Weather and Avalanche Advisory

Here's a SPECIAL weather and avalanche advisory for the next few days:

A major change in the weather pattern is underway in the Northwest Thursday and should persist through this weekend. Bluebird skies and high temperatures will significantly raise avalanche hazard Friday through the weekend on Mt Rainier.

If you are considering any climbing or skiing at or around Mt. Rainier, exercise extreme caution in avalanche terrain. Weather reports indicate that the current freezing level will rise above 14,000 feet, resulting in unstable conditions through the next few days.

Quick lesson: moisture from the snow surface will seep and lubricate layers further down in the snowpack, creating weakness as it percolates to the ground. Slopes 30 degrees or steeper on east through south through west aspects are of special concern. Do not assume that because the concern is wet-slab release that these avalanches will run slow or short.

If you are considering climbing the upper mountain, be advised that areas of the mountain have a full winter snowpack with significant wind-loaded slopes that are seeing their first transition cycle of the season. Areas such as the top of Disappointment Cleaver and Gibraltar Ledges are of special concern. Further down the mountain, the steep slope up to Panorama Point is also suspect due to its steep pitch and south-facing aspect.

Backcountry travelers should also avoid slopes below cornices or gullies and flat areas below avalanche run-out zones. Remember that boot or ski penetration of more than a few inches can indicate that snow is becoming significantly unstable on steep slopes. Finally, if you do plan on skiing or riding in the backcountry snow, please wax your skis to make your descent easier to reduce drag in sloppy conditions, and falls that may result in injury.*
*Portions of this advisory comes from the Point Forecast for Mt Rainier/NOAA and the Northwest Avalanche Center.

Breaking News -- Highway 20 Closed!!!

The American Alpine Institute office just received the following email from the Washington State Department of Transportation:

"State Route 20 (North Cascades Highway) is temporarily closed due to avalanche danger. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) reports that they have had one slide today. SR 20 will be closed through the weekend. WSDOT will reassess the situation on Monday.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades

Note: The Highway crews will make sure everyone is out along SR20 and then they will close their gates at M.P. 134 (Ross Dam Trailhead) and at M.P. 171"

Update (2:00 p.m.)

Our director just got off the phone with an individual at the WDOT who stated that there are active slides right now. At least one slide came down Liberty Bell 2 at the hairpin and covered at least part of the road. They are currently trying to get all climbers and skiers out so that they can close the road for the weekend.

Party at the Paradise Inn

The Paradise Inn is reopening on May 16 after a two-year $22 million dollar renovation. Whoohoo! The renovation--completed by Watts Korsmo Joint Venture--stabilized the 92-year-old building and corrected structural issues while preserving its historic ambiance. One example is that the inn is now wheelchair-accessible, but there are many improvements like the main dining area and lobby, which have new hardwood floors and are "leveled."

There will be all sorts of festivities on the 16th, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony (3 p.m.), tours (1 and 4 p.m.), and speeches by Washington State Congressmen Dave Reichert and Norm Dicks as well as NPS Pacific West Regional Director, Jon Jarvis (who has summited Mount Rainier twice as a Superintendent). Coffee and cake will be served after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Mmmm, cake.) So head on up to Paradise and join the fun. (Photo: Paradise Inn, 1920s-30s)

For an inside scoop on the construction (complete with skeletons), check out our post from March.

Climbing News from Here and Abroad -- May 15, 2008

NORTHWEST:

--It's supposed to get really hot this weekend. And there is still a lot of snow in the mountains. You know what a lot of snow plus a lot of sun equals...a lot of avalanches! The WDOT put out an avalanche warning about driving over Washington Pass. They didn't put anything out about climbing or skiing, but you can be sure that it's going to be a dangerous weekend. Keep your eyes open!

--It's Bear Awareness Week! Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire signed a proclamation stating that the week of May 12-18 is devoted to increasing the awareness of the black and grizzly bears of Washington. To read the article, click here.

--A 26 year-old woman fell nearly 30 feet into a crevasse last week while skiing the Spearhead Traverse in British Columbia. The unnamed woman spent four and a half hours at the bottom of the crevasse waiting for Search and Rescue to extract her. To read the story, click here.

--In a related story, there was an impressive rescue on Mount Rainier on May 4th. A climber descending toward the base of the Wilson Headwall fell into a crevasse headfirst and became wedged 120 feet down. After pulling the climber from the crevasse, the SAR team evacuated him on a helicopter. Even though he fell over 100 feet, the climber had only minor injuries. To learn about our crevasse rescue training courses, click here.


SOUTHWEST:

--Mydesert.com, a news site which focuses on the Palm Springs area, has a very interesting article about coyotes attacking human beings. Apparently attacks on children and pets are on the rise in the desert southwest. To read more about this phenomenon, click here.


ALASKA:


--A French team recently repeated the testpiece Southeast Face of Mount Dickey. This 30+ pitch route has only seen two previous ascents. The first was in 1974 and the second was in 2003. The 2003 ascent included former AAI guide, Steve House. To read more, click here.

--Bat's Ears peak, a beautiful 11,044 foot mountain found to the southwest of Mount Foraker, saw a first ascent this month. This was believed to be the tallest unclimbed peak in the range. To read about the ascent, click here.

--AAI Denali Team 2 is currently at the 11,000 foot camp. To read more dispatches, click here.


NOTES FROM ALL OVER:

--The Olympic Torch summitted Mount Everest last week with a group of Chinese and Tibetan climbers. Once this event was finally completed, climbers on the South Side of the mountain -- which were banned from going above Camp II until May 10th -- were allowed to continue their summit efforts. The spring climbing window is closing quickly so most teams on the mountain are now pushing hard to get high fast. To read about this click here.

--AAI guide, Andy Bourne, was interviewed on CNN on Monday. Andy has run climbing trips to the Sichuan province of China on a number of occasions. A massive earthquake recently rocked that part of the world. CNN found our China Expedition webpage and contacted us to find a person who could comment on the area.

--It looks like the mountains are raining boulders down into the city of Jackson Hole. A home and a truck were both destroyed when a giant boulder sheered off of East Gros Ventre Butte on Saturday. To read the story, click here.

--A group of boulderers showed up in Belgrade, Serbia for the Bouldering World Cup series to find that their bouldering walls weren't up yet. They were greeted by semi-constructed walls, no officials and no way to complete their competition. Boulderers unorganized? Amazing! To read the story, click here.

--Five American climbers are headed to Pakistan on June 11 to climb Broad Peak and K2. Two members of the expedition intend to ski both the West Ridge of Broad Peak and the South/Southeast Spur of K2. To read more about this incredible expedition, click here.

--A lot of people are getting psyched up for climbing in the Eastern Sierra. Over at supertopo.com, they've been having a great discussion about the town of Bishop. It is a unique and beautiful place. To read what they're saying about it, click here.

--A new route was recently completed on the west face of Aconcagua. With 5.10+ climbing at over 20,000 feet, the route is no joke. To read about it, click here.

--The Melloblocco Climbers Festival took place last week. This festival, which is located in Val Masino, Italy, is perhaps the largest climbing festival in the world. The small Italian town saw over four thousand climbers during the festival. To read more, click here.

--With all the concerns about chemicals in water bottles, quite a few have probably gone in the trash. There are numerous ways to recycle these bottles, but perhaps the most creative is on the Climbing magazine website. Aparently it is possible to turn them into solar lanterns. To read more, click here.

AAI May Photo Contest

Be sure to check out AAI's May Photo Contest - vote for your favorite, then enter your own photo to win some cash for gear or courses. First place gets $100 for trips or gear, second place gets $75, and the third place winner walks away with $50.

Here are some examples of previous winning photos:


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