Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 6/8/17

Northwest:

The descent from Asgard Pass is dangerous. 

Click on this link to enlarge.

From Washington Climbers and Hikers on Facebook

--Komo News Four is reporting that, "A 19-year-old man from Mercer Island is missing and feared dead in an accident while hiking near Colchuck Peak Saturday afternoon, the Grant County Sheriff's Office said. The teen was with another person as they attempted to glissade down the snow field from the summit of Aasgard Pass at 7,800 feet elevation to the glacier area below around 5 p.m., according to Sheriff Brian Burnett." There have been several fatalities near Asgard Pass. People should not glissade there, really ever. There are a number of moats in the area. To read more, click here.

--The Bellingham Herald is reporting that, "A 58-year-old British Columbia man was flown from Mount Baker after falling into a deep crevasse while skiing the volcano’s western slopes Sunday afternoon, officials said. Whatcom County Undersheriff Jeff Parks said Monday that Ronald Veperts was descending the main climbing route on Coleman Glacier when he fell into a 60-foot crevasse. Veperts, who was skiing when the incident occurred, was treated Sunday at St. Joseph hospital in Bellingham and transferred to another facility. Hospital officials didn’t know where he was taken." To read more, click here.

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article154517854.html#storylink=cpy

--The Tacoma News Tribune is reporting that, "An experienced mountaineer was rescued by an Army helicopter Thursday after spending nearly 24 hours stranded near the summit of Mount Rainier after falling ill and leaving his climbing party, according to the National Park Service. Dennis Cui, a 27-year-old mountaineer who is also a member of Canada’s national police force, was climbing with two others." To read more, click here.

It's not clear where this photo came from, but it was making

it's way around Facebook last week. This is an previously unseen

photo of the Mt. St. Helens eruption on May 18, 1980.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article153996854.html#storylink=cpy

--A new hard line has been put up in Squamish on the Apron near St. Vitus Dance. To read more, click here.

--There was a nice piece on KUOW NPR about Fred Beckey on Friday and his new film. To read the article -- or listen to it -- click here. Fred's film Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey opened at the Seattle International Film Festival over the weekend. Following is a trailer for the film:



--The Squamish Climber's Magazine is reporting that there have been cars towed that have been parked illegally or overnight near the Stawamus Chief. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--So something big happened in Yosemite this week. Alex Honnold made a free solo ascent of Freerider (5.12d, VI, 3000') on El Capitan. This is arguably one of the most difficult things completed in sports history. It's been equated to the four-minute mile, but with one major difference. You won't die if you mess up a four minute mile. There's a lot of press about this now and if you read our blog, you've probably already seen a lot of it. But this piece, by Tommy Caldwell is the best. It's entitled, Why Alex Honnold's Free Solo of El Cap Scared Me...

Desert Southwest:

--Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has vetoed a bill that would have given Red Rock Canyon more protection from development. There is now a move to try to get the veto overridden. To add your name to the override, please click here.

Colorado:

--The Denver Post is reporting that, "A 20-person search and rescue team safely brought an injured hiker down from Mount Royal near Frisco Saturday night after a 10-hour mission through rocky terrain. The rescue came at a busy time for the Summit County Rescue Group, which has been seeing its typical uptick in calls as spring starts to feel more like summer and high volumes of hikers and climbers head for the alpine." To read more, click here.

--The Charlotte Observer is reporting that, "A tourist from North Carolina helped save a fallen rock climber Sunday in Colorado. A 30-year-old resident of Boulder County, Colo., was in the Tornnere Tower climbing area when he fell 50 feet in Boulder Canyon, the sheriff’s office reported. The experienced climber’s fall was broken by a tree, the office said, but he injured his right shoulder." to read more, click here.

--A team of female journalists in the Boulder area recently took it upon themselves to improve Wikipedia. Specifically, the group focused on adding important women in the outdoor industry. To read more, click here.

Alaska:

--The Alaska Dispatch is reporting that, "In a grueling 14-hour operation, guides and mountaineering rangers on Denali pulled a critically injured climber out of a crevasse Monday, according to the National Park Service. At about 1:30 a.m., National Park Service rangers responded to a radio report that an unroped climber, 38-year-old Martin Takac of Slovakia, fell 40 feet down a crevasse at 7,800 feet on the mountain's popular West Buttress route." To read more, click here. The Seattle Times has an in-depth piece about this incident, here.

The 14,000-foot camp is in the flat bowl on the left-side of this picture of Denali.

--AAI Denali Team 3 is high on the mountain and as of this writing, may have already attempted the summit. Team 4 is is at Camp 3 at 14,000-feet. And Team 5 is at Camp 2 at 11,000-feet. To read all of AAI's Denali dispatches, click here.

--The Seattle Times is reporting that, "U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke says the name forAmerica’s tallest mountain should remain Denali. The News-Miner reports that he spoke at the Fairbanks International Airport late Saturday on his way to a Memorial Day ceremony in Denali State Park. The peak was once called Mount McKinley, named after President William McKinley. President Barack Obama’s administration renamed the mountain Denali, which translates to “the great one,” in a symbolic gesture to Alaska Natives in 2015. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--It appears that a climber was killed on Wyoming's Devil's Tower this week. There is very little information about what happened available. To read more, click here.

--As the fact that President Trump abandoned the Paris Climate Treaty has been all over the news, it's unlikely that this is the first you've heard of it... At AAI we believe in anthropogenic climate change and constantly work to decrease our carbon imprint by buying carbon offsets and using solar energy. We work in an environment that has been severely impacted by climate change and will continue to be impacted. Here are some select responses from the outdoor industry: Snews, Outdoor Industry Association, Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Verde. And finally, some of the best all around reporting on this is actually coming from the weather channel...

--Rock climbing reduces depression!

--The Access Fund is reporting that, The Salt Lake Climbers Alliance (SLCA), the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Access Fund announce the signing of an unprecedented lease for 140 acres in Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC). The parcel, known as the Gate Buttress, is about one mile up LCC canyon and has been popular with generations of climbers because of its world-class granite." To read more, click here.