Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 12/15/16

Northwest:

--A skier died in a tree-well incident this week at Alpental Ski Area. To read more, click here. To read about how to avoid this danger and what to do if you do fall into a tree-well, click here.

--The Bozeman Daily Chronicle is reporting that, "Officials have identified the skier who died Sunday afternoon in an avalanche north of Cooke City, Idaho. Christopher Peterson, 55, of Ketchum, Idaho, was killed after being buried in an avalanche on the north slope of Henderson Mountain. The Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center said in a Facebook post that the avalanche was 3 feet deep, between 80 and 150 feet wide and covered 250 feet vertically. It occurred in an area the center described as “a terrain trap of trees.” To read more, click here.

--Kiro 7 is reporting that, "An avid skier who was lost and missing overnight at Crystal Mountain Resort was found safe Monday after he managed to ski through miles of forest in the Mt. Rainier National Park to a closed section of highway where he texted his wife and authorities for help." To read more, click here.

--The Baker Beacon Rally will take place on December 17th at Mt. Baker Ski Area. This is a free community avalanche education event. AAI will be providing clinics at the event. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--There was an avalanche fatality in a closed area adjacent to a Lake Tahoe ski resort over the weekend. Here is the report from the Sierra Avalanche Center. Here is a news report about the incident at Mt. Rose.

--The Reno-Gazette Journal is reporting that, "a 35-year-old ski instructor was killed in a skiing accident over the weekend at Northstar California resort just north of Lake Tahoe. Dennis Baltimore died after he hit rocks and crashed into a creek near the Village Run slope, Placer County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dave Hunt said Monday. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:


--Okay. This is insane. Save Red Rock is reporting that, "Clark County has filed a preemptive lawsuit against Save Red Rock (SRR), a grassroots conservation organization that has worked for over a decade to protect the rural, recreational and scenic nature of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (RRCNCA). The lawsuit is an attempt to silence SRR’s opposition to a concept plan presented by developer Jim Rhodes’ Gypsum Resources, LLC (Gypsum) that asks the County to rezone land currently deemed rural to a non-conforming high-density zoning. The Gypsum plan includes a 2,010-acre development with more than 5,000 homes on Blue Diamond Hill, located within Red Rock Canyon adjacent to the RRCNCA." This is unprecedented and everyone should donate to this organization. To read more, click here.

--Red Rock Rendezvous will take place from March 24 to 27. This is the premier 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.

--The Las Vegas Review Journal is reporting that, "A total of 30 conservation and recreation initiatives were selected to share more than $79 million set aside under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which has doled out over $3.5 billion for more than 1,200 projects across the state since 1998." This includes Red Rock Canyon. To read more, click here.

--The Press Enterprise is reporting that, "Joshua Tree National Park, the nation’s 15th largest National Park, is poised to grow by more than 20,000 acres early next year. After a lengthy study and environmental assessment, the National Park Service recommends adding more than 20,000 acres of federal, state and private lands to the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park." To read more, click here.

--Former AAI Guide Mary Harlan is currently seeing some press. She is working on completing three routes free in Zion in a day. The routes are Moonlight Buttress (5.12+, IV+), Sheer Lunacy (5.12, IV) and Shunes Buttress (5.11+, IV). Mad Rock has recently put together a video about her, about how she balances her family, her job as a firefighter and climbing...



Colorado:

--One of the Ice Climbing World Cup events will take place in Durango this weekend. To read more, click here.

--There were at least two near miss avalanche incidents in Colorado last week. To read more, click here.

--Here's an accident report from the Rabbit Ears area concerning a double-burial.

--Sunlight Mountain in Glenwood Springs is now the priciest resort in the country. Tickets are now at $700 per day!!! To read more, click here.

--There is currently a move to expand helicopter ski access in Silverton. The town of Silverton does not apparently support this. To read a letter to the editor, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Two skiers have died of what appears to be natural causes at the Killington Ski Resort in Vermont. To read more, click here.

--Grind TV is reporting that, "While backcountry skiing and snowboarding continues to grow in popularity, a harrowing scenario unfolded over the past few days in the Tetons with 10 separate human-triggered avalanches reported since Friday. As reported by the Jackson Hole News and Guide, since Friday the Bridger-Teton Avalanche Center has received reports of seven avalanches in the area caused by skiers, two caused by snowmobilers and one caused by snowboarders." Among these, there was one fatality. To read more, click here.

--Alpinist magazine has recently published an interview with Brady Robinson. Brady is the executive director of the Access Fund. In the interview, Brady talks about climbers, public lands and their future. To read the article, click here.

--The 2017 Mugs Stump climbing grant award winners have been announced. The grant -- which is only provided to small teams that intend to move light and fast -- has been awarded to five teams. To see the list of who won and what they want to do, click here.

--The outdoor industry is not officially on the political map. We all know that the industry is massive, but a new government bill will begin to track it. Outside magazine is reporting that, "thanks to the passage of a bipartisan bill that sailed through both the House and Senate last month, and was signed into law by President Obama on December 8, the outdoor industry is primed for a gargantuan reveal. The Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act of 2016, or REC Act, authorizes the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis to assess outdoor recreation’s contribution to the nation’s gross domestic product, or GDP." To read more, click here.

--The Orange County Register was reporting that, "what began as a possible burglary investigation at a home in the gated Turtle Ridge community late Monday night evolved into a nearly 13-hour hazardous materials probe after two police officers discovered white powder scattered through the home and reported feeling dizzy, authorities said Tuesday." It turns out that the culprit in the dizziness was a gym climber's favorite inhalant: climbing chalk! To read more, click here.

--Powder Magazine has published an interesting and eye-opening editorial about skiers who bring their dogs with them into the backcountry. To read the editorial, click here.

--The Outdoor Alliance has a short piece on the likely new Secretary of the Interior, Representative Ryan Zinke. The Secretary of the Interior has a direct impact on public lands and out outdoor recreationalists interact with them. It can be argued that this is the most important position in the new administration for our community. To read more, click here.

--The New York Times has published an excellent interactive chart on how the new administration can impact climate change. The quick and easy to read chart shows what will happen with several different scenarios. To read the article and see the chart, click here.