Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 11/12/20

Northwest:

--Mt. Rainier National Park is reporting that, "On Sunday, November 8th, a snowshoer who had been missing overnight was located and rescued from the Nisqually River drainage below Paradise. The snowshoer was last seen on Saturday November 7th at 1:45 pm, when he and his partner separated below the Muir Snowfield at an elevation of 9,500’. The missing party intended to descend on snowshoes to Paradise, while his partner continued on skis to Camp Muir. When he did not return to the Paradise parking lot, his partner reported him missing to park rangers. Three National Park Service (NPS) teams conducted an initial search for the missing snowshoer until early morning in winter conditions that minimized visibility. The overnight low at Paradise dropped to 16 degrees Fahrenheit with five inches of new snow." To read more, click here.

--AAI guide Katie Griffith wrote a piece about guiding and wildfire smoke that appeared in the Mt. Baker Experience this week. To read the article, click here.

--An older unnamed route in Squamish was rebolted this week by the first ascentionist and renamed Riden' with Biden (5.9). The route can be found just right of The Zip (5.10a), a super popular route. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--Emily Harrington just became the first woman to free Golden Gate (5.13a, VI) on El Capitan in a 24-hour period. This awesome achievement was wildly misreported by the mainstream press. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

AAI Guide Alex Fletcher encountered some very large 

mountain lion tracks in the Spring Mountains above Las Vegas this week.

Colorado and Utah:

--CBS 4 Denver is reporting on a fatality on North Maroon Peak last week: "A craft brewing company in Denver is remembering one of its brewers — Jason Buehler, the 43-year-old who fell and died in a mountain climbing accident near Aspen late last week. Buehler was head brewer at Denver Beer Company taproom and was a resident of Niwot." To read more, click here.

--Out There Colorado is reporting that, "In recent weeks, a number of incidents have occurred on the Second Flatiron in Boulder, Colorado that have required a response from search and rescue teams. According to the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, a 31-year-old female climber required rescue on Sunday afternoon after getting stuck while scrambling on the Second Flatiron in Boulder County. The climber reached a section of the climb in which she was unable to safely move up or down the rock formation. Members of Rocky Mountain Rescue Group were able to reach the stuck climber via technical gear before lowering her down the mountain. She was uninjured and able to hike back to the trailhead." To read more, click here.

--The Journal of Emergency Medical Services is reporting that, "A 23-year-old man fell about fifteen feet while scrambling on Mount Sanitas near Boulder around 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office." To read more, click here.

--A skier triggered an avalanche near Independence Pass this week, on a north facing slope in Mountain Boy Basin. This is the first videotaped avalanche of the 2020-2021 season that we're aware of. There were no injuries. Following is the video:

--Kimberly Kelly, a single mother in Utah, suffered a serious climbing accident two weeks ago and cannot work. A Go-Fund-Me site has been set-up to help her pay her bills while she recovers. Check it out, here.

--Wolves will be reintroduced in the Front Range. From the Colorado Sun: "Proposition 114 passed as a flurry of Front Range-votes widened the initiative’s margin of victory, paving the way for the animals’ return to the Western Slope." To read more, click here.

--Well here's something interesting from the Colorado Sun: "Are Colorado’s backcountry skiing stashes “trade secrets”? A snowcat outfitter suing a former guide claims they are. Steamboat Powdercats has sued a former employee, Stephen Bass, to stop his book from hitting shelves. They say it has to do with safety. The publisher says it has to do with access to 'fresh pow.'" To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--A climber was injured at New Hampshire's Rumney on Monday. He was able to walk out on his own, but -- due to his injuries -- needed the trail cleared by a leaf blower as he walked with assistance. The dry leaves covered treacherous footing. To read more, click here.

--Outside Online is reporting that, "the Department of the Interior failed to meet (last) Tuesday’s deadline to submit a list of projects it wants to fund in fiscal year 2021 with money earmarked by the Great American Outdoors Act. Not only does the missed proposal threaten the success of a huge variety of conservation projects, but advocacy groups warn it could be an attempt by the Trump administration to undermine the act’s goals. The move coincided with the election, even as vulnerable Republican senators who supported the GAOA campaigned on its passage." To read more, click here.

--An Idaho man tried to cook chicken in one of the geysers at Yellowstone National Park. Thankfully, he got caught. Now he will have to pay a $600 fine and will have two years of probation. To read more, click here.

--What a Biden Administration means for the Outdoor Industry...

--In related news, ABC is reporting that, "the importance of nature and the environment was evident this election as voters across the country approved more than two dozen conservation ballot measures. The initiatives include nearly $3.7 billion in new funding for land conservation, parks, climate resiliency and habitat, according to The Trust for Public Land Action Fund." To read more, click here.

--Interested in competing in a freeride skiing tournament? You can find out how, here.

--The New York Times is reporting that, "At 6,288 feet above sea level, Mount Washington in northern New Hampshire is known to countless travelers and bumper-sticker aficionados as the highest point in the Northeast and, according to the meteorologists who work there, 'home of the world’s worst weather.' And for nearly nine decades, there has always been a cat in residence. The latest one, a black Maine coon named Marty who arrived at the summit in 2008, died on Saturday of an 'unexpected illness,' Rebecca Scholand, an official at the Mount Washington Observatory, said Monday night. Marty was 14, she said. Or 15." To read more, click here.

--NPR is reporting that, "the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced U.S. military veterans and Gold Star families will be granted a lifetime of free access to national parks, wildlife refuges and other federal lands managed by the Department of the Interior." To read more, click here.

--The Access Fund and Climbing are reporting that, "Gunks Climbers Coalition (GCC) and Access Fund are pleased to announce the purchase and opening of a new section of cliffline in the Shawangunk Mountains of New York. This acquisition adds a new, backcountry climbing area to the Gunks, offering a uniquely remote experience that boasts traditional climbing, top roping, overhangs, vertical faces, and even a little crack climbing—ranging from 5.5 to 5.13." To read more, click here.