Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 12/28/17

Northwest:

--Q13 Fox is reporting that, "work to restore grizzly bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem has been stopped by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s office, a national parks official told a Montana newspaper." To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--The North Face has released an animated film about Alex Honnold free-soloing El Cap. Check it out below:


Desert Southwest:

--The Hill is reporting that, "Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke brought the leader of a California park to his office last month to reprimand him for climate change-related tweets the park had sent via Twitter, two sources close to the situation said. Zinke did not take any formal disciplinary action against David Smith, superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park. And the tweets at issue weren’t deleted, because they didn’t violate National Park Service or Interior Department policies." To read more, click here.

--Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, was asked after the the change in size of Bears Ears and Escalante to testify before Congress. Yvon was not impressed by the late invite or by the use of tax dollars to attack his company. His epic response can be found, here.

--There's another way to save Bears Ears. It could be turned into a Wilderness Area.

--Red Rock Rendezvous will take place between March 16 and 19, 2018. This is a great chance to rub elbows with guides and athletes and to learn all kinds of new skills. For more information, click here.  Please also consider climbing with an AAI guide before or after the event!

--Palm Desert Patch is reporting that, "The Mojave Desert Land Trust (MDLT) has acquired a property bordering Joshua Tree National Park that could provide access to hiking and climbing opportunities inside the park. The "Desert Knoll" property is in an ideal location for future public access opportunities given its location between the city of Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park's North Entrance." To read more, click here.

Colorado:

--Out There Colorado is reporting that, "The family of a Texas woman who died after being thrown from a chair lift with her two children last year has filed a lawsuit against the Colorado ski resort where the incident occurred." To read more, click here.

--The Aspen Daily News is reporting that, "An Aspen man who says he was injured by a piece of equipment that was to be used in an Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club event two years ago is suing the nonprofit organization and the Aspen Skiing Co. David Bruce’s negligence lawsuit, filed Friday in Pitkin County District Court, says the incident occurred Dec. 27, 2015, on the Little Nell run." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Outside is reporting that, "the outdoor industry is poised to get a big cash infusion from tax cuts, along with every other business in the country. Both the Senate and House tax bills recently passed by Congress aim to lower the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent, effectively dumping billions of dollars into the laps of business. For outdoor companies, though, the money comes with a catch: Public lands were sacrificed in the deal-making to get those lower rates." To read more, click here.

--Kai Lightner has set his sights on Olympic Gold. Check it out, here.

--Both snow shortages and excesses due to climate change in ski resorts can increase the danger. To read more, click here.

--Gripped is reporting that, "all five World Cup ice climbing events in the 2018 calendar are scheduled to be livestreamed on the global digital platform, starting with the season opener in Saas Fee, Switzerland on Jan. 18 to 20 and closing with the finale in Kirov, Russia from March 2 to 4. 'Live coverage of the UIAA Ice Climbing World Tour on the Olympic Channel is an exciting and significant development,” explains the UIAA President Frits Vrijlandt.'" To read more, click here.