--This week Moosejaw Mountaineering will be giving away a Learn to Lead course! No purchase necessary. To be eligible for the give away, navigate to their website and enter your email. In addition to this give-away, we are giving away AAI t-shirts to random individuals on our Facebook page. If you'd like to be considered for this, head on over to our Facebook page and click on "like."Northwest:
--The nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) filed scoping comments with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on a potential Air Tour Management Plan Environmental Assessment, which will determine if sightseeing overflights should be continued, and if so, how they will be conducted in Mount Rainer National Park. The park is currently open to public comments. To read more, click here and here.
Sierra:
--Late last week Brian Ellis, a Southern California based climber, was killed in a rappelling accident in Yosemite. It appears that the team was descending the Sunset Ledge after completing the Serenity-Sons link up. Ellis was using the Reepschnur technique to descend. He was not rappelling on both lines, but was instead only rapping on the lead line when the system failed. To learn more about this accident, please click here.
--It appears that someone is "booby-trapping" the Pacific Crest Trail. Hikers going from Mexico to Canada encountered a "very scary" stretch of the trail near Tehachapi that had signs declaring it was rifle range and nail-studded booby traps embedded in the trail, a hiker told the Kern County Sheriff's Department. Scott Williams, 57, a former probation officer from Martinez, on Thursday gave sheriff's Sgt. Richard Wood one of the cement cylinders with nails sticking up that Williams said he took from the crest of the trail about eight miles southeast of Tehachapi. Wood said there have been some disputes about trail use, most concerning illegal off-road motorcycles and other vehicles. He said he asked a deputy and a Bureau of Land Management official to look into the latest issue. To read more, click here and here and here.
--With snow continuing to fall in the Eastern Sierra, what appeared to be a normal year for snow in the high country has started to inch toward record levels. Forecaster Dennis Mattinson reports that the 547 inches of snowfall at Mammoth Mountain puts this season at the third largest snowfall in the past 40 years. The legendary winter of 1968-69 no longer makes the 40 year cut off, so this season was beat out by the back to back epic winters of this century, when 570 inches of snow fell at Mammoth Mountain in 2004-2005, and 578 inches came down in 05-06. According to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area snowfall totals, this year even beat out the big El Nino season in 1982-83 by about a half of an inch. To read more, click here.
--At Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, visits went up 10% and so did revenue this season. The good news has turned up at most of the nations ski resorts. MMSA CEO Rusty Gregory said that Mammoth will end up with more than 1.25 million skier visits for the season. Gregory, who is Chairman of the National Ski Areas Association said that the association survey shows 59.7 million visits, the second best season ever according to preliminary results. The all-time record of 60.5 million visits happened in 2007-2008. To read more, click here.
Desert Southwest:
--There have been a spate of deaths in Zion National Park this year. Late in April there were three fatalities in one week. This was on top of a calender year that included a handful of additional deaths. To read more, click here.
--A controversial cross erected to honor American war dead in the Mojave National Preserve has been stolen after the US Supreme Court rejected calls for it to be removed, officials said Tuesday. The National Park Service confirmed that the seven-foot high symbol had been ripped down sometime on Sunday or Monday by thieves who cut through bolts attaching it to Sunrise Rock in the Mojave National Preserve. Park Service spokeswoman Linda Slater told AFP that authorities in California had kept the cross covered up with a wooden box during a long-running lawsuit where activists had sought to have it removed. To read more, click here.
Alaska:
--AAI Denali Team 1 is currently at 14,000 feet, planing their move to 17,000 feet. AAI Denali Team 2 will be flying onto the mountain on Sunday. To follow the teams progress, please click here.
--Hundreds of Denali climbers and scores of Talkeetna-area residents who don't have wells may find it tough to take a shower this summer. KTNA reports that the Mat-Su town's only public shower and laundry service closed for good over winter, and the Talkeetna Roadhouse's showers will soon be reserved for guests only. To read more, click here.
Himalaya:
Mount EverestPhoto by Guy Cotter
--Police are scouring a remote region in northern Nepal searching for an American woman who has been missing since last month when she failed to check in after a solo hike in the Himalayan mountains, an official said Wednesday. Aubrey Sacco, 23, of Greeley, Colorado, was reported missing by her family. She had arrived in the Langtang area in the northern region of Nepal in April for a trek that was to last just over a week. To read more, click here.
--This week marked the 20th anniversary of the American Everest-Lhotse Expedition. The trip marked the first American ascent of Lhotse. The American Alpine Club has posted a nice blog and video about the ascent. To read more, click here.
--First, it was Mount Everest and second, it's K2. One-armed climber Paul Hockey is currently planning an expedition to the mountain. The first person with a disability to conquer the north face of Mt Everest, Mr Hockey, 47, of Cairns, is now planning an assault on the world’s second highest summit. To read more, click here.
--Julia Roberts has agreed to produce a movie about the life of George Mallory. It appears that Shekhar Kapur will be directing the film. Kapur is well known for historical epics. He was the directoral mind behind Elizabeth, The Four Feathers and Elizabeth: The Golden Age. With such a heavy-hitter behind the film, it's likely to be quite good. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--The biggest news in the outdoor industry this week is that Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., the Salt Lake County-based developer and manufacturer of climbing and backcountry skiing equipment, has been sold for $90 million to Clarus Corp., an investor group in Stamford, Conn. Clarus also spent $45 million to acquire Gregory Mountain Products LLC, a Sacramento-based company whose specialization in technical backpacking and mountaineering products is expected to complement Black Diamond's gear for rock climbers, ice climbers, Alpinists and freeride skiers. To read more, click here and here and here.--A woman fell roughly 15 feet while climbing at Happy Hour Crag in Boulder Canyon on Saturday but was not seriously injured, according to the Sheriff's Office. The woman, who was identified as Katherine Turner, 45, of Louisville, fell shortly before 12:30 p.m. when she was lead climbing and her gear failed, said Boulder County Sheriff's Deputy Jason Shatek. To read more, click here.
--A museum celebrating the Appalachian Trail will open on June 5th at the Old Mill at Pine Grove Furnace State Park. The museum will be filled with historical displays and exhibits, as well as artifacts from pioneer thru-hikers. In addition to all that, there will be an area where kids can discover and experiment with outdoor skills. To read more, click here.
--Alpinist.com posted an article on the highlights of the 2009-2010 Patagonia season. To read the article, click here.
