Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 4/18/19

Update:

--Rock and Ice is reporting that, "According to Tiroler Tageszeitung, an Austrian newspaper, professional alpinists Jess Roskelley, David Lama and Hansjörg Auer are missing in the Canadian Rockies. Search operations are ongoing. Early reports are citing an avalanche that occurred Tuesday. Rescue flights started on Wednesday, but thus far no climbers have been located. Gripped is reporting that the climbers were attempting M16 on Howse Peak." To read more, click here.

--A second article states that these climbers are presumed dead...

Climate Advocacy:

--Several sources are reporting that the Earth has lost nine trillion tons of ice over the last sixty years. Mashable puts it this way. "If one were to assume an average weight of 735,000 pounds for a 747 airliner, that comes out to around 27 billion 747s worth of ice lost over this period." To read more, click here.

--The North Face is petitioning to make Earth Day a national holiday.

Northwest:

--Freeskier is reporting that, "Canadian professional skier Dave Treadway died after falling into a crevasse in Pemberton, British Columbia, Canada, yesterday, April 15, 2019, according to Pique News Magazine. He was 34. There are unconfirmed reports that he fell after a snow bridge he was crossing collapsed. The Canadian skier is survived by his wife, Tessa, and two sons, Kasper and Raffi." To read more, click here.

--KIRO 7 is reporting that, " Seattle backcountry skier is in stable condition after being swept in an avalanche Sunday afternoon. Shanna Hovertsen, 29, was with a group of friends skiing near Cohchuck Lake at about 1:15 p.m. when a small avalanche caused her to tumble down a slope and twist both of her knees, Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Brian Burnett said." To read more, click here.

--Here is an excellent piece from the New York Times on shrinking glaciers in the Pacific Northwest.

A free-soloist on the new 10-pitch 5.8 in Squamish, Frontside.

--There's a new ten-pitch bolted 5.8 in Squamish! To read more, click here.

--Washington State's Highway 20 is opening today.

--Oregon Live is reporting that, "Three exceptionally large avalanches were triggered earlier this week inside gate-accessed terrain at Mt. Hood Meadows, prompting the resort to close entry to the popular Heather Canyon." To read more, click here.

--The Squamish Climbing Magazine is reporting that, "With an increase in visitors during the summer months, wild camping and van dwelling in Squamish has become a increasing issue for the city. On April 9th, Squamish City Council took action to address the camping situation and voted to draft a bylaw to regulate camping in public places including crown land within the municipal boundary." To read more, click here.

A lot of people need Bigfoot to sell stuff.

--Wild is a podcast about Bigfoot. It is insanely popular and has reignited the debate outside communities of hardcore believers as to whether the hairy beast is real. Laura Krantz, the journalist behind the podcast, has written an excellent piece on why we need Bigfoot, even if it's not real.

--Glacier Hub is currently hosting a video that shows a three-dimensional 360-degree view of Mt. Baker. Check it out.

--Several crag stewardship projects are coming up in Washington State in May and June. To see a list, click here.

Sierra:

--There's a new lottery system in Yosemite for Camp 4. Check it out.

--People should not interact with bears. They should be left alone. Habituating bears to people generally ends poorly for the bear. A snowboarder in Tahoe recently videotaped the following encounter with a bear cub:



--The East Bay Times is reporting, "Bowing to nature, Yosemite National Park is closing for the entire summer season its five world-renowned High Sierra Camps. Deep snow means there’s not enough time to fix a bridge or repair wastewater treatment facilities, damaged tents and other parts of the outposts’ fragile infrastructure, according to Yosemite officials." To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--KGUN 9 is reporting that, "A Pima County Sheriff's Department helicopter crew rescued a man who fell while rock climbing on Mount Lemmon Friday." To read more, click here.

--A hiker died of what appears to be natural causes this week in Joshua Tree National Park. To read more, click here.

--Those trying to develop Blue Diamond Hill across the street from Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area lost another key vote to develop the hill. To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--There was an accident in Indian Creek this week, but there is almost no information available about it. Here's a little bit.

--The Daily Herald is reporting that, "Human remains found by a climber in American Fork Canyon on Sunday may be those of Jerika Binks, a Utah County woman who has been missing for more than a year. Deputies with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office were contacted by a man who said he discovered human remains while climbing in a remote ravine in the canyon Sunday, according to a press release from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office." To read more, click here.

--2 KUTV is reporting that, "a woman who was injured at Alta Ski Resort is hoping the skier who hit her will come forward and accept responsibility for the crash. Rachel, who requested 2News not use her last name, said the crash put her in the hospital for five days. 'I consider it an assault, I don’t consider just a normal accident on the mountain,” Rachel said.'" To read more, click here.

--The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting that, "Angels Landing’s sheer sandstone face in southern Utah’s Zion National Park will largely remain a rope-free zone for a while to avoid disturbing a pair of California condors that recently established a nest nearby." To read more, click here.

--Unofficial Networks is reporting that, "Arapahoe Basin, CO made news earlier this season when they announced that they would be dropping out from their 22-year-old partnership with Vail Resorts. The announcement meant that A-basin would not be included on Vail’s EPIC pass." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--KTUU is reporting that, "A 25-year-old New Mexico man died after a 500 foot fall from Goat Mountain near Eklutna Lake outside Anchorage on Wednesday." To read more, click here.

--CBS Boston is reporting that, "a skier was buried in an avalanche on Mt. Washington, which saw at least three human-triggered slides Thursday afternoon." To read more, click here.

--Grizzly bears are being tracked from space!

--Could Elizabeth Warren become our public lands president...? Outside notes that, "the Democratic candidate released her comprehensive plan for saving our national parks and public lands. It's impressive, even if it never comes to fruition."

--Alpinist is reporting that, "Four recipients have been selected for the second annual Kyle Dempster Solo Adventure Award." To read more, click here.

--Bloomberg headline: "It Was a Huge Year for the Ski Pass Locals Love to Hate. A new multi-mountain ski pass generated controversy across the West this year. Does it deserve the hate?" Check out the article, here.

--Outside is reporting, "a recent report found that 259 people died between 2011 and 2017 while stepping in front of the camera in often dangerous destinations. Our writer went deep on the psychology of selfies to figure out what's behind our obsession with capturing extreme risk-taking." To read what she found, click here.