Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 3/9/17

Northwest:

--The CBC is reporting that, "A 52-year-old tourist from Austria has been killed in an avalanche north of Revelstoke, B.C. The man was with a heli-skiing outfit about 100 kilometres north of Revelstoke in the North Columbia region of east-central British Columbia." To read more, click here.

--CTV New Vancouver is reporting that, "The man who died in an avalanche near Whistler on Saturday is being identified in a memorial group on Facebook as Corey Lynam. Friends and family members are sharing pictures and memories of Lynam, his wife, and young son on the page. A GoFundMe page has also been set up to build a “legacy fund” for Lynam’s son. The page had raised more than $11,000 as of Sunday night. To read more, click here.

--TV News Vancouver is reporting on a backcountry avalanche that took place near Cypress Mountain. "A pair of backcountry skiers were caught in an avalanche on Saturday afternoon, and rescuers said one was taken to hospital after spending roughly five minutes buried under the snow. North Shore Rescue Team Leader Mike Danks told CTV News only one of the pair was buried. The other was able to dig him out with the help of another group of skiers that happened to be nearby." To read more, click here.

--There was a snowmobile avalanche fatality on the east side of the Cascades this week at Hawkins Mountain near Cle Elum.

--A skier broke his leg in an avalanche on Saturday near Alpental Ski Area in Snqualmie Pass. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--The Mono County Search and Rescue team is looking for new members. To learn more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

AAI Guide Andrew Yasso talking about Red Rock Canyon to The Guardian.

--The Guardian recently did a piece on Red Rock Canyon. AAI Guide Andrew Yasso is featured in the video just over a minute into it. To see the video, 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.

--Patagonia and Google 360 teamed up to make an awesome interactive video about Bears Ears National Monument. To see it, click here.

Colorado:

--The Aspen Times is reporting that, "A 23-year-old mountaineer missing for two days after attempting to climb Pyramid Peak and falling nearly 1,500 feet was found alive late Tuesday afternoon, authorities said." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--A father and son were caught in an avalanche while cross country skiing near Helena, Montana on Monday. To read more, click here.

--A snowboarder in Alaska is lucky to be alive after triggering an avalanche in the sidecountry at Eaglecrest Ski Area. To read more, click here.

--The AP is reporting that, "Six people have died on Vermont's ski slopes this season, an increase over previous years. Three of the deaths involved resort visitors who were killed in accidents: two in crashes into trees, and one after falling into deep snow, according to a review of public records by the Burlington Free Press. Two other skiers died of natural causes on the mountain, and a resort employee was killed in a workplace accident." To read more, click here.

--The Idaho State Journal is reporting that, "Emergency responders were able to rescue a 61-year-old Idaho Falls man who suffered a heart attack while backcountry skiing in Grand Teton National Park on Friday. Mike Connolly was skiing with family members and friends when he began experiencing significant chest pains. He was listed in good condition at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls on Monday." To read more, click here.

--USA Today is reporting that, "Forest Service law enforcement officer Brad Treat was fatally mauled by a grizzly bear after accidentally surprising and colliding with the animal while mountain biking, the Board of Review Report has determined." To read more, click here.

"In the past 18 months, over 50 bills attacking federal management 

of our public lands have been introduced to Congress." Climbing.

--Climbing magazine has published a great article on how we can help defend our public lands. To read the article, click here.

--Jeff Lowe -- the inspirational climber that made the first ascent of classics as varied as Bridal Veil Falls in Telluride, to Moonlight Buttress in Zion -- has received the 2017 Piolet d’Or Lifetime Achievement Award. To read more, click here.

--The newly confirmed Secretary of the Interior has a mixed record on public lands. To read an article on this topic from the Access Fund, click here.

--Outside Magazine has an article up about snow making machines that emit less greenhouse gasses and operate when the temperature is above freezing: "Climate change is ravaging the $12 billion ski industry. The Natural Resources Defense Council estimates reduced snowfall has cost businesses a full $1 billion in the last decade. Snow machines, as a result, have become a necessary stopgap. But manmade snow is a bankrupt solution for this anthropogenic problem. Not only is the process weather-dependent—temperatures must be freezing for machines to work—but, critically, the thousands of snow machines that buzz all winter long use a tremendous amount of energy. Up to half of all the energy consumed by ski resorts now goes to making snow, NRDC estimates." To read more, click here.

--The Tacoma News Tribune has run an interesting article about a ski instructor who impaled his face on a tree. To see the article, click here.

--Rock and Ice is reporting that, "Canadian climber Nathan Kutcher has established what is likely the hardest mixed route in Alaska and a contender for the most difficult mixed climb in North America. His new route, Contra, ascends a near featureless, overhanging rock face in Keystone Canyon outside of Valdez." To read more, click here.