Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 1/28/21

Climate News:

--The Sierra Club and others are reporting that, "The Biden administration today is expected to set a national goal of protecting 30% of the country’s lands and waters by 2030, part of a suite of actions on climate. The conservation effort is ambitious, but also the minimum scientists say is needed to save nature and buffer against the worst impacts of the climate crisis." To read more, click here.

--The Revelator has published an op ed from a BLM employee who talks about the agency's science-denying nature and how to overcome it in the face of climate change. To read the piece, click here.

Northwest:

A climber on Hall Peak, a popular winter climb in the Cascades.

--Mother Jones is reporting that an Oregon-based pro-logging/anti-climate group has deep ties to extremism, and includes includes members that stormed the Capitol. To read the piece, click here.

Sierra:

--To promote the Yosemite Facelift -- the annual adopt-a-crag style event in Yosemite -- Tioga-Sequoia brewing has produced Facelift Pale Ale. To order some, click here.

--The Sierra Wave is reporting that, "The National Forest Recreation Association (NFRA) is very proud to announce that  has been selected as the 2020 ‘Ranger of the Year.’ Michael is the Co-Director of the Region 5 Pack Stock Center of Excellence; a Special Uses Permit Administrator; and the Wilderness and Trails Supervisor on the Mammoth Ranger District, Inyo National Forest He is a man of many talents and highly deserving of this award." To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--Climbing is reporting that, "In the final days before leaving office, the Trump Administration initiated the transfer of 2,422 acres of Oak Flat in Arizona, an Apache ancestral territory and world-class rock climbing destination, to foreign-owned Resolution Copper (RC). Access Fund filed a lawsuit today in Arizona federal district court, seeking to prevent the destruction of the sacred site and the largest-ever loss of climbing on America’s public lands." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--The Gephardt Daily is reporting that, "Members of the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue crews had some help Wednesday in aiding an injured ice climber in Little Cottonwood Canyon. Crews were called out for the injured climber at the top of the second pitch of Great White Icicle just before 11 a.m.,  according to a Facebook post from Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office." To read more, click here.

--The Park Record is reporting that, "A skier died at Deer Valley Resort on Friday after losing consciousness on a lift, the Park City Police Department said. The police said the man was 78 and from Costa Mesa, California. The man was on the Carpenter Express lift at approximately 3 p.m. when he lost consciousness, the police said." To read more, click here.

--Winter Park in Colorado has had a reservation system in place for most of the ski season. It has recently decided that a reservation is NOT required, IF you arrive after 2pm. To read more, click here.

--We Know Outdoors is reporting that, "while conceding the reservation system instituted last year at Rocky Mountain National Park will be evaluated as a potential long-term solution to managing the park’s surging visitor numbers over the past decade, park officials say they are not planning to employ that same system this year." To read more, click here.

--Here's a round-up on the results of this year's Ouray Ice Festival Mixed Competition.

Notes from All Over:

--A skier survived an avalanche on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire this week. To read about it, click here.

--This is a beautiful video of the all Nepali team making the first winter ascent of K2, summiting the mountain shoulder-to-shoulder and singing the country's national anthem. K2 was the last of the 8000-meter peaks not to be summited in the winter season. It was the first to be summited in the winter by an all Nepali team.

--COVID 19 is being blamed for a spike in avalanche deaths in Europe. From the Daily Mail: "Covid-19 has been blamed for a spike in avalanche deaths, with experts saying skiers are going off-piste to avoid crowds and ignoring warnings because they are sick of following coronavirus rules. So far this winter, 14 people have died as a result of avalanche accidents in Switzerland, including eight people over the last weekend alone." To read more, click here.

--Ski Patrollers at Stevens Pass in Washington and at Park City in Utah are picketing their resorts. From Outside: "Union members at Stevens Pass and Park City Mountain Resort want better wages and working conditions but say their parent company has dragged its feet in negotiations." To read more, click here.

--The Oklahoman is reporting that, "an Oklahoma representative from southeastern Oklahoma filed legislation this week to establish a Bigfoot hunting season. House Bill 1648, filed by State Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, would direct the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to promulgate rules establishing the annual dates of the season and creating any necessary specific hunting licenses and fees." To read more, click here.

--Patrollers in Jackson Hole are getting their vaccinations, due to their status as first responders. To read more, click here.

--Outside is reporting that, "the long foretold COVID-19-inspired global boom in backcountry ski sales is upon us. Even ski makers that were smart enough to boost production of backcountry skis and boots have burned through their product. By November 2020, backcountry ski sales were up 81 percent, backcountry snowboard sales were up 146 percent, and the all-important backcountry accessories category—which includes safety gear like beacons, shovels, probes, and climbing skins—was up 150 percent, according to Eric Henderson, a spokesperson for Snowsports Industries America." To read more, click here.

--There's also been a massive boom in the sale of snowshoes.

--The Climbing Business Journal continues to survey the climbing wall industry. In December, they found some good news: "Perhaps most remarkably, over 75 percent of gyms responding to the survey question have retained at least 50 percent of their total membership at year’s end." To read more, click here. 

--The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that, "in a huge win for filmmakers, a D.C. federal judge has ruled that it's unconstitutional for the National Park Service to require permits or charge fees for commercial filming on its land." To read more, click here.

--So a guy got chased by a bear while skiing in a Romanian ski resort. The guy ultimately got away by tossing his backpack off. There's a ton of video of this event, here.