Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 9/2/21

Northwest:

--This is a very cool report of a first ascent on the Mt. Challenger Massif, wayyyyy back there. 

--Gripped is reporting that, "a new five-pitch 5.10b traverse called Forgive My Trespass has been added to the Papoose in Squamish. Established this year by John Howe and Penny Cooper, the line adds a cool adventure to one of Howe Sound’s lesser-visited granite walls." To read more, click here.

Mt. Baker at Sunrise on September 1st.

Sierra:

--Beta and many others are reporting that, "a confluence of factors lead to the decision on Monday to temporarily close all National Forests in Region 5, effectively the entire state of California. The state’s firefighting resources are overwhelmingly occupied with several fires already burning, and adding more fires to their list could be devastating." To read more, click here.

UPDATE - Every National Forest in California is closed!

--Ski is reporting that, "the fast-moving Caldor wildfire that has burned over 150,000 acres in California’s El Dorado County over the last two weeks made its way into the Lake Tahoe Basin over the weekend. Images from Sunday show the blaze nipping at structures and chairlifts at Sierra at Tahoe ski resort, 12 miles from the town of South Lake Tahoe, where evacuations were ordered overnight as the wind-fueled wildfire advanced." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--Climbing is reporting on a catastrophic anchor failure: "One climber is dead and another seriously injured following an accident on Thursday, August 26 in Eldorado Canyon, Colorado. The two climbers fell over 100 feet—still roped together—while climbing the Wind Tower formation. According to a press release from Boulder County, the surviving climber was in his 20s, while the deceased was in his 30s." To read more, click here.

--The Adventure Journal is reporting that, "Gate Ninety-Nine 90, a popular access point for sidecountry skiing at Utah’s Park City Resort, has been permanently closed. Last winter, two skiers were killed there in two separate incidents, and, after much deliberation, the resort decided that was quite enough, and closed the easy and obvious entry point, right off the Ninety-Nine 90 lift." To read more, click here.

--Ski is reporting that, "Telluride Ski Resort is the first U.S. ski area to bundle accident insurance with its lift tickets, but according to Spot CEO Matt Randall, it won’t be the last. Spot partnered with Powder Mountain last season to provide complimentary insurance on its season passes (you can add it onto lift tickets for $5/day), and Randall says that the Austin-based healthcare startup hopes to be available to more skiers through lift tickets and season passes in the coming seasons." To read more, click here.

--Maury Birdwell just made the fastest known ascent car-to-car on the Diamond on Longs Peak. The free-soloist clocked the round-trip at 3:26, so fast...the ranger in the parking lot didn't believe him. Read about it, here.

Notes from All Over:

--Rochester First is reporting that, "A woman was killed in a climbing accident at a North Carolina state park on Monday afternoon, authorities have confirmed. The woman, a 30-year-old resident of Durham, was climbing at Pilot Mountain State Park when she fell 90 feet to the ground, said Kevin Key, of Surry County Emergency Services." To read more, click here.

--A mountain lion attacked a kid near Malibu last week. From Huffpost: "A California mom saved her 5-year-old son’s life when she repeatedly 'punched' a mountain lion mauling the boy in the front yard of their home in Los Angeles County. The 65-pound juvenile big cat was killed later Thursday by wildlife wardens on the family’s property between Calabasas and Malibu. The boy was dragged by the mountain lion about 45 yards and suffered significant trauma to his head and upper body, but was in stable condition at a Los Angeles hospital on Saturday." To read more, click here.

--Axios is reporting that "President Biden will nominate Charles F. Sams III to be the next director of the National Park Service, where, if confirmed by the Senate, he'll face the growing toll of global warming on the U.S. iconic park system, the White House stated Wednesday. Why it matters: Sams is of Native American heritage, and the Park Service has never been led by an enrolled tribal member before. In addition, the Park Service has not had a Senate-confirmed leader since the Obama administration, with four people serving in that role in an acting capacity during the Trump administration." To read more, click here.

--TV Insider is reporting that, "Alex Honnold is climbing again, this time for a Disney+ docuseries from National Geographic. The streaming service has greenlighted the three-part On the Edge with Alex Honnold with the subject of the Oscar-winning Free Solo. It sees him embark on a lifelong dream: an epic climbing quest across the remotest and toughest walls and peaks of Greenland." To read more, click here.

--Vail Resorts has announced the opening dates for all of its resorts.