Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 10/17/19

Climate Crisis:

--Here's a great piece on how influencers are using their power to fight climate change in the halls of Congress...

Northwest:

--AAI Guide and Executive Director, Jason Martin, was recently interviewed on the Building Champions podcast. He talks about leadership, in both the mountains and in business. To hear the podcast, click here.

--The Statesman Journal is reporting that, "Hiking and camping in three of Oregon's most popular wilderness areas will cost a bit more beginning in 2020. Any overnight trip and some day-hikes would cost at least $4 to $11 for a permit to enter the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington wilderness areas, under a proposal from the U.S. Forest Service issued Tuesday. But longer backpacking trips, especially with a family, could get a lot more expensive." To read more, click here.

--The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center put it succinctly. "If there's enough snow to ride, then there's enough snow to slide." Read their early season fall statement for your region.

--The American Alpine Institute will be hosting Conrad Anker on November 14th at the Mt. Baker Theatre. Proceeds from his talk will go to Protect Our Winters and to the Whatcom Family YMCA. To read more, or to purchase tickets, click here.

--Mt. Baker Highway to Artist Point is closed for the winter.

Sierra:

--Here is a great story and some photos from the 2019 Yosemite Facelift.

Desert Southwest:

--The Access Fund is reporting that, "Oak Flat outside of Phoenix, Arizona is home to hundreds of sport climbing routes and thousands of bouldering problems, and it is also considered sacred to several Native American tribes. This exceptional area is squarely in the crosshairs of Resolution Copper, a foreign mining company who is set to take ownership of this public land through a shady land exchange deal." To read more, click here.

--The Las Vegas Sun is reporting that, "Fifteen environmental organizations have identified five principles they would like to see reflected in an anticipated Clark County public lands bill that, as drafted, would modify protected areas and open more than 56,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management land to development. Public lands legislation in Nevada should balance conservation, recreation and development needs and should result in 'a substantial net conservation gain,' the local, regional and national organizations state in a letter sent last week to officials in Clark County and to the Nevada congressional delegation." To read more, click here.

--The Hill has posted an opinion about the priorities of the new BLM director. "Acting BLM Director William Perry Pendley told the Society of Environmental Journalists in Colorado on Friday that wild horses were the biggest problem facing federal public lands in the West. The silliness of this statement becomes obvious when one considers that wild horses don’t exist on more than 85 percent of BLM lands, and where they do occur, they have to share the range with domestic livestock which typically have an even bigger impact on the land." To read more, click here.

--Netflix has a film coming out about a little girl and a rattlesnake bite...but the first aid for it seems a little weird. If you like spooky movies that have an "outdoor" element, check out this trailer:




Colorado and Utah:

--Arapahoe Basin opened for a couple of hours last Friday, making it the first ski area to open in the United States. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--This is an amazing rescue. A small plane got stuck in the cables for a ski lift in the Italian Alps. Rescuers were able to get both the pilot and the passenger to the ground without injury.

--Well, it was bound to happen. After President Trump said his wall couldn't be climbed, and that climbers confirmed that, several climbers scaled a replica in seconds to disprove such a preposterous claim. One even did it while juggling. To read more and see videos, click here.

Photo: Katmai National Park

--Fat bear week came and went. Click here to see Holly, the bear that won. She never stopped eating all summer and got quite rotund...

--There is a new three-pitch WI 4 in Alberta's Ghost River Valley. To read about it, click here.