Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 1/4/2024

Northwest:

--As the photo below shows, it's been a dire time in the PNW for snow. There is a fair bit of snow above 6000-feet, but most of our resorts are below that. Thankfully, there is snow in the forecast for the next several days.

Mt. Baker Ski Area on December 30th.

Desert Southwest:

--There was a very close call at FunShip Crag in Sedona last week. It appears that the anchor bolts on a line blew under bodyweight when an individual was about to be lowered. The top clip held, keeping the person from being seriously injured. For more info, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--Outside is reporting on some serious changes that may be taking place at Powder Mountain: "The beloved community-minded ski area with over 8,000 acres of terrain announced that it will be moving to a hybrid business model of both public and private slopes for the 2024-2025 season. New Powder Mountain owner and Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, who bought a majority share of the ski area earlier this year, shared a December 10 blog post outlining the new plan and why the 50-year-old ski area would be going down this path." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:
--We don't tend to follow much news on this blog outside North America, but we thought this was interesting. From SnowBrains: "Following the tragic avalanche in the Mont Blanc massif, France, that claimed the lives of a British mother and son on Thursday, December 28th, 2023, authorities have launched a manslaughter investigation. The police are actively searching for two backcountry skiers believed to have possibly triggered the fatal avalanche." To read more, click here.

--Looks like Moab is getting a climbing gym.

Notes from All Over:

--From the Bozeman Daily Chronicle: "Gallatin County Sheriff Search & Rescue made its first rescue of a backcountry skier this winter season this past Friday, when volunteers aided a skier out of Beehive Basin. The skier had hit a rock and injured her ankle, which left her unable to ski out of the popular backcountry skiing area northwest of Big Sky Resort, according to a press release." To read more, click here.

--A skier fell out of a chairlift in New Hampshire at the Gunstock Resort.

Upcoming American Alpine Institute Programs:

Denali

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Winter Mountaineering and Ice Climbing in Ouray

Avalanche Programs in Washington