Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 10/22/20

Election:

--The election is coming soon, and this may be the most important one of our lifetimes. Certainly, the future of our public lands and our climate are both on the ballot. Protect Our Winters has created an excellent tool to help you #MakeADamnPlan to vote. Check it out.

Northwest:

--From the Access Fund: "Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and Access Fund are pleased to announce that 11 acres in Icicle Canyon outside Leavenworth, Washington, are now permanently protected as public land. This conservation project is the result of a collaboration between Access Fund, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and local partner organizations. The parcel includes popular climbing areas known as Alphabet Rock and Icehouse Boulders, as well as the initial access path to the historic crag of Givler’s Dome farther uphill on adjacent USFS lands. Together, this critical inholding features more than 40 historic cracks, slabs, faces, and hueco-filled roofs, as well as dozens of boulder problems." To read more, click here.

Horne Lake is a climbing area on Vancouver Island.

Sierra:

--Tom Herbert recently set a new speed record on the Muir Wall (5.10, A2+, VI) on El Capitan in Yosemite. The route was first completed by his father in 1965. To read about the ascent, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--Rocky Mountain National Park is currently closed due to fire activity.

--The Vail Daily is reporting that, "In matters of the law, it’s true that anything you say can and will be used against you. But in submitting his GoPro footage to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center in March, Vail resident Evan Hannibal said he wasn’t expecting his comments in the video to help establish a case against him resulting in a reckless endangerment charge and a potential $168,000 in restitution." To read more, click here.

--The Durango Herald is reporting that, "A wildfire has scorched at least 15 acres and trapped nearly 20 hikers Monday near the popular Ice Lakes trailhead, west of Silverton in the San Juan Mountains. U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Esther Goodson said an aerial crew was en route Monday to battle the blaze, which had burned 15 to 20 acres as of 2:30 p.m. Monday." To read more, click here.

--Two snowboarders who unintentionally started an avalanche above I-70 near the Eisenhower Tunnel are being charged with reckless endangerment due to the avalanche washing over the road. Additionally, the state is trying to recover $168,000 for an avalanche mitigation device destroyed in the slide. No one was injured as this took place on March 25th at the start of the pandemic lockdown. Criminal charges have never been filed in Colorado for an avalanche before, and there is some question about what kind of precedent this will set. To read more, click here.

--This kind of stuff is the type of thing that leads to charging people for rescue. It's possible that a missing woman found in Zion National Park, faked her disappearance. From ABC 4: "The liaison of the Washington County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue is speaking out about several discrepancies he says he sees in the case of a California woman who was found alive after being missing for 12 days inside Zion National Park." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--The CBC is reporting on a backcountry ski fatality in Alberta, Canada: "A skier has died on a backcountry trail in Kananaskis Country. It happened near the Robertson Glacier on Monday. RCMP say the 40-year-old man, from Invermere, British Columbia, was skiing with three friends when a whiteout hit and the group was separated." To read more, click here.

--Pocket Media, the company that owns Climbing magazine, has recently purchased Rock and Ice and Gym Climber. Climbing and Rock and Ice will come together under the title, Climbing. To read more, click here.

--The North Face is spending 7 million dollars in an effort to diversify the outdoors. From The Cut: "Part of its new global “Reset Normal” initiative, the brand is pledging $7 million toward diversifying the outdoors. It will do this through the Explore Fund Council, a global fellowship program launched in partnership with Emmy Award–winning screenwriter, producer, and actor Lena Waithe and climber and Academy Award–winning director Jimmy Chin. The idea is to create a group of experts across culture, entertainment, academia, and the outdoors to help guide the brand on spending that $7 million." To read more, click here.