Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 10/19/2023

Note: 

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Northwest:

--The Methow Valley News is reporting that, "restoration of grizzly bears to the North Cascades has moved closer to reality, with the release of a draft plan that details how the bears would be reintroduced and managed in an area that once supported a healthy population of grizzlies." To read more, click here.

--The Seattle Times is reporting that, "Seattle-founded REI cut 275 retail jobs, including 19 in Washington, as part of a broader plan to restructure stores. The layoffs affect 2% of the outdoor retailer’s workforce nationally.  The decision comes as the company is trying to change its brick-and-mortar business model said Mary-Farrell Tarbox, REI vice president of stores, in a memo to employees Thursday." To read more, click here.

The Seattle Times is reporting that, "This past summer, Hashimoto, a 52-year-old science teacher and running coach at Ellensburg High School, and Ernest-Beck, 23, a longtime neighbor of Hashimoto’s and a regular climbing partner, scaled the 100 tallest peaks in Washington state in 107 days — a prodigious mountaineering achievement." To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--The Access Fund and local climbers worked earlier this month to rehabilitate Lover's Leap after the wildfire decimated the area in 2021. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--Fox 5 is reporting that, "nearly four million people a year visit Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area on the westside of the Vegas Valley. Now there is a push to permanently protect more than 30,000 acres of land on the eastside of Las Vegas. Wednesday night, people came together at the East Las Vegas Library to lay out a path to establish the area as a new national monument." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--SnowBrains notes that the Arapahoe Basin CEO is teasing an unreleased master plan including a new gondola, new lifts and other expansions. To read more, click here.

--The NPS is reporting that, "Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) officially closed for the season to through travel.  Many popular driving destinations for this time of year include Bear Lake Road, Moraine Park, and Horseshoe Park on the east side of the park as well as the section of Trail Ridge Road along the Kawuneeche Valley on the west side of the park, are all open." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--An 18-year-old climber died in a strange accident in Alabama. It appears that something went wrong when cleaning a route on toprope. To read more, click here. Karsten Delap has done an excellent breakdown of what he thinks may have happened and how to avoid it. 

Denali

--AAI guide Will Gordon recently accepted the Mislow-Swanson Denali Pro Award for rescuing a skier that fell from Denali Pass above the team he was guiding. After rescues, Denali mountaineering rangers recognize climbers with a Denali Pro lapel pin for exemplary expedition behavior, such as protecting the mountain environment, assisting fellow climbers, and using good judgment to limit or eliminate injury. At the end of each season, mountaineering rangers collectively select a Mislow-Swanson Denali Pro Award winner from the pin recipients. This is the award that Will won. To read more about the award, click here.

--SnowBrains is reporting that, "in November 2020, Powder Magazine announced it would no longer offer a printed magazine. This news was met with dismay from skiers, readers, and photographers everywhere, as the magazine had become a staple of the industry since 1972. It was considered the publication that stoked the fire for the upcoming season. However, it may not have been a huge surprise, as keeping a publication alive in the digital era is hard. Nowadays, many consume their news through social media-delivered algorithms. Now, maybe even more surprising is the resurrection of a print edition of Powder. The 23/24 Photo Annual will be available online and at newsstands nationwide on November 3, 2023." To read more, click here.

--Speaking of awards, Gripped is reporting that, "George Lowe has received the 2023 lifetime achievement award from the Piolets d’Or. Among his many first ascents includes that of the north face of the North Twin in the Canadian Rockies." To read more, click here.