Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 12/1/16

Northwest:

--The Vancouver Sun is reporting that, "A snowboarder has suffocated after falling into deep powder snow on a glade run in Blackcomb Resort’s Crystal Ridge area, just a week into the resort’s ski season.The 27-year-old was in a tree run known as Arthur’s Choice Saturday morning when he encountered problems and died in the seemingly bottomless snow." To read more, click here.

--Here is a breakdown of Washington State's core ski areas. Of particular note are the dates that each of the ski areas have area defining events taking place.

The Mt. Rainier Visitor Center and where the cell "tower" will be

installed. Photo: National Park Service. (Click to Enlarge)

--The Tacoma News Tribune is reporting that, "Improved cellphone coverage could soon be coming to the most visited part of Mount Rainier, the national park announced in a statement released late Monday.Verizon and T-Mobile have applied to install wireless communication facilities at Paradise, a year-round destination on the mountain’s south side. Cellphone coverage is notoriously sketchy at and around this location where most climbing expeditions and many rescue operations are launched." To read more, click here.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/outdoors/article117680848.html#storylink=cpy

Desert Southwest:


--It's likely the news got this particular SAR report from Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area, wrong. It appears that a climber fell sixty to eighty-feet on Epinephrine (5.9, IV) and was injured. The injuries are not life-threatening.

--This weekend there will be a rally in Red Rock, put on by the Save Red Rock Canyon group. The rally will include a run, a bike ride, hiking, and yoga. To learn more, click here.

--The Durango Herald is reporting that, "a group of Fort Lewis College students defaced ancient Native American ruins in the Comb Ridge area near Bluff, Utah, while on an outdoor retreat in October. According to FLC spokesman Mitch Davis, the incident occurred on a Fort Lewis College Outdoor Pursuits overnight 'yoga in the backcountry' trip Oct. 14 to Oct. 16." To read more, click here.

--Red Rock Rendezvous will take place from March 24 to 27. This is the premire climbing event of the year. Early registration is now open. Early registration allows you to save money and while also providing you with better clinic options than when you register closer to Rendezvous! To register for the event, click here.

--KSL News is reporting that, "The explosive growth in visitation at Zion National Park is compelling the National Park Service to consider changes at the south entrance, including moving the monument site and parking area farther to the east. Such a move, park officials say, would eliminate the need for visitors to congregate in the roadway and cause a safety hazard and traffic congestion." To read more, click here.

Colorado:

--Colorado Public Radio is reporting that, "Arapahoe Basin will soon get bigger. The White River National Forest on Monday gave the green light to an expansion plan for the Summit County ski resort. The expansion will open up about 338 acres of skiing terrain in an area just west of the existing boundary known as the Beavers. Skiable acres will grow from about 1,000 to more than 1,300." To read more, click here.

--There are a fair number of lawsuits in ski areas. Many of these are from skiers who are injured in the resorts, but in other cases they are skier-to-skier. Colorado Public Radio recently published an awesome article about skier liability. To read the article, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Gripped magazine is reporting that the legendary Canadian climber Richard "Dick" Lofthouse has died at the age of 84. "Lofthouse brought his passion to the Canadian Rockies where he paved the way for following generations. With his good friend Brian Greenwood, he made the fourth ascent of Mount Alberta in 1958...In the early 1960s, Lofthouse and Greenwood teamed up Heinz Kahl to finish the now-classic Red Shirt on Yamnuska. Lofthouse also made first ascents of Gollum Grooves, Chockstone Corner, Bottleneck and Pangolin on the Yamnuska." To read more, click here.

--First Tracks is reporting that, "Officials with the Westford Police Department, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Middlesex County district attorney’s office are presently on scene at Nashoba Valley Ski Area in northeastern Massachusetts, investigating what appears to be the scene of a fatal industrial accident." To read more, click here.

--The Star Tribune is reporting on a lawsuit filed against a Minnesota ski area. "A Minneapolis mother has sued Burnsville’s Buck Hill ski resort after her 8-year-old daughter suffered serious injuries in January 2015 after falling 40 feet from a tow rope. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Hennepin County by Tina Graham, says Buck Hill was negligent because the tow rope the girl was using failed to operate correctly and put her at bodily risk. To read more, click here.

--Patagonia made 10 million dollars worth of sales on Black Friday...and they are going to donate every penny to environmental groups. To read more, click here.

--Here is a breakdown of how some of the core outdoor organizations responded to Trump's election...

--The Utah Avalanche Center put out the following statement this week: The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is implementing a revised policy for backcountry closures in Little Cottonwood Canyon this winter to help get SR 210 open quickly and safely, keep it open, and to reduce the likelihood of backcountry travelers exposed to avalanche explosives work. UDOT has thousands of people waiting on them to reduce the avalanche hazard and safely open the road and the sighting of a single person or even evidence of a person near their artillery targets can delay opening for hours. For this reason, they will be enforcing a complete closure of all backcountry in Little Cottonwood Canyon the night before any planned avalanche mitigation work. If this revised plan does not work, more restrictive closures may be needed." To read the whole statement, click here.

--Wyoming Public Radio is reporting that, "avalanches can be dangerous and shut down highways on many of the roads going in and out of the Jackson area, especially on Highway 191 through Hoback Canyon. But in the last few years, the Wyoming Department of Transportation has been installing new technology there that’s helped control the problem." To read more, click here.