Thursday, June 27, 2019

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 6/27/19

Northwest:

--A climber was killed in a fall in Squamish last week. It appears that the individual fell at least one-hundred feet off the Grand Wall area of the Stawamus Chief. To read more, click here.

--The Columbia Basin Herald is reporting that, "Fire and medical crews worked for hours in high heat to rescue a climber who fell 30 feet from a rock climbing wall at The Feathers near Vantage Monday. The climber was transported by Life Flight for non-life-threatening injuries after being lifted into position by rope crews, according to fire officials." To read more, click here.

Jake Hartsoch, Lane Seeley and Matt Seeley on the summit of Mount Baker on June 11th. 
The trio completed a human power approach and climb of the mountain in just over 14 hours.

--The race is on. Three climbers just rode their bikes from Bellingham Bay, to the Mt. Baker trailhead, climbed the mountain, skied the mountain, and then rode back to the bay in 14 hours and 3 minutes. That is insanely fast. To read more, click here.

--Here is an article about how the National Park Service tries to balance the needs of rock climbers and nesting peregrine falcons...

--Olympic National Park plans to move more mountain goats this summer. The Peninsula Daily News is reporting that, "Operations to move as many as possible of the estimated 700 mountain goats began last year. Using helicopters, tranquilizer darts, nets and refrigerated trucks, crews were able to remove 115 mountain goats from the park in September." To read more, click here.

--Several police officers and family members will climb Mt. Baker next month to honor John Davidson, an Abbotsford-based police officer that was killed in the line of duty. Abbotsford is directly across the border from Mt. Baker, and it was reported that Davidson noted a desire to climb the mountain every time it was out. To read more, click here.

(Click to Enlarge)

--The Bellingham Herald is reporting that, "'This is Us' star Mandy Moore recently climbed Mount Baker, according to a post on the actor-songwriter’s Instagram page made Tuesday, June 18, saying ‘I can’t wait to visit you again, Mount Baker.'" To read more, click here.

--Go Skagit is reporting that, "Members of a local snowmobile club recently helped scientists reach Mount Baker’s Easton Glacier, lugging a University of Washington research team and its equipment over sometimes difficult-to-navigate terrain on the south side of the mountain. The researchers were using Easton Glacier to test a tool being developed for use in remote locations of the Arctic and Antarctic — and potentially outer space." To read more, click here.

--Please respect wildlife...! A bear cub had to be euthanized last week because selfie-seekers wanted a picture with the animal. This type of activity habituates animals to humans and often results in serious issues for both. To read more, click here.

--Seattle's Ascent Outdoors is back! This long loved shop closed its doors recently. But the company is open again under new ownership! To read more, click here.

Sierra:

Here's a good event if you're going to be in the area!
More info, here.

--There's some info and even a photo on MountainProject of a guy who is a notorious gear thief in Yosemite. To read more, click here.

--So the following happened on Father's Day at Mammoth Mountain with pro skier, Bernie Rowsow. Bernie did some nice runs with his infant on his chest in the BabyBjorn...


Desert Southwest:

--A body found in Red Rock Canyon last week is presumed to be that of a missing hiker. To read more, click here.


--The Southern Nevada Climbers Coalition and the BLM installed signs above Moderate Mecca in Red Rock Canyon last week. These signs indicate that there are often climbers climbing below. There have been several close calls with hikers who felt it necessary to throw rocks off the cliff while people were climbing below.

Colorado and Utah:

--The Durango Herald is reporting that, "A climber was rescued Monday evening after falling near the northwest boundary of Taylor Ranch, a subdivision about 5 miles northeast of Durango." To read more, click here.

--There are currently two competing petitions to rename Colorado's Mt. Evans. The Business Den notes that, "Both petitions seek to oust John Evans, governor of the Colorado territory from 1862 to 1865, as the mountain’s namesake because of his connection to the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864, a slaughter of Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples by cavalry overseen by the Evans-appointed Army Col. John Chivington." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Beth Rodden recently wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times on being both a mother and a climber. To read the article, click here.

--Trek and Mountain is reporting that Ecuadorian-Swiss speed climber Karl Egloff just crushed the speed record on Denali. "The previous speed record on Denali (6,190m) was established by the Spanish athlete Kilian Jornet with an ascent time of 9 hours, 45 minutes in 2014, followed by a ski descent which took 2 hours for a total time of 11 hour, 45 minutes. Karl set a new world record on Thursday, June 20th, 2019 with an ascent time of 7 hours and 40 minutes, and a descent time of 4 hours, 4 minutes (for a total time of 11 hours, 44 minutes), smashing Jornet’s ascent record, and shaving a minute off the record for the total time." To read more, click here.

--Several boulders were painted with graffiti in Denali National Park last week. To read more, click  here.

--Spy satellites show how fast the glaciers are melting in the Himalaya due to anthropogenic climate change. To read the article, click here.

--John Oliver recently looked at all the current issues with crowding on Mt. Everest on his show. he didn't hit on all the issues, but he did a good job of working through the main problems. He also repeatedly mispronounces Makalu and mistakenly believes that no one wants to climb the fifth tallest mountain in the world.



--Speaking of Mt. Everest, Gripped is reporting that, "the Chinese and Nepal governments said that 885 to 900 people reached the top of Everest in spring 2019. The previous one-season record was 715 in 2018. This brings the total number of summits on Everest to over 10,000 by 5,800 climbers. The 11 deaths in 2018 bring the death toll to 304." To read more, click here.

--It sounds like the 2024 Olympics in Paris will also include climbing. To read more, click here.

--Diversity in the outdoors and in the outdoor industry are hot-button issues. One activist sees positive signs of change. To read an excellent article about this issue, click here.

--Jackson Hole News and Guide is reporting that, A couple suing for injuries their teenage son suffered during a 2017 “pond skim” accident argue that Snow King Mountain Resort was negligent, but the resort says it’s not liable. Teton County District Court Judge Timothy Day says the dispute will be up to a jury to decide. Day denied Snow King’s motion for summary judgment, which would have ended the suit. The teenage son, still a minor, is referred to as WDD in court documents." To read more, click here.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thank you for your comment. An administrator will post your comment after he/she moderates it.