Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 11/8/18

Northwest:

--The Access Fund and all Northwest Climbers want your help. "The Methow Headwaters is home to some of the most outstanding climbing and mountaineering in Washington state, including the sport climbs up the Chewack River, the massive multi-pitch climbing on the Goat Wall, alpine rock climbing and glacier mountaineering around the Silver Star Massif, cragging near Robinson Creek, and mountaineering and long alpine rock climbs along the Pacific Crest Trail. Several years ago, a mining company filed for permits to conduct exploratory drilling for copper on Goat Peak at the north end of the Methow Valley. This kind of exploratory drilling is the first step to developing a large-scale mine that would devastate the upper Methow region. Access Fund is working with a coalition of stakeholders on several advocacy efforts to protect this incredible region and its climbing resources.To read more and to take action, click here.

--Outside is reporting on one of the deadliest climbing disasters in US history. "About an hour before midnight on Mother’s Day in 1986, a group of teenagers assembled at an Episcopal high school in Portland, Oregon, to embark on an expedition. Their goal was to summit Mount Hood, completing an adventure program that was required for all sophomores. What followed was a story of tragedy and loss that is commemorated annually at the institution it changed forever." To read more, click here.

--So they're blindfolding goats in the Olympics to keep them from freaking out when they get helicoptered to the Cascades. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--A climber in Yosemite sustained a 50-foot fall last week on Mt. Watkins. Following is dramatic helicopter footage of the rescue that ensued. To read more about the accident, click here.



Colorado and Utah:

--Sketchy Andy is at it again. In the following video, Andy Lewis BASE jumps off a cliff, lands on a tiny tower, repacks and jumps again. Crazy...!



Notes from All Over:

--Pique is reporting that, "Juneau Mountain Rescue and the Alaska State Troopers have suspended efforts to recover the remains of Squamish climber Marc-André Leclerc, 25, and fellow climber Ryan Johnson, 34. The two men were reported missing on March 7 after they were late returning from a climb in the Mendenhall Ice Field in Juneau." To read more, click here.

--A scientist in the Antarctic stabbed a co-worker because he kept telling him how the books he was reading were going to end. This is not okay. But you still shouldn't tell people how books end when you're on an expedition in a remote region. To read more, click here.

--The American Alpine Club is now accepting applications for their Cutting Edge Grant. To read more, click here.

--Here are some major takeaways from this week's elections and the outdoor industry.

--The Guardian is reporting that, "the Girl Scouts of the United States of America have filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America after the Boy Scouts decided to drop “Boy” from its program and start welcoming older girls. According to the complaint filed on Tuesday, the Boy Scouts do not have a monopoly over such terms as “scouts” or “scouting”, and its decision to rebrand its program Scouts BSA will erode the Girl Scouts brand and “marginalize” their activities." To read more, click here.

--As of this writing, it appears that Democrat Katie Hill won the 25th Congressional District in California. We'd like to believe that the following ad certainly helped her candidacy...