Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 4/22/21

Northwest:

--A climber was airlifted from Mt. Erie near Anacortes, to Seattle, after suffering a serious fall last week. No information beyond this is known.

--Gripped is reporting that, "Squamish climber and route developer Jason Green has made the first ascent of his multi-month project. He he said is the “last great line in the Smoke Bluffs” to be opened. He called it Vulture Culture, a bolted 5.13-." To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--So Alex Honnold isn't done with big adventures. Gripped and others are reporting that the free soloist just linked three of Red Rock’s best multi-pitches for 29-pitches of free solo climbing: Levitation 29 5.11+, Cloud Tower 5.11+/12-, and Rainbow Wall Original Route, 5.12a, in a half-day. No big deal... Check it out.

--Joshua Tree National Park is preparing a new climbing management plan. If you want to be kept in the loop, sign up for their newsletter.

Colorado and Utah:

--CBS Denver is reporting that, "A 37-year-old man was rescued Tuesday afternoon from the snowy slopes of Wilson Peak after falling approximately 2,000 feet while skiing from its summit, according to the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office." To read more, click here.

--Out There Colorado is reporting that, "Rescue teams were called into Colorado's backcountry on Sunday for an injured skier stranded in the snow with a broken humerus. The Pitkin County Sheriff's Office was notified of an injured skier on the trail to the McNamara Hut at about 2:55 PM. The backcountry skier, a 54-year-old female, was suffering from a broken humerus and in "extreme pain", unable to self-extricate, according to the sheriff's office." To read more, click here.

--Snow Brains is reporting that, "Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue (SLCOSAR) was called out Friday evening to assist two “cliffed-out” skiers near Mount Superior, UT. The two set out from Alta early Friday afternoon, intending to ski the south face of Superior. They missed their line and ended up descending further west, between Superior and Monte Cristo." To read more, click here.

--Snow Brains is reporting on another pair that got lost after entering the backcountry from Aspen: "On Saturday, 4/17/2021, at approximately 11:40 am, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office was notified by Aspen Mountain Ski Patrol of two skiers who had skied “out-of-bounds” at the base of Walsh’s ski run. Walsh’s is a Double Black ski run at the Eastern ski area boundary on Ajax Mountain in Aspen, Colorado. After communicating with the father of one of the subjects, rescuers learned that two male skiers, 55 and 57 years old, respectively, were reported to be in good spirits, healthy, and had no known medical conditions." To read more, click here.

--The Summit Daily is reporting that, "a Florida man is facing an assault charge after allegedly striking a man in the face with a ski pole at Keystone Resort earlier this month. Guido Diaz, 42, was arrested on a charge of second-degree assault after a violent confrontation on the ski slopes left another man with broken teeth and cuts on his face, according to an arrest affidavit. On April 2, deputies with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to Keystone to respond to a fight. The deputies spoke at the Keystone Medical Center with the individuals, who gave conflicting reports of the incident." To read more, click here.

SkiHi News is reporting that, "A bill that would require Colorado ski areas to share safety strategies as well as statistics revealing injuries and fatalities didn’t make it out of a committee vote Thursday in Denver after hours of emotional testimony. More than 20 supporters representing a mix of families who have lost loved ones to skiing accidents, injured skiers, consumer safety advocates, physicians and academic experts testified in support of Senate Bill 184, known as “Ski Area Safety Plans and Accident Reporting,” in Thursday’s hearing in front of the Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, which is chaired by Sen. Kerry Donovan, a Vail Democrat." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Backpacker is reporting that, "Wildlife officers shot and killed a grizzly bear last Friday after it fatally mauled a guide near Yellowstone National Park, Montana, wildlife officials said in a press release. The attack occurred on Thursday about three miles north of Yellowstone near Baker’s Hole campground. The victim, identified by his employer Backcountry Adventures as Carl Mock, called 911; according to the New York Times, when first responders arrived 50 minutes later, they found the bear still in the area. Emergency medical personnel transported Mock to Idaho Falls, where he underwent several surgeries before passing away from a “massive stroke” on Saturday morning." To read more, click here.

--A 22-year-old female climber was injured in a fall in South Dakota, but little else is know. To read more, click here.

--The North Face has unveiled the US Olympic Climbers uniforms. Check 'em out, here.

--Is it possible that the shelf-stable diet that many hikers and climbers eat could be so bad for us that it has  an effect on our arteries? It sounds like the answer is yes. One hiker had extreme adverse affects from a thru-hike of the Pacific Crest Trail. From Backpacker, "The tests however, revealed that his arteries had taken a turn for the worse. Heinbockel’s brachial artery flow-mediated dilation—a measure of how well the endothelial lining, a layer of cells on the inside of blood vessels, is functioning—had dropped by more than 25%, while his aortic stiffness had risen by 5%, changes associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. 'That degree of decrease might be what you expect to see, you know, over multiple decades of someone aging, and he experienced that in only 112 days.'" To read more, click here.

--Gripped is reporting that, "Yamnuska will be closed from May 21 to November 2021 so that Alberta Parks can improve the hiking trail. In 2020, a hiker died on the scree descent that has become popular for hikers and climbers to use on their way back to the parking lot." To read more, click here.

--So a rabid bobcat attacked a woman in her North Carolina yard. Her husband took care of it by grabbing the animal and throwing it across the yard. This is a crazy couple of wild animal seconds:

--And COVID has made it's way to Everest Basecamp. Not awesome.