Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 6/7/18

Northwest:

--A Boy Scout group is lucky to be alive after a harrowing night on Mt. Baker. From the News Tribune: "Four members of a Boy Scouts climbing party were found safe about 9:30 a.m. Monday after a freezing night in a cave near the 10,781-foot summit of Mount Baker, officials said. A man, a woman and two 13-year-old Scouts were in serious condition with severe hypothermia Monday afternoon at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, and were later transferred to another hospital out of the area, according to hospital spokeswoman Hilary Andrade." To read more, click here.

--A new report indicates that the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest is an economic powerhouse for the Pacific Northwest. As an asset it is worth nearly a trillion dollars. To read more, click here.

--It appears that Vail Resorts is going to purchase Stevens Pass Ski Area. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--Climbing magazine is reporting that, "On the morning of June 2 at 8 a.m., while speed climbing on the lower pitches of the Salathé Wall on El Capitan—a section called Freeblast—two highly experienced climbers, Tim Klein and Jason Wells, were involved in a fatal accident. The team was simul-climbing through Pitch 9 or 10, 5.7 terrain approaching Mammoth Terraces, when the incident occurred. A scream was heard and both climbers fell, roped together, 1,000 feet to the ground." To read more, click here.

--After the death of two climbers in Yosemite this week, Outside is asking whether speed climbing is too dangerous. To read the article, click here.

--Speaking of speed climbing, Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell set a sub 2-hour speed record on the Nose yesterday. This is akin to breaking the 4-minute mile. To read more, click here.

--Rock and Ice is reporting that, "On June 2, a hammerless David Allfrey sent his first solo El Cap route, the 1,800 foot Zodiac, casually logging a speed record in just under 11 hours. The previous solo record for the 16-pitch route, listed on speedclimb.com, was 11 hours 18 minutes by Nick Fowler, back in 2002." To read more, click here.

Colorado:

--Vail Resorts is buying Crested Butte Ski Area. To read more, click here.

Alaska:

--Team 4 going went to High Camp yesterday, Team 3 made a summit attempt on Monday, and Team 6 made a cache at 10,000-feet on Monday. To read more about AAI's Alaska adventures, click here.

--A 29-year-old woman was injured in a slide and crevasse fall this week on Denali. To read more, click here.

--The Anchorage Daily News is reporting that, "A remote stretch of Alaska mountains across Cook Inlet from Anchorage has become the center of a court fight between a heli-skiing company and the Trump administration. The company, Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, is accusing federal land managers of jeopardizing clients' safety by issuing a permit to a competitor without proper review." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--High Country News is reporting that, "last year, about 330 million people visited the parks. That’s roughly 5 million more visits than the total U.S. population and almost 50 million more visits than in 2012. While visitation has increased, staffing levels have declined and the costs of overdue park infrastructure projects have ballooned to around $12 billion. As the national parks’ summer high season begins and the understaffed Park Service works to keep them clean and safe for the crowds, politicians are fighting over how to pay for the parks." To read more, click here.

--Ummm... You'd think he'd know better with all the NPS is going through and sexual harassment. From the Washington Post: The top-ranking official at the National Park Service has apologized for behaving “in an inappropriate manner in a public hallway” in the wake of an inspector general’s investigation into an anonymous allegation that the official had made a gesture involving his genitalia in front of other employees. In a staff-wide email to Park Service employees on Friday, P. Daniel Smith wrote that as “a leader, I must hold myself to the highest standard of behavior in the workplace. I take my responsibility to create and maintain a respectful, collegial work environment very seriously. Moving forward, I promise to do better.” To read more, click here.