Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 8/1/2024

Northwest:

--Cascadia Daily News is reporting that, "Campers in Washington’s state parks will soon find themselves unable to stay in one site quite as long. New rules approved by the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission limit camping stays to no more than 10 consecutive nights in one park in a 30-day period and a maximum of 90 days per calendar year in all state parks. The new limits go into effect Aug. 18 and will apply year-round. The parks system will honor existing reservations and enforce limits on new reservations after Aug. 18." To read more, click here.

--The Wilderness Act was one of America's most important pieces of outdoor legislation. Our Executive Director writes about it in this article...

Desert Southwest:

--The Daily Press is reporting that, "A recent poll revealed Joshua Tree National Park as the top choice by Californians to spread the ashes of dearly departed loved ones. A survey by Choice Mutual, an insurance agency specializing in final expense life insurance, found that Californians chose Joshua Tree National Park as a preferred alternative burial location." To read more, click here.

Colorado and Utah:

--KOAA News 5 is reporting that, "A climber died after they fell while attempting to summit two 14ers in southwest Colorado. The Dolores County Sheriff's Office said it was notified around 9:30 p.m. Monday about an overdue climber who was attempting to climb El Diente and follow the traverse to climb Mount Wilson — two of Colorado's 14ers. Due to the darkness, terrain and unknown location, the county's Search and Rescue (SAR) team postponed search efforts until Tuesday." To read more, click here.

--Fox 21 is reporting that, "Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue successfully rescued an injured adventurer Saturday who had fallen while descending from Ellingwood Point on Friday. The volunteer search and rescue team said the hiker called for help because he was off-route and knew he couldn’t continue due to his injury and the terrain. The Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue team began the process of deploying teams, but severe afternoon storms were covering Blanca Peak, causing a delay in a helicopter insertion." To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Colleen Null, an 18-year-old volunteer firefighter is being hailed as a hero for leading 16 hikers out of the flames in Canada's Jasper National Park. Read more.

--CBS News is reporting that, "a hydrothermal explosion took place at Yellowstone National Park's Biscuit Basin in northwest Wyoming (last) Tuesday morning, sending boiling water and steam into the air and causing some damage to a boardwalk, officials said. The small, localized eruption occurred at 10:19 a.m. local time near the Sapphire Pool, which is about two miles northwest of the Old Faithful Geyser, the National Park Service said." To read more, click here.

--The Daily is reporting on weaker sales by Columbia Sportswear: "Columbia reported net sales of $570 million for the quarter, an 8% decrease year over year. The company had a net loss of $11.8 million compared to net income of $8.4 million for the same quarter in 2023. Gross margins fell from 50.6% in the second quarter of 2023 to 47.9% in 2024, and lower supply chain costs helped drive SG&A down by 3% in the quarter." To read more, click here.

--Outdoor Sportswire is reporting that, "the Camber Outdoors board and leadership have made the difficult decision to cease Camber operations late August 2024 due to continued industry headwinds combined with the fact that outdoor industry companies are moving beyond the focused workplace tools that Camber Outdoors traditionally has provided. While DEI work is by no means complete, the outdoor industry has made gains and progressed with more companies bringing DEI resources in house and investing in national, regional and local DEI consultants. Camber Outdoors is proud to have helped move this work forward in the industry." To read more, click here.

Upcoming American Alpine Institute Programs:

Mountaineering in Ecuador
Kilimanjaro Expedition
Alpine Mountaineering and Technical Leadership
Alpinism I: Introduction to Mountaineering
Glacier Skills and Crevasse Rescue
Mt. Baker Skills and Climb
Mt. Shuksan Skills and Climb
Mt. Whitney Skills and Climb
Alpine Rock Climbing