Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 1/18/18

Northwest:

The Liberty Bell Massif hosts dozens of climbs, innumerable social trails and eroding approaches.

--The Liberty Bell Group has a trail construction project that is shovel ready. All they need are funds! To read more, click here.

--The Bellingham Herald is reporting that, "Whatcom County’s Mount Baker is the eighth most threatening volcano in the Pacific Northwest. It’s also the 11th most threatening volcano in the United States." To read more, click here.

--The massive Navigator Wall on Mt. Slesse saw a first winter ascent recently. To read more, click here.

--Spirit Lake, the lake that was buried by the Mt. St. Helens eruption in 1980, reformed two-hundred feet higher and is much bigger, but has no natural drainage. The lake could breach and the results of such a breach could be catastrophic. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--Fees are going up in Red Rock Canyon. To read more, click here.

--Speaking of Red Rock, the Conservation Area reached its capacity on Monday -- a fee free day in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- and had to close until enough cars left the Scenic Drive for others to enter... To read more, click here.

--The annual Red Rock Rendezvous is slated to take place in Las Vegas from March 16-19, 2018. This is one of the biggest climbing festivals in the country...and one of the most fun. The American Alpine Institute works with Mountain Gear to put on the festival every year and many AAI guides will be on hand for both instruction, as well as for hanging out at the evening parties. You might also consider booking a guide before or after the program, or even participating in an additional climbing class. To read more, click here.

--Photographers can no longer use tripods in Zion National Park...

--A new film chronicles the journey of two journalists who hike the 750-mile length of the Grand Canyon. On their journey they look at natural wonders as well as threats to the iconic canyon. To see a trailer for Dust in the Blood, click below.



Colorado:

--The Denver Post is reporting that, "A skier riding a lift at Vail ski area spotted the body of a man lying face up in Gore Creek near Lionshead Tuesday morning. The Eagle County coroner will determine the cause of death and identify the man, who was found just after 9 a.m., Vail Police Department Det. Sgt. Luke Causey said." To read more, click here.

--Denver has an urban terrain park for skiers and snowboarders.

--BizWest is reporting that, "Skier visits to resorts under the Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) umbrella are down 10.8 percent through Jan. 8, compared with the same period a year ago. The downturn is attributed to “historic low snowfall,” according to a statement from Rob Katz, chief executive of Vail Resorts, which has its headquarters in Broomfield."To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Climbing magazine is reporting that, "Climbing pioneer Jim Bridwell is currently in the hospital for serious issues related to his kidneys and liver. To donate to his treatment, visit GoFundMe: Help Jim Bridwell With Medical Care." They have reprinted one of his best known articles, The Dance of the Woo-Li Masters, here.

--The Denver Post is reporting that, "Frustration. That’s what led nine of the 12 members of the National Park System Advisory Board to resign this week, joining a chorus of irked panelists across the country who have spent the year waiting to advise the Trump administration on public lands." To read more, click here.

--WDRB is reporting that, "the parents of a Louisville boy killed on a Boy Scouts camping trip in eastern Kentucky have filed a lawsuit over his death. At the time of the incident, 11-year-old Jack Rose was alone in a tent at Chimney Top Rock at Red River Gorge in November 5, 2016, when a dead tree about 18 inches in diameter fell and hit the boy on his head." To read more, click here.

-- The New York Times has a great article on risk, mountain climbing and regulation. There are moves all over the place to regulate what climbers can and can't do in the mountains... "Mountains are inherently dangerous. But just as free speech makes a place for disgusting speech, wild places need to make a place for irresponsible activity. It is our life, after all. Right? Not really. Our right to life doesn’t always include our right to risk it. If that thought doesn’t feel strange to you, think about it again. It should." To read more, click here.

--So this guy has been faking injuries in the mountains so he can get get rescued -- usually a technical rescue that requires ropes and hauling systems -- in order to take selfies...

--The Conway Daily Sun is reporting that, "The U.S. Forest Service’s Mount Washington Avalanche Center reported that the the Lip area of the headwall in Tuckerman Ravine experienced a wet avalanche last Friday, Jan. 12. Thankfully, according to USFS Snow Rangers, no one was injured." To read more, click here.

--Is GoPro for sale?

--The application period for the Kyle Dempster Solo Adventure award is now open.

--A new film by the director of the acclaimed film Sherpa is coming out soon. Mountain is an exploration of the geographic features that we climb and ski, set to classical music by the Australian Chamber Orchestra and narrated by Willem Dafoe.  To learn more about the film, click on the trailer below: