow on Aasgard Pass on Sunday night when the man, who was in front of the others, slid over the edge of a waterfall house and into the rushing water, the Chelan County Sheriff's Office reports. Glissading is a technique for sliding down a slope of snow or ice while using an ax for support. To read more, click here.

--The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office says a climber on Mount St. Helens had to be rescued after he slid 100 yards down the mountain and fractured his ankle. The sheriff’s office says 19-year-old Andrew Maris was climbing up the mountain with his three brothers on Thursday afternoon and had started his descent ahead of the others. To read more, click here.

--Teams began clearing the road to Artist Point last week. To read more, click here.

--Here's an interesting article about a day in the life of a law enforcement ranger.

--There is no climber more iconic than Fred Beckey. That is actually not a controversial statement. Fred is what many climbers strive to be. And now, with the old bold climber in his 90s, a documentary film is slated to come out about him. Check out the trailer below:


Sierra:

--A rock climber has been rescued after falling in the northern Sierra Nevada mountains near Donner Summit. The 33-year-old from Truckee fell Friday on Snowshed Wall, sustaining major injuries. California Highway Patrol officials say they were able to extract the climber with help from Truckee Fire personnel. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

Can you help identify these two vandals in Grand Canyon National Park?

Photo: National Park Service

--ISB Special Agents and US Park Rangers of Grand Canyon National Park are seeking information about two people who may have vandalized rocks near the Yavapai Geology Museum. On May 22, 2016, a visitor at the South Rim of the park observed a couple spray painting graffiti, and was able to capture images of the people and the vandalism. To read more, click here.

--Joshua Tree National Park needs your help to secure grant funding, and all you have to do is sign up on the National Geographic website, and then start voting from a list of 20 national parks, historic sites and monuments. To read more, click here.

--A black Labrador retriever died and one of its two owners showed signs of heat sickness last weekend while hiking a 7-mile desert trail where pets are not allowed in Joshua Tree National Park, according to a park news release. To read more, click here.

Colorado:

--The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that avalanches are an inherent risk of skiing, ending a contentious debate over a ski area’s liability when a skier is killed by avalanche inside a resort boundary. The ruling delivered Tuesday morning found resorts are p--rotected from avalanche-related lawsuits under the Ski Safety Act, which was created in 1979 and amended in 1990 and 2004. The act shields resort operators from liability when the death or injury of skiers and snowboarders can be attributed to difficult-to-mitigate threats, such as terrain and weather. To read more, click here.

Alaska:

A Czech mountaineer died after falling about 1,500 feet while skiing down Denali, officials said Sunday. Pavel Michut, 45, fell while doing a ski descent of Denali’s Messner Couloir, a steep gully that connects the basin with the upper mountain of the famed Alaska peak, the National Park Service said. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton released a plan yesterday that lays out a vision for the future of outdoor recreation, a commitment to conservation, clean energy and water, and collaborative stewardship of America’s public lands and waters. Included in this plan is the goal of doubling the outdoor recreation economy in ten years! To read more, click here.

--There are still ski resorts open in North America...and yes, you could go skiing in-bounds this weekend. To learn more, click here.

--Drones are illegal in both US and Canadian national parks. But that doesn't mean that the footage isn't awesome. This is not an endorsement of breaking the rules, merely a link to a video.

--Speaking of drones, check out the following video for footage of a climber's drone crashing, from the drone's perspective. To read more, click here.

--This week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board supported a proposal to add five new sports to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Climbing, skateboarding, surfing, baseball/softball, and karate are all in the package under consideration. The final decision will be made in August, when the IOC meets in Rio de Janeiro. To read more, click here.

--A 7-year-old Japanese boy who disappeared nearly a week ago after his parents left him on the side of a mountain road to discipline him was found unharmed on Friday, the Japanese authorities said. To read more, click here.