Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 9/1/2022

Northwest:

--CNN is reporting that, "a Canadian climber fell to his death in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state earlier this week, officials said Thursday. Chun Hui Zhang, 52, died Monday while he was descending the Disappointment Cleaver route on Mount Rainier, park officials said in a news release." To read more, click here.

--KOIN 6 is reporting that, "The eyebrow-raising name of Swastika Mountain, located outside Cottage Grove in Lane County, will soon be changed. The Oregon Geographic Names Board confirmed Wednesday that the mountain’s name, which refers to a symbol the German Nazi Party used to identify itself or the Southeast Asian symbol of good luck or spirituality, will be changed." To read more, click here.

--The wildly popular Banana Peel (II, 5.7) in Squamish is falling apart. There are currently at least two precariously stacked blocks. To read about it, click here.

Sierra:

--The Los Angeles Times is reporting that, "a well-known professional rock climber from California has been arrested after being accused of sexual assault in Yosemite National Park, according to authorities. Charles Barrett, 38, was charged with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact, according to a three-count indictment released Tuesday by the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of California. Barrett was arrested Monday at the Mono County Courthouse in Bridgeport, Calif. and is in custody at the Fresno County Jail, said Lauren Horwood, public information officer for the U.S. attorney’s office. A detention hearing is scheduled for Friday." Barrett is also a well-known guidebook author.  His responsible for the books Bishop Bouldering, Tuolumne Meadows Bouldering, and Mammoth bouldering. To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--NBC News is reporting that, "the body of a hiker who vanished during a flash flood in Utah’s Zion National Park last week was found Monday, officials said Tuesday. Jetal Agnihotri, 29, was found in the Virgin River near Court of the Patriarchs, a group of sandstone cliffs in a southeast section of the park, the National Park Service said in a news release." To read more, click here.

--Climbing is reporting that, "on Wednesday, August 24, Utah’s Attorney General Sean Reyes—backed by a powerful coalition of the state’s conservative powerbrokers—sued the Biden Administration over its restoration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. Utah argues that the size of the monuments, which together amount to some 3.2 million acres, contradicts the Antiquities Act of 1906 and constitutes “abusive federal overreach.” The attorney general also says that the protections afforded by monument status are, paradoxically, having a negative effect on both the environment and tribal access to important cultural sites, and that only by repealing the monument status and coming to a “congressional solution” can the land be properly protected." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--News Channel 3 is reporting that, "New Hampshire Fish and Game officials said a man from Plymouth suffered serious injuries when he fell from the Echo Crags in Franconia Monday night." To read more, click here.

--Unofficial Networks has a great article on why the National Ski Patrol is in disarray. To read the piece, click here.

--Outside is reporting that, "Vail Resorts dropped opening dates on Tuesday at all of its North American ski areas, plus a little surprise: Daily lift ticket sales will be capped for the 2022-23 season in an effort to cut down on crowding on the mountains. The move comes a year after the international ski giant received an avalanche of criticism for overcrowding, a shortage of employees, and delays around terrain opening at some of its resorts." To read more, click here.

--This drone video from Mt. Everest is insanely good: