Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - March 5, 2020

Northwest:

--KOMO News is reporting that, "A woman who went missing while hiking at the 9,000-foot level of Mount Rainier has been found alive, park officials said. The 34-year-old woman was reported missing by her husband Sunday when she did not return from her hike and he could see her car still parked at Paradise on the web cam, said Mount Rainier National Park spokesperson Patty Wold." To read more, click here.

--An injured climber used a fire to notify rescuers of his whereabouts last week. To read more, click here.

--The Bulletin is reporting on a tree well lawsuit. "Mt. Bachelor ski area allegedly failed 11 different ways to protect a skier and snowboarder who died on the same day two years ago after falling into tree wells, according to a $30 million lawsuit filed in Deschutes County Circuit Court. On the day Nicole Panet-Raymond, 19, of Portland, and Alfonso Braun, 24, of Bend, were killed in separate incidents, the lawsuit claims the ski area failed to close parts of the mountain where tree wells were a hazard and failed to clearly mark areas to avoid them." To read more, click here.

--Outdoor Sportswire is reporting that, "National Park Trust today announced the acquisition of one of the last remaining private properties inside of a remote area of Lassen Volcanic National Park, California. Using the Park Trust’s newly established Treasure Forever Fund, the National Park Service was able to purchase the land. As a result, a small but important .6 acre section of old-growth forest will now be accessible to the public and permanently protected in its natural state, preventing the land from being developed. This acquisition also helps to protect a segment of the historic Nobles Emigrant Trail, a western migration route pioneered by William H. Noble in the early 1850s." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--KSL.com is reporting on an increase in graffiti and vandalism on Utah's public lands. "In April 2018, archaeologists joined several local and state agencies on a tour of Coalville Ledge in Summit County, where graffiti was threatening to destroy art created by Native Americans hundreds of years ago. Just last year, someone dug a tunnel under a gate to break into Danger Cave State Park Heritage Site, vandalized it and stole historic items from it. During a presentation about the vandalism, archaeologist Ron Rood estimated the cost of the repair was at least $10,000. Bureau of Land Management officials also reported that someone used spray paint vandalize Shinob Kibe, a sacred site to Paiute Indians local to the area in Washington County." To read more, click here.

--The Colorado Sun is reporting that, "it’s been 23 years since Colorado lawmakers last crafted legislation to help the state’s now 2,800 search and rescue volunteers. And with increasing calls stressing overwhelmed volunteers, they could use a bit of help. Help could come with a bipartisan bill making its way through the Capitol that would explore potential funding options to better equip and train search and rescue teams. The proposed legislation would also develop programs to support the mental health of volunteers who respond to all calls for help from Colorado’s backcountry." To read more, click here.

--Out There Colorado has a piece on why avalanche fatalities are so high in Colorado. "A staggering 287 people have died in Colorado due to avalanches over the past 70 years. To put that number into perspective, that’s nearly twice the number of fatalities that have occurred in the state with the second highest avalanche-related death toll – Alaska (158). States like Washington (130), Utah (120), Montana (119), and California (66) have similar alpine topography, but land nowhere near Colorado’s number of fatalities. This begs the question – why are Colorado’s Rocky Mountains seemingly that much more dangerous?" To read more, click here.

--The Coalition of American Canyoneers has put together some rescue grants. "Technical canyoneering continues to grow in popularity dramatically each year.  As a result, the number of canyon rescues is growing too. The Coalition of American Canyoneers would like to provide seed capital to three SAR teams in 2020 to conduct fundraising activities to support canyon specific SAR team rescue and training efforts." To read more, click here.

--Outdoor Sportswire is reporting that, "The 1Climb Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by professional rock climber Kevin Jorgeson, is partnering with one of the largest operators of indoor climbing facilities in the U.S., El Cap, to bring climbing to kids across the country. Marking the beginning of the new partnership, El Cap and 1Climb opened a rock wall at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver on December 17." To read more, click here.

--The Know Outdoors is reporting that, "Arapahoe Basin Ski Area said its skier visits have been down 35% this season after leaving the Epic Pass, fulfilling its goal of reducing crowds on the slopes." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--An 11-year-old ice climber has died in a fall in New York's Catskill Mountains. According to ABC News 10, "The boy was climbing with a group including his father, three other adults, and two other children aged 13 and 15. Walking out on a portion of the trail that had a hand line, the 11-year-old victim lost his footing, slipped, and fell." To read more, click here.

--There was a skier fatality in a backcountry zone of Vermont's Stowe Mountain Resort. It appears that one individual fell from a cliff. To read more, click here.

--As a remembrance for Jake Burton, one of the biggest influencers in modern snowboarding, several ski resorts will  have a free day on March 13th. But you will have to register. The resorts include:

• Absolut Park, Austria
• Avoriaz, France
• Bear Mountain, CA
• Big Sky, MT
• Boreal Mountain, CA
• Boyne Mountain, MI
• Copper Mountain, CO
• Cypress Mountain, BC
• Laax, Switzerland
• Madonna Di Campiglio, Italy
• Seki Onsen Resort, Japan
• Stratton Mountain, VT
• Summit at Snoqualmie, WA

--The Access Fund is reporting that, "Rumney Climbers’ Association (RCA) and Access Fund are pleased to announce the successful transfer of Rumney’s Northwest Crags in central New Hampshire to White Mountain National Forest for long-term management and climbing access. Also known as the Final Frontier, this land transfer marks the final step in a multiyear campaign to purchase and permanently protect the final set of privately owned cliffs at Rumney Rocks." To read more, click here.

--Hopefully, we'll have an Olympics and COVID-19 doesn't screw it up, so we can see people climbing on these cool walls in Tokyo:

--21 WFMJ is reporting that, "Grand Teton National Park officials planned to begin having contractors shoot nonnative mountain goats from a helicopter as part of a disputed effort to help native bighorn sheep." To read more, click here.

--Skiing is really expensive, but if you plan ahead, it doesn't have to be. The Intelligencer reports that, "Of course, a key phrase in that sentence is “sticker price.” Like with so many things, few skiers actually pay list price for access to the mountain. Last year, when Vail’s maximum one-day ticket price was $209, the average effective ticket price charged by Vail Resorts for nearly 15 million skier days was just $68.89 per day. Partly, this is because Vail Resorts is the largest American ski operator, owning dozens of resorts, many of which cost less than the Vail flagship. But it’s also because tickets are far cheaper if you buy in advance, or if you buy a pass that allows you extensive access to the mountains over many days or the whole season." To read more, click here.

--The Adventure Journal is reporting on the tiff in the polar explorer community. "Nearly 50 of the world’s most accomplished and respected polar explorers penned a statement today in support of Aaron Teasdale’s article in National Geographic that called into question Colin O’Brady’s claim to be the first to cross Antarctica solo and unassisted. Since the Nat Geo piece, an army of detractors, many spurred by O’Brady’s February 20 appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast, have criticized Teasdale and his reporting, arguing that the article defamed O’Brady. O’Brady himself wrote a multi-page detraction of the article, demanding that Nat Geo retract it, which they have, so far, refused to do." To read more, click here.

--Outside is reporting on coronavirus fears. "Coronavirus Is Causing a Freeze-Dried Food Freak-Out:
Backpacking food company Mountain House has taken the unusual step of temporarily shutting down its website in order to deal with skyrocketing demand in the wake of pandemic fears." To read more, click here.

--COVID-19 reporting is everywhere. And now Mt. Everest might close because of it.

--A blind climber has developed a way for blind people to access climbing objectives. He used Legos! Check it out, below: