Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 3/24/22

Northwest:

--Luke Wilhelm, a respected and loved climbing guide, died in an personal climbing accident on Colonial Peak earlier this month. Climbing posted a very nice obituary and you should read the whole thing, but here's a highlight: "Luke, who was living in Bellingham, Washington, was a mountaineering guide for Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (RMI), out of Ashford, Washington. He found home wherever the next skiing, climbing, alpine objective, or hammock spot was. This past year one of Luke’s clients, Tim Morris, requested a special commendation (which he termed a Medal of Honor) from RMI for him, writing: 'Luke’s ever-positive attitude, patience, and genuine servant’s-heart is observable without exception, while consistently maintaining leadership candor and decorum, ranking him as exemplary among his peers and reflecting great credit upon himself, RMI, and the Guided Mountaineering Industry as a whole.'" To read about Luke, click here.

--The National Parks Traveler is reporting that, "Past problems with flooding have the National Park Service at North Cascades National Park proposing to relocate the Graybeal Hiker and Stock camps along the Brush Creek Trail. There's also a need to construct additional backcountry camp accommodations for the Pacific Crest Trail long-distance permit holders along the Bridge Creek Trail. The Graybeal Hiker and Stock camps were hit by flooding from Brush Creek in 2003, 2006, and 2017. Moving campsites out of the floodplain zone prevents further damage to the camp sites and eliminates entanglement with this natural process, the Park Service said in explaining the need to relocate the camps. Capacity at these camps will remain the same." To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--Snowbrains is reporting that, "Another large boulder fell off of Echo Summit Wednesday morning and crashed down onto the Highway 50 mountain pass in El Dorado County, blocking traffic in both directions, the California Highway Patrol reported. The six-foot-high boulder fell off the summit shortly after 8am." To read more, click here.

--Gear Junkie is reporting that, "As concern over Yosemite Valley’s increasing traffic problem mounts and construction projects pile up, park officials responded with a new permit system. From May 20 to Sep. 30, 2022, everyone visiting Yosemite from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. will need to make an online reservation. A few notable exceptions to the new system exist (more on that later)." To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--Jared Leto, an A-list Hollywood actor, has opened up about a near-death experience he had while climbing with Alex Honnold, in Red Rock Canyon. To read about it, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--SnowBrains is reporting that, "At around 3:00 pm on March 17, 2022, a solo backcountry snowboarder was caught, buried, and killed in an avalanche south of Trout Lake, 13 miles south of Telluride, CO, in the North San Juan Mountain Forecast zone." To read more, click here. Here's a bit more info.

--Steamboat Pilot and Today is reporting that, "Avalanche conditions in the Steamboat and Flat Tops region were forecasted as moderate on Saturday, March 19, when a backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche east of Steamboat Springs. The skier who died after being caught in the slide was identified as Andrew Hyde, 49, of Steamboat Springs by Routt County Undersheriff Doug Scherar on Sunday, March 20." To read more, click here.

--The Outside Business Journal is reporting that, "After five years in Denver, Outdoor Retailer (OR) is bidding farewell to Colorado and striking out once more for Utah. Show organizers today confirmed that the trade show will relocate to Salt Lake City—its former home—in January 2023 when its current five-year contract with the City of Denver expires. The show will stage in Utah at least through the end of 2025. Show director Marisa Nicholson told Outside Business Journal that the decision comes after more than 18 months of discussions with OR attendees and exhibitors." To read more, click here.

--Science News is reporting that, "Castleton Tower and its peers may appear still. But these soaring geologic structures are in constant motion, vibrating in response to earthquakes, human activity and even distant ocean waves. The same goes for fins, rock formations that are irregularly shaped instead of cylindrical or rectangular like towers, says geophysicist Riley Finnegan of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The seismometers measure how much the towers and fins naturally vibrate. Those data are key to assessing the formations’ stability and could even help researchers search the rocks for possible signs of seismic activity in the distant past." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--The Times Union is reporting on a death in the Adorandacks: "State Police are investigating whether a man found dead last week under 4 feet of snow on Mount Colden was involved in an avalanche at the notorious Trap Dike. After a three-day search involving 27 state Department of Environmental Conservation forest rangers, search team members discovered the body last Friday of Thomas Howard, 63, of Westport, Conn. “partway up” the Trap Dike route to Colden in the High Peaks Wilderness Area, said a DEC spokesperson on Tuesday." To read more, click here.

--UK Climbing is reporting that, "a Ukrainian guiding company has announced that it will not accept Russian clients, while mountaineers worldwide are calling for a blanket ban on Russian expeditions and clients this upcoming season - and potentially beyond." To read more, click here.