Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 4/30/20

Northwest:

AAI Guide Sam Boyce on the Mustache route on Mt. Baker in 2017.

--The governor of Washington State has announced that some limited outdoor recreation will be opened on May 5th. Climbers should avoid closed lands, avoid unnecessary risks, should stay local and should avoid gateway communities. To read more, click here. Here are some thoughts about climbing as things initially reopen from the Access Fund.

--Here is an update from the Squamish Access Society.

Desert Southwest:

--KTNV Las Vegas is reporting that, "With many Nevadans out of work due to the pandemic the amount visitors near Red Rock Canyon and Mount Charleston have been on the rise. With that extra foot traffic to those areas, authorities report an increase of vandalism at both." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--Crested Butte News is reporting that, "A skier caught in an avalanche in the Climax Chutes near Crested Butte was killed Tuesday morning. While the name is not yet being officially released, the skier was a Crested Butte local in his 40s with extensive experience in the backcountry." To read more, click here.

--The Daily Camera is reporting that, "A 24-year-old man was airlifted to a hospital after he fell roughly 30 feet while rock climbing in Button Rock Preserve in northern Boulder County on Tuesday afternoon." To read more, click here.

--Out There Colorado is reporting that, "data reveals 27% of Colorado outdoor recreation workforce let go, massive revenue loss, other grim impacts." To read the piece, click here.

--Teton Gravity Research is reporting that, "Aspen Ski Company stated that they may re-open Aspen Highlands in May if conditions and local regulations allow. Currently, all Alterra resorts are closed due to COVID-19, but staff has been maintaining and grooming Highlands in the event of a late-season re-opening." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--It's important not to forget that people are dealing with severe health implications from this pandemic. From Gripped: "Climbing guide Benjamin Paradis has been intubated and is on a ventilator in an Alberta hospital ICU. Paradis is a well respected member of the Canmore climbing community and Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. He has tested negative for covid-19 but is displaying all of the symptoms. He’s married with a young daughter in the Bow Valley." To read more, click here.

--Climbing gyms in Georgia have reopened.

--The National Parks Traveler is reporting that, "while the National Park Service is beginning the planning to reopen parks that have been closed by the pandemic, there's no firm timeline yet for when those openings will occur. For park managers, they'll have to weigh the risk of spreading the virus against economic pressures from their gateway towns." To read more, click here.

--The Access Fund is providing loan relief to Local Climbing Organizations that are in the process of buying lands to preserve. "Since its inception in 2009, the CCLP program has helped local climbing communities purchase 26 climbing areas across the country, conserving $2.8 million worth of land across 17 states. As a revolving loan fund, Access Fund loans the money out, and then after the local community repays it, it is reinvested into another threatened climbing area. The revolving nature of the fund allows Access Fund to use the same dollars to protect more climbing areas over time." To read more, click here.

--And climbing areas around the world are slowly starting to reopen...