Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 11/18/21

Northwest:

--Snowbrains is reporting that, "Climate change has led numerous predictions to be made about the future of the skiing industry. An alarming study led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory reveals that there may not be enough snow to ski on Mount Hood in 50 years and that the Cascades may not have any snowpack by 2070." To read more, click here.

--A new movement in British Columbia aims to protect Mt. Waddington and to make it a non-motorized park in the Coast Range. To read about it, click here.

Sierra:

--Gripped is reporting that, "Brette Harrington has redpointed her El Capitan project with a tick of the 31-pitch El Corazon 5.13b. Harrington climbed with Elliott Bernhagen, who nearly sent the full route." To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--Climbing is reporting that, "Las Vegas lost a legend when Wendell Broussard, 81, passed away in mid-October. He was a lifelong adventurer, masterful storyteller, and mentor. Wendell was rugged at 6’4, yet elegant. For nearly 50 years, he worked nights as a dealer at Caesars Palace. By day, he was an architect of routes in Red Rock Canyon, with about 100 first ascents to his credit. But Wendell’s legacy is much more than that. He left a blueprint for a fulfilling life, demonstrating that the goal isn’t just to survive, but to thrive." Wendell always had a story to tell, and he'll be missed. To read more, click here.

--Somebody is leaving painted rocks all over Carlsbad Cavern National Park in New Mexico, and the Park Service would like this to stop. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

Lor Saburin climbing in Red River Gorge

Image from They/Them by Patagonia Films

--If you haven't watched the awesome film from Patagonia about the non-binary climber and AAI Guide, Lor Sabourin, then you should watch it now! A piece on the film and on Lor was recently posted by CNN. To read that, click here.

--Gear Junkie is reporting that, "Petzl has issued a recall for every Scorpio Eashook via ferrata lanyard delivered this year. The carabiner gates may stop automatically closing, making the system unsafe." To read more, click here.

--Peakrankings is reporting that, "a traditional ski resort staple is permanently disappearing from all Vail Resorts mountains. A source within the company has confirmed to PeakRankings that physical pocket trail maps will not be returning to Vail’s resorts after the company discontinued them for 2020-21 due to COVID. Instead, guests will be advised to pull up mountain guides on the EpicMix app or individual resort websites. The company says the choice not to reintroduce trail maps is an environmental one as part of its Commitment to Zero, with concerns about paper use and viable virtual alternatives spearheading the decision." To read more, click here.

--Wildfires are having a greater and greater impact on climbing. Check out the Access Fund blog on how the growing threat impacts the sport we love.

Prices for Single Day Walk-Up Lift Tickets are Obscene...

--The New York Times is reporting that, "In August 2018, Mark Lantis’s mother dropped him off at a trailhead at Yellowstone National Park to search for the buried treasure of an eccentric millionaire. But after going off trail and getting lost in the Wyoming backcountry, Mr. Lantis ended up in need of a helicopter airlift. He ultimately did not find the treasure, but he was charged with reckless disorderly conduct. After a hearing before a magistrate judge in 2019, Mr. Lantis was convicted and sentenced to five years of unsupervised probation. He was also banned for five years from Yellowstone National Park and ordered to pay a $2,880 fine to cover the cost of the rescue." It is the opinion of AAI's staff, that charging for rescue is always wrong. The reason? People may become afraid to call for help when they need it, or may hide from rescuers. To read more, click here.

--High Country News is reporting that, "despite knowing for years about widespread harassment across the agency and promising to take action, the National Park Service buried an internal study that shed new light on the problem, High Country News has confirmed. The Voices Tour Report, which was compiled in 2018, goes further than any past NPS report in describing how women, LGBTQ+ and Black, Indigenous and people of color are treated in the workplace and left unprotected by agency leadership. In early November, an employee leaked the report to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), which tipped HCN off." To read more, click here.

--Deadline is reporting that, "Tragedy struck in the Tibetan Himalayas on October 5, 1999, when an avalanche claimed the life of two Americans, including Alex Lowe, a mountaineer considered perhaps the foremost climber in the world. It was an incalculable loss for the climbing community, but something worse for the family Lowe left behind: wife Jennifer and their three young boys, Max, Sam and Isaac. Max, who grew up to be a filmmaker, attempts to come to terms with his father’s death and all that happened after it in the National Geographic documentary Torn." To read more, click here.