Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 6/9/22

Northwest:

--The Herald and News is reporting that, "One climber died and four more were injured while climbing Mt. Shasta on Monday in three separate incidents, while a fourth injury-incident occurred Tuesday. According to the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office, climbing guide Jillian Elizabeth Webster, 32, died after sliding 1,000 to 2,500 vertical feet through snow and ice while tethered to two other climbers." To read more, click here.

Mt. Hood

--USA Today is reporting that, "a male climber is lucky to be alive after losing his grip on his ice axe and plunging 600 feet while on his descent after summiting Mount Hood in Oregon." To read more, click here.

--A recent climbing festival in Skaha was extremely successful. Read about it, here.

Sierra:

--This is an older video that has recently started making the rounds on the internet. A bear is swimming in Yosemite when he gets sucked down a waterfall and into the rapids. The bear does survive this close call. Check out the video below, and read about it, here.

--The burn scar for the Caldor fire near Lake Tahoe is still smoldering after the winter season. This 

Desert Southwest:

--The AP is reporting that, "a popular hiking trail to an oasis in Joshua Tree National Park has been temporarily closed so bighorn sheep can get undisturbed access to water." The closure of the Fourtynine Palms Oasis Spring is closed due to extreme drought conditions. To read about it, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--After a period of closure, where the Park cleaned graffiti and fixed portions of the trail, Zion's Angels Landing Trail has reopened. To read more, click here.

Pride Month:

June is Pride Month for the LGBTQ community. We've noted several articles that celebrate the community that are worth sharing:

--What the Outdoor Rec Industry doesn’t get about LGBTQ Community

--How to Pride Outside - 2019 Article, some old but good info.

--Rock Warrior's Way Instructor and AAI Guide Lor Sabourin writes about the power of affinity spaces for the LGBTQ Community in climbing.

--Alex Johnson, professional climber, shares her coming out story, here.

--And of course, the biggest queer star in the outdoor sphere is Pattie Gonia. If you're not already following this outdoor activist/drag queen, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--A 48-year old climber died on Denali on Friday of a suspected heart attack. The climber died while attempting to summit and was near the Football Field at approximately 19,500-feet. To read more, click here.

--Though it's a bit of an advertisement, this is an excellent look at how the Outdoor Industry got to where it is on the outdoor tradeshow front.

--This is dumb. From Snowbrains: "Ski the East, a Facebook group with over 40k members and an online store selling ‘Ski the East’ merchandise, have sent Snowboard the East a Facebook group with over 15k members and an online store selling ‘Snowboard the East’ merchandise a cease and desist order for trademark infringement." To read more, click here.

--Carabiner News is reporting that, "a climber from Utah has been denied climbing Denali and fined $10,000 after making deceptive calls to get off a dangerous section of the Denali, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release to be rescued from the highest peak in North America. Dr. Jason Lance, 48, was fined by U.S. Judge Scott A. Oravec on Friday after pleading guilty to violating a lawful order during a crash investigation into the 2021 incident." To read more, click here.

--BCA is reporting that, "Backcountry Access (BCA), in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada, is issuing a voluntary recall of a small number of Tracker4 avalanche transceivers due to a switch plastics production issue." To read more, click here.

--Snowbrains is reporting that, "according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends 93% of their life indoors. 87% of their life is inside buildings, then another 6% of their life is in automobiles. That’s only 7% of your entire life outdoors. That’s only one half of one day per week outdoors." To read more, click here.

--Climbing is reporting that, "Clint Helander and August Franzen, both of Alaska, have made a massive first ascent on Mt. Hunter’s West Buttress, finding some of the most difficult mixed climbing either of them have experienced while alpine climbing. The 14,537-foot Mt. Hunter (which is often referred to by its Dena’ina name, Begguya), has a striking, golden rock buttress found to the south of its west ridge. As Helander noted, finding unclimbed lines in the central Alaska range is quite challenging, and when you do find such a feature, there is usually a good reason why." To read more, click here.