Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 4/27/2023

Northwest:

--Gripped is reporting that, "an 11-year-old boy is recovering in hospital after taking a 40-foot fall while climbing at Smith Rock. A fundraiser has been organized by friends of the family to help cover medical costs." To read more, click here.

--Footwear News is reporting that, "After 20 years of business, REI confirmed it will close its downtown Portland, Ore., location in early 2024 amid increased crime in the store’s Pearl District neighborhood. In a statement emailed to FN on Tuesday, an REI Co-op representative confirmed the closure and stated that the decision 'does not reflect the hard work and dedication of our Portland team, nor the overall health of the co-op.'" To read more, click here.

--In other REI news from Footwear News: "REI has released its latest Impact Report and financials results for 2022, closing the year with a record $3.85 billion in sales and distributing $323 million back to the co-op community." To read more, click here.

--From Wild Olympics: "Today the Wild Olympics Coalition cheered the Earth Day reintroduction of the Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act sponsored by Senator Patty Murray and Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA-06). With a strong foundation of broad local support and the steadfast efforts of the two Congressional leaders, the bill has made steady progress each successive Congress. Last year the bill passed the House with bipartisan support and advanced farther than ever before in the Senate. The Wild Olympics legislation would permanently protect more than 126,500 acres of Olympic National Forest as wilderness and 19 rivers and their major tributaries – a total of 464 river miles – as Wild and Scenic Rivers. Designed through extensive community input to protect ancient forests and salmon streams and enhance outdoor recreation, the legislation would designate the first new wilderness in the Olympic National Forest in nearly four decades and the first-ever protected wild and scenic rivers on the Olympic Peninsula." To read more, click here.

Mt. Hood

--If you plan to climb Mt. Hood in 2024, you'll have to buy a permit. Check it out.

Sierra:

--Gripped is reporting on an ascent that included AAI Guide Tad McCrea: "a new Alps-like alpine mixed route has been climbed on the east northeast face of Mount Morrison in California called Troll Toll, it goes at M5 over 600 metres. The peak is found in the Sierra Nevada, and this is now one of the hardest routes to date. It was climbed by Jack Cramer, Tad McCrea, Vitaliy Musienko up a line of granite, ice and snow. Morrison is often called the Eiger of the Sierra due to its size, rock quality and difficult routes. Few climbers venture here." To read more, click here.

--Unfortunately, several roads were damaged in Inyo National Forest this winter and will be closed. To see a list, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--From Ski magazine: "Former Olympic racer and iconic big mountain skier Jeremy Nobis was found unresponsive in his Cedar City, Utah jail cell on April 19. The 52-year-old was awaiting sentencing on his latest DUI charge, the most recent in a string of drunk-driving offenses that he racked up across Utah, Colorado, and Idaho dating back to 2006. Although he lost his way over the last decade and a half, Nobis will be remembered as one of the best big mountain skiers of all time." To read more, click here.

--Summit Daily is reporting that, "A Flight for Life helicopter spared Summit County Rescue Group volunteers an hours-long rescue Sunday, April 23, when it changed course to assist with the rescue of an injured skier on Quandary Peak. The helicopter was on its way to Colorado Springs to run an errand when the 911 call for a skier with a possible head injury came in around 10:30 a.m., Summit County Rescue Group member and spokesperson Anna DeBattiste said. The skier was airlifted to a hospital in Denver to be treated for his injuries." To read more, click here.

--Some campgrounds that have historically opened in Colorado around this time of the year, will be delayed in opening due to snow. Read more.

--So this is weird. Hikers are apparently losing their shoes in the Colorado snowpack, which has resulted in rescues. Read about it, here.

Notes from All Over:

--Google Maps is updating its features for National Parks.

--A new survey of National Parks employees indicates very low job satisfaction. "According to survey results, national parks ranked 371 out of 432 government agencies in 2022 – or in the bottom 15 percentile. Those numbers were essentially flat compared to 2021 and 2020 survey results." Check out an article about this at Backpacker.

-- Backpacker is reporting that, "two people are facing charges for allegedly selling drugs to thru-hikers along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, law enforcement says. The Macon County Sheriff’s Office said that it had arrested Bobbie Anne Drelick and Ioan Edward Craia after receiving a tip, which led officials to a van in the Rock Gap, North Carolina area. After searching the van with a drug-sniffing dog, deputies found 5.56 pounds of marijuana, 8.78 ounces of psilocybin, 8 doses of LSD, and 10 grams of THC wax resin." To read more, click here.

--The Climbing Business Journal is reporting that, "Movement Climbing, Yoga and Fitness, the largest nationwide community of indoor climbing gyms, today announced they have acquired four of Summit Climbing, Yoga and Fitness Gyms’ locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. The newly acquired facilities will build on Movement’s existing presence in Dallasand bring world-class rock climbing, bouldering, yoga, and a variety of fitness activities including classes, cardio, and weightlifting to an even larger group of residents." To read more, click here.

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 4/20/2023

Northwest:

--The dangerous block on the mega classic Banana Peel (II+, 5.7) in Squamish has been removed. Reportedly, this route is good to go. 

--Gripped is reporting that, "The Chief has been the scene of a number of rockfalls over the past few year, and while the most recent this week isn’t the biggest, it was still significant. It fell from the right side of Sheriff’s Badge." To read more, click here.

--Jack Kuenzle just crushed the previous speed record on Mt. Shasta. From SnowBrains: "Starting at Bunny Flats at 6,880′, the route featured 7,602′ of climbing over two and a half hours to the summit of 14,162 foot Mount Shasta. Kuenzle took two hours and four minutes to the summit and just 26 minutes to descend the same route." To read more, click here.

--Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest will have several prescribed fires in the Mt. Baker district in the coming weeks. 

Sierra:

--From the Nevada Current: "A Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist who sued Lake Tahoe bear activists for allegedly mounting a “vicious and calculated effort to damage his reputation and jeopardize his employment” is now on the hook for more than $150,000 in legal fees, costs, and damages. Judge Connie H. Steinheimer ruled last week against NDOW official Carl Lackey, who filed a lawsuit in 2017 against Carolyn Stark and Mark Smith, who administer the Facebook page NDOW Watch: Keeping them transparent. Lackey sued Stark and Smith for comments posted on the page by others about Lackey’s approach to bear management." To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--The reopening of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon has been delayed due to snow. To read more, click here.

--8 News Now is reporting that, "The recent warmer weather is great for walking or hiking around the Las Vegas valley but you do need to be aware as the temperature rises so does rattlesnake activity. Red Rock Canyon posted on social media that rattlesnakes were spotted around the visitor center." To read more, click here.

Calico Peaks in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

--KTNV is reporting that, " If you've been out to Red Rock Canyon recently, you've probably noticed a lot more greenery than usual. A local land and water specialist tells Channel 13 cloud seeding may be part of the reason why." To read more, click here.

--News Channel 3 is reporting that, "Two people suspected of breaking into multiple vehicles in Joshua Tree in March were later spotted using stolen credit cards at the Palm Desert Walmart, authorities said. The thefts were reported at around 5:00 p.m. on March 8 at the Hemingway Parking Lot. There was no word on how many cars were broken into." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--Powder is reporting that, "Powder Mountain, UT flies under-the-radar compared to the popular resorts in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, but it's actually the largest ski resort by acreage on the entire continent. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Netflix Co-Founder and former CO-CEO Reed Hastings has purchased a significant stake in Powder Mountain for an undisclosed amount. Keep reading below for more details." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--A climber was seriously injured after suffering a fall in New York's Chapel Pond area in the Keene Valley. To learn more, click here.

--FN 5 is reporting that, "more REI stores across the U.S. are looking to unionize their workplaces, joining a growing wave of similar efforts across the chain in recent months." To read more, click here.

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 4/12/2023

Northwest:

--An injured climber was rescued near Penticton at the Skaha Bluffs on Sunday. At this time there is limited information available on this.

--My Northwest is reporting that, "A male wolf wandered into Klickitat County in southwestern Washington and now has a female companion, creating the region’s first wolf pack in a century, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Known as the Big Muddy Pack, named after its recorded territory being near Big Muddy Creek, the two wolves were enough to meet the minimum requirements to be recognized as a pack, and a new litter of pups is expected from the pair. According to WDFW, wolf pups are typically born in late April or early May." To read more, click here.

--This is happening all over the country:

--The Department of Justice is reporting that, "Richard Russell Kersten, 36, of McCall, Idaho, was sentenced to one month in federal prison for illegally harvesting timber from national forest lands, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced today. In addition, Kersten was ordered to pay the government $8,000 in restitution and banned from entering all National Forest System lands for a period of three years." To read more, click here.

Sierra:

 --KTLA 5 is reporting that, "a 27-year-old San Marino woman who was reported missing earlier in the week on Mount Whitney was found dead Tuesday, according to the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office. Dongying “Cindy” Qiu is seen in a photo released by the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office. Cindy” Qiu’s body was discovered Tuesday at the base of a frozen waterfall near Outpost Camp, the office said in a Facebook post. She apparently fell about 60 feet through a snow chute at the top of the waterfall, approximately a quarter mile off trail." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--SnowBrains is reporting that, "An avalanche on a closed run at Snowmass ski area in Colorado yesterday prompted a search and rescue mission involving a team of ski patrollers and four avalanche dogs. No individuals were found, and nobody has been reported missing." To read more, click here.

--The Colorado Sun is reporting that, "roughly six months after Winter Park ski area held a foundation-laying ceremony for its latest big project, it’s preparing to begin construction of new, on-site employee housing about 100 yards from the Cabriolet lift, which accesses the mountain’s main base area and thousands of acres of skiable and bikeable terrain. In doing so, it will join a host of resorts offering on-site employee housing in Colorado and turn critical problems central to most ski towns — where to house workers and how to build density in the mountains — into a modular construction blueprint that other resorts may follow." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Our director recently took on the Protect America's Rock Climbing Act in an article for Cascadia Daily News.

--Gripped is reporting that, "Matt Cornell, Jackson Marvell and Alan Rousseau have established a route up the east face of Mount Dickey on Alaska’s Ruth Glacier. The bold new route is called Aim for the Bushes, a reference to a scene in the Hollywood movie The Other Guys. Cornell, Marvell and Rousseau spent three days on the bold 1,600-metre AI6 M6X. It climbs next to Snowpatrol, which was first climbed in 2004 by Andy Sharpe and Sam Chinnery at VI WI5+. They descended from the summit to base camp in under three hours." To read more, click here.