Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 2/9/17

Desert Southwest:

--Alpinist is tracking the situation with the new administration and Bear's Ears National Monument. Several things have happened in the last few weeks and they're keeping a running tally. To read the article, click here.

--Red Rock Rendezvous is a world-class climbing event. There will be climbing instruction, competitions, slideshows, games and parties. This is one event that just gets better every year. AAI guides will be there to support the event and will be available for guided climbs or instructional programs both before and after the Red Rock Rendezvous. To learn more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--CNN is reporting that, "at least 132 people have died along the Afghan-Pakistani border after three days of heavy snowfall caused a series of deadly avalanches Sunday. The death toll is expected to rise as rescuers reach isolated regions where it's feared more people are trapped beneath the snow. Most of the casualties occurred in Afghanistan, where at least 119 have been killed and 67 are reported injured, said Omar Mohammadi, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority." To read more, click here.

--The New Hampshire Union Leader is reporting that, "About two dozen people, including 14 good Samaritan climbers, helped rescue an Amherst climber who fell 50 to 60 feet on the Black Dike ice climbing route on Cannon Cliff on Saturday, authorities said Sunday." To read more, click here.

--NBC Montana is reporting that, "Two snowmobilers are OK after being caught and buried in an avalanche over the weekend in Flathead County, according to the Flathead Avalanche Center." To read more, click here.

--In other Montana avalanche news, trains were held up by avalanches that damaged the tracks. To read more, click here.

--Witnesses observed a moose as it got swept away by an avalanche in Alaska last week...

--Is the use of prescription drugs in high-altitude mountaineering cheating? The Gear Patrol has an interesting article about this topic. To read it, click here.

--And finally, we don't talk about volcanology that much in our blog unless a volcano is actively creating a problem for climbers or adventure travelers, but then I saw the following animated video which chronicles the destruction of Pompeii. The eight-minute video (I know it's long, but worth it!) operates like a camera hung in the city, watching as the the ancient destruction unfolds: