Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 2/21/19

Climate Advocacy:

--Protect Our Winters is leading the charge to get the head of the International Ski Federation to resign. Why? Gian-Franco Kasper is a climate denier and loves dictators...two things that are not in line with the ethics of the snow sports community at large. To join POW in their effort to get Kasper to resign, click here.

Northwest:

--A snowboarder in Idaho that was hit by a vehicle after attempting to jump a road has died. To read more, click here.

--Here's another deep snow immersion tree well fatality in Oregon. News 10 is reporting that, "An autopsy preformed Monday has confirmed that Johnathan Patrick Likeke Walker, 23, died of suffocation following a skiing accident on Mt. Ashland on Saturday, according to a statement released by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office." To read more, click here.

--British Columbia's Terrance Standard is reporting on a helicopter evacuation. "Two experienced climbers were rappelling at a waterfall in the Oliver Creek area, northeast of Terrace, when one of the men slipped and injured his leg. Using their inReach device, which is a tool that is used to send text via satellite, they initiated a 911 call with their coordinates to the RCMP who then contacted Terrace Search and Rescue (SAR) at approximately 4:12 p.m. Monday." To read more, click here.

--The Washington Climber's Coalition is reporting that, "Starting March 1, 2019, a seasonal raptor closure will be in place for select Newhalem climbing areas to protect nesting Peregrine falcons in the Ross Lake National Recreation Area of North Cascades National Park." To read more, click here.

--GoSkagit is reporting that, "Washington’s National Park Fund announced this week it has given $1.6 million to the state’s three national parks, including the North Cascades National Park Service Complex." To read more, click here.

--Here's a blog about the glacial retreat of Mt. Baker's Boulder Glacier from 1980 to 2018. It is certainly grim news.

--There was a big avalanche on Mt. Shasta this week.

--A skier is suing Stevens Pass Ski Resort because he claims he ran into a rope. There is video in this article and there doesn't appear to be ropes anywhere.  To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--The Tahoe Daily Tribune is reporting that, "Ski patrollers with the help of a search dog found the body of missing skier Brett Herrick at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Douglas County Sheriff's Office." It's not yet clear, but this could have been a deep snow immersion fatality. To read more, click here.

--Mammoth Mountain has the most snow in the hemisphere with 446-inches. Washington's Mt. Baker is in second place with 399". To read more, click here.

--The Mt. Whitney Lottery opens on February 22nd. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--After a snowstorm last night in Las Vegas, AAI guide Andrew Yasso may have just become the first person to "backcountry ski" -- or at least skin -- in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

--Eco Watch and many others are reporting that, "On Jan. 14, 103-year-old Rose Torphy visited the Grand Canyon with her daughter. While there, she stopped in at the park store and learned about the junior ranger program, then decided to become a junior ranger herself." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--Fox News is reporting that, "Two backcountry skiers were killed over the weekend in an avalanche in an area of Colorado known as 'Death Pass,' officials said. Crested Butte Search and Rescue said in a Facebook post the two backcountry skiers were reported missing on Saturday night near the town of Crested Butte, and tracks were discovered leading into a fresh avalanche field near the area known as 'Death Pass.'" To read more, click here.

--The Denver Post is reporting that, "A backcountry skier went missing Tuesday and is believed to be a victim of an avalanche near Telluride, authorities say." To read more, click here.

--WDSU 6 is reporting that, "A near-death experience was caught on camera after an avalanche in Utah over the weekend buried a skier. The skier who was trapped in the avalanche doesn't want to be identified. But the two friends who rescued him are sharing their harrowing story." Video of the incident can be found, here.

--2KUTV is reporting that, "Zion National Park search and rescue crews spent the night in a snowstorm after rescuing a man who got stuck in quicksand. On Saturday, Zion dispatchers received a report of a 34-year-old man from Arizona who got his leg stuck in quicksand." To read more, click here.

--Here's a piece on the runner who killed a mountain lion with his bare hands...!

--This is a fun story about what it's like to be a ski instructor in Aspen.

--Ski areas throughout the United States are struggling with parking. Snowbird in Utah has come up with a solution, a ride app that people can use to coordinate their drive. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Three people in two separate incidents were involved in avalanches at the same time over the weekend near Wyoming's Teton Pass. Everybody survived, though one person had to be resuscitated. To read more, click here.

--PBS News Hour is reporting that,"the Senate on Tuesday approved a major public lands bill that revives a popular conservation program, adds 1.3 million acres of new wilderness, expands several national parks and creates four new national monuments. The measure, the largest public lands bill considered by Congress in a decade, combines more than 100 separate bills that designate more than 350 miles of river as wild and scenic, create 2,600 miles of new federal trails and add nearly 700,000 acres of new recreation and conservation areas. The bill also withdraws 370,000 acres in Montana and Washington state from mineral development." To read more, click here.

--Outside online is reporting that, "Camber Outdoors CEO Deanne Buck has announced that she will step down effective immediately. The resignation came after backlash Camber received over its CEO Outdoor Equity Pledge. At Outdoor Retailer last month, Camber launched its new initiative for increased diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoor industry, calling on brand executives and CEOs to make concerted efforts to support people of diverse backgrounds in leadership roles. The only problem: in wording on its website, and in Buck’s oral remarks at the trade-show announcement, Camber called the program the first of its kind. As critics have pointed out, that’s not true." To read more, click here. UPDATE: The resignation of REI's CEO may have been connected to Buck. To read more, click here.

--Climbers bring a tremendous amount of money into the New River Gorge region.

--If you want to know how climbers are going to be chosen for the Olympics, check this out.

--The Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Ski Patrol set off an avalanche this week that left a huge crown at the top. Check it out: