RED ROCK CANYON: --Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.
--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.
--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest Ice Conditions may be found here.
--Christmas Day morning was the last real day of snow in the Pacific Northwest. Since that time, the snow has melted in the lowlands. The highlands are still covered in the white stuff. People have been getting out. However, most climbers have headed north to climbs in Canada. These guys stayed in Washington and climbed Fugs Falls. This party went up to Hope and climbed Cool Pools. And this party also made the trip up north to climb Family Man.
--The snow in the Northwest is still pretty heavy and a lot of people have been concerned about getting out. While most have stuck to the lifts, a few have gone to the backcountry. This guy skied Roof Peak.
SIERRA:
--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.
--The Alaska season is over until April of 2009, but we are already in the process of gearing up for it. We are now accepting applications for our 2009 Denali expeditions.
Surprisingly, most climbers don't know the names of the different parts of a carabiner. In addition to that, many climbers are unframiliar with the strengths and weaknesses of this tool. This knowledge may be very helpful to an individual in both instructional and real world settings.A -- The Nose
B -- The Gate
C -- The Basket D -- The Spine E -- The Crotch
On the spine of a carabiner there are a series of numbers with a kN next to them. kN stands for kilonewton. A kilonewton is a measure of force, not weight; but for the lay person who is not a physicist, the best way to understand this measurement is to equate it to pounds. In other words, a kilonewton is essentially 224.8 lbs.
Most carabiners show a strength of 18-25 kN (estimated 4046-5620 lbs) along the spine and 6-8 kN (estimated 1348.8-1798.4 lbs) when they are open or crossloaded. The vast majority of climbers are not capable of generating 18-25 kN of force. However, given the right kind of fall, a climber could generate 6-8 kN of force.
Every climber must work to avoid crossloading carabiners. Pay attention to how the carabiner hangs off your harness while belaying or rappelling. Use your belay loop to ensure that the load is on the spine. And watch for situations where the gate to a carbiner might be compromised.
Carabiner gates present the most common problem. In the alpine -- especially in a crevasse rescue situation -- snow may get caught in between the nose and the gate allowing for the carabiner to be open at a nearly imperceptable margin. On rock, a carabiner facing the wall may be pushed open by a protrusion. Each of these problems are solved by careful recognition of the possiblity of a problem. Double check everything and use locking carabiners when possible.
Ski season is in full swing now, and the snow has been dumping in the North Cascades. If you have any plans of skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing or snowmobiling in the backcountry this winter, please make sure you have taken an avalanche education course!
This weekend's Avalanche Level 1 course, Jan 2 - 4, still has a couple spots available, but is filling up fast. The course is $275 and is 3 days long (1 day in the classroom, 2 in the field). If you would like to make a reservation, please call us at (360) 671-1505 or register online.
In today's news, there were 9 avalanche related fatalities in the Northwest this past weekend - read these articles in the Seattle Times for more information:
For a non-climber, climbing is a foreign thing. All of the participants are adrenaline junkies looking for their next fix. This perception in conjunction with a serious lack of knowledge about climbing culture have come together over the years to provide us with some very bad climbing films.
You might think that there is little to no value in a poorly executed climbing film, but you would be horribly wrong. The value in these films is wholly unintentional. Most people can suspend their disbelief under certain circumstances. If there is something unrealistic here or there, we usually choose to ignore it. But in some films, it is utterly impossible to ignore the problems. They get it so wrong, yet play it so straight, that the films actually become quite comic.
The worst offenders take poor plot-lines, poor dialogue and incredibly ludicrous climbing scenarios and successfully -- though unintentionally -- weave them into a cinematic mess that is so unbelievable they seem surreal. Three films stand out as the worst of the worst. And indeed it is because these are the worst offenders that they are so fun to watch.
Cliffhanger (1993)
Synopsis: A high end climber and search and rescue expert -- who lost a friend in a tragic, but totally avoidable, climbing accident -- is forced to assist a group of gun-wielding thieves in their quest to find boxes of money scattered throughout the Rocky Mountains. Oh yeah, as this is a Sylvester Stallone movie, he does this mostly in the snow wearing a t-shirt. And sometimes he's even topless...
Cardboard characters, racial and ethnic stereotypes, and a script that is so unrealistic that there isn't a moment of the film where one doesn't laugh at the stupidity of the characters are all components of the vast majority of the Stallone films. This one certainly does not stand out as being different or of a higher quality.
Cliffhanger does have a few didactic moments for climbers. We learn that it is really not a good idea to shoot a machine gun at the cornice that you're standing beneath. We learn that we should be terrified if the stuffed animal in our backpack falls. And of course we learn that you shouldn't mess around with Rambo.
Suprisingly, the original storyline of this film was based on a true story. Climbing author, John Long, gets story credit for the film. In 1977, a plane filled with marijuana crashed in the Lower Merced Lake in Yosemite National Park. At the time it was winter and the lake was difficult to get to. Long lived in Yosemite when this happened and watched the incident unfold. It is likely that his original story pitch represented this true story, but was warped by Hollywood into a Sly Stallone vehicle which really is too bad.
Vertical Limit (2000)
Synopsis: A high end climber and photographer -- who lost his dad in a tragic, but totally avoidable, climbing accident -- must rescue his sister from a crevasse as well as from a crazed climber. Oh yeah, and he's supposed to do it with bottles of nitroglycerin. On K2.
A great deal has been said about this film in the climbing community. Indeed, it may be possible that this was the most talked about "bad" climbing film of all time. Why? It's just way over the top.
In the opening scene, somehow all kinds of cams and pins rip out of a desert tower leading to an incredibly unrealistic accident. Somehow they mixed up the party scene in Joshua Tree National Park with base camp on K2. And somehow, they thought that a mountain climbing rescue drama needed a few things to spice it up. It needed a villainous character who murders people high on the mountain. It needed characters wandering around on the glacier with full racks of shiny cams with no rock climbing in sight. And clearly to make any climbing movie realistic, you need to have unstable nitroglycerin.
A lot of people like to talk about leading man, Chris O'Donnell, and his radical running leap over a chasm high on K2. My question is, have you ever run in crampons? Have you ever run at altitude? Were that me, I would have probably tripped over my crampons while hyperventilating, thus falling down to the bottom of the bottomless chasm.
I know that I'm not the only one who noticed another problem with O'Donnell's portrayal of a world-class climber. Every time he talks to his sister (Robin Tunney) throughout the film it looks like he's trying to seduce her. It appears that O'Donnell only knows how to play one thing while working with a female counterpart on screen and in light of these two character's relationship, it's a little bit icky.
Vertical Limit was way over the top. Every scene was an excercise in excess. And every beat of the story seemed more unrealistic than the previous. It's likely that this was -- to some extent -- intentional. Film-makers often build action with sequences that are more and more dramatic throughout a movie. In Vertical Limit, this one-upmanship did not lead to an edge of your seat movie experience. Instead, it lead straight to serious unintentional comedy.
Take it to the Limit (2000)
Synopsis: A bad boy from the city -- who was in a tragic, but totally avoidable accident with a stolen car -- hangs out with a bunch of inept climbers who appear to have near-terminal cases of ADHD. Oh yeah, he does this to pick up a girl.
Famous B movie producer Roger Corman was behind this strange adventure. And ironically, even though it is a B movie, this film probably has the best script of the three. The problem is that with little to no knowledge of climbing culture or climbing itself, an okay script turns into an exercise in the ludicrous.
There are a few scenes that stick out as being over the top. There's the time when the hero and his girlfriend get stuck on a cliff approximately a hundred feet up a third class pitch with no way to get down. Then there's the time when they go "climbing" on a water tower; only to leave the hero stuck on top because he doesn't have climbing shoes. And then there's the time that they go toproping, but they give each other so many high fives when it's suggested that you literally wonder what they were smoking.
Perhaps the best part of the entire film is the rap. A rap, you say? Yes, a rap. Every time they go climbing the rap starts. It goes something like this:
Take it to the limit, the limit, the limit
Take it to the limit, the limit, the limit
Take it to the limit, the limit, the limit
By no stretch of the imagination is this a difficult rap. No, it probably took about ten minutes to write. But if one thing is for sure, once you see Take it to the Limit, you won't be able to get the words Take it to the Limit, out of your head...
Ironically, outside the climbing world, these three movies no longer have a life of their own. Clearly, they weren't just bad climbing movies. They were just plain bad. For better or worse, we're responsible for keeping these movies alive. I suppose I can live with that...
Trailers for Cliffhanger and Vertical Limit may be seen below. Follow the link to watch the trailer for Take it to the Limit.
I hope that all of you are enjoying the holiday season thus far. For as long as I can remember I've always wondered what Santa did after he was done making his rounds and now, after years of searching, I've finally found the answer. He hits the slopes!
Watch Santa shred the slopes as he makes a stop in Colorado on his way back up to the North Pole. I've gotta say, despite his initial wipeout, Santa has some serious skills for an overweight old guy.
Apparently when Santa isn't cruisin' the pow in Colorado he stylin' in the terrain park at Heavenly. Is there anything this guy can't do? I mean, besides lay off the cookies and milk.
Sooner or later human beings will go beyond our moon to explore the solar system. And sooner or later, some of those astronauts will be drawn to the high cliffs and peaks of distant worlds. We can do little more than think about such objectives right now. But someday, perhaps AAI will run trips to Mons Huygens, the tallest mountain on the moon or to Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain on Mars and the biggest known volcano in the solar system.
As scientists make plans for a Mars trip, some are already thinking about the mountain climbing prospects on the red planet. Indeed, some even argue that it is a necessary step in the planet's exploration. Read more about it here.
In 2006, the Cassini Spacecraft discovered a gigantic mountain range on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. One scientist compared the range to the Sierras! I wonder how good the rock is... A report on this new range range may be found here.
The mountains of Venus were all named after the goddesses of different cultures. This planet, often called the morning star, might harbor one of the harsher environments for climbers. In the Cascades we worry about getting wet from a rain storm. On Venus, it rains sulfuric acid. If a storm came, getting wet would be the least of your problems. In such an environment, ropes would melt, slings would distigrate and all the cool stickers on your helmet would vanish!
Scientists believe that the tallest mountains in the solar system are on Io, a moon of Jupiter. There are mountains twice the size of Everest scattered about the planet. Although it appears that the geology there is quite active; and unfortunately active geology equals extreme danger to Earth climbers who don't need pressure suits or space ships to move around. I suspect that it means that it's a no go for future climbing expeditions on the small moon. To read more about these massive mountains, click here.
And as long as we're talking about inaccessible climbing, did you know that there is a gigantic mountain range under the sea? The Mid-Ocean Ridge System is the largest single volcanic feature on the planet. This massive range snakes its way around the Earth beneath the ocean. But I suppose that if the ocean were ever to dry up, people wouldn't be that psyched to check out the climbing. They'd probably have other things on their minds...
The Office Staff at AAI Wishing You a Merry Christmas! From left to right: Emily, Ruth, Jason, Dunham and Dana
It's Christmas day and climbers all over the country are digging around under the tree for that gift that is just heavy enough to be climbing gear. Hopefully, Santa was good to you and you got that new cam or that new ice axe or that new avalanche transceiver. Hopefully, tomorrow you'll get to go out and play on the rock, the ice or the snow with your new equipment. And hopefully, the weather will cooperate!
A Climber's Christmas Tree Click on the Photo to see all the Detail Photo by Gerry Kollmuss
Northwest:
--Mike “Gator” Gauthier, a renowned ranger, member of the local climbing community and guidebook author, is leaving Mount Rainier National Park. Gauthier is leaving his position as the head of the park’s climbing program for a two-year fellowship in Washington D.C. The ranger has accepted a post with the U.S. Senate’s National Parks Sub-committee. To read more, click here and here. To see what the climbing community is saying about this, click here.
--Washington State is in the same mess as the rest of the country, there are significant budget shortfalls. Governor Chris Gregoire proposed a state budget last week that slashed nearly $3.5 billion dollars and avoided tax increases. Among the cuts were the budgets for 13 state parks. The closing of these parks is predicted to save the state $5.2 million dollars. To read more, click here. The Seattle Times listed the following parks as slated for closure:
Osoyoos Lake State Veteran's Memorial Park: 47-acre camping park in Okanogan County. Brooks Memorial Park: 700-acre camping park between the hills of the south Yakima Valley and the Simcoe Mountains. Schafer State Park: 119-acre camping park on the Satsop River, between Olympia and Ocean Park. Bogachiel State Park: 123-acre camping park along the Bogachiel River on the Olympic Peninsula. Tolmie State Park: 105-acre marine day-use park on Nisqually Beach, near Olympia. Fay Bainbridge State Park: 17-acre marine camping park on Bainbridge Island. Fort Okanogan State Park: 45-acre day-use park overlooking the Columbia River. Wenberg State Park: 46-acre camping park on Lake Goodwin, Snohomish County. Fort Ward State Park: 137-acre marine park on Rich Passage, Kitsap County. Joemma Beach: 122-acre marine camping park on southeast Key Peninsula, Pierce County. Kopachuck State Park: 109-acre marine and camping park on Henderson Bay, Pierce County.Lake Sylvia State Park: 233-acre camping park in Grays Harbor County. Old Fort Townsend State Park: 367-acre marine camping park on Port Townsend Bay.
--The road salt and deicer used on the state's roadways is having a seriously detrimental effect on mountain birds. These products tend to disorient finches and other small, seed-eating birds that ingest them as they peck for grit. That, in turn, makes them roadkill when they're hit by snowplows and other vehicles. The best thing that people can do to avoid killing these birds is to avoid assumptions. Don't assume that they will just fly away as you get close. Instead, slow down and allow them to fly away. To read more, click here.
Sierra:
--An avalanche caught a ski patroler last weekend at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort. The patroler was in the process of cutting the slope, when the avalanche ripped him off his feet. To read more, click here.
Desert Southwest:
--Last week it snowed in Joshua Tree National Park. This is something that almost never happens. Many comments concerning this and the park's subsequent closure made it to the Internet. An individual who calls himself Frosty the Climber, posted the following photo and poem from Joshua Tree:
Frosty the climber was a jolly happy soul, With a BD axe and a mushroom nose And two eyes made out of bolts (hangers). Frosty the climber is a fairy tale, they say, He was made of snow but the children Know how he came to life one day.
There must have been some magic in that Old petzl helmet they found. For when they placed it on his head He began to send some routes.
--There are some great old stories from the yesteryear of Red Rocks on supertopo this week.It is our suspicion that these were developed for Alpinist...but now that the resources is gone, these great stories have been placed on the internet. To read them, click here.
Notes from All Over:
Santa's Expedition Gear
--Rockclimbing.com recently sponsored a photo competition for Sierra Designs sleeping bags. They are now in the process of taking votes on the finalists. Some of the photos are very funny. Others are very naughty. To see them and to vote, click here.
--This is little photo essay has been making its way around the outdoor community. A photographer in Canada got a little careless and allowed a polar bear to get too close. He thought he could duck inside his car, but didn't have time. Instead, the bear chased him around the car repeatedly, trying to catch him. Polar bears are incredibly dangerous animals. This is a young bear. A full grown Polar Bear could peel the door right off a car. It would offer literally no protection. This series of photos is from a hunting website entitled, blackbearheaven.com.
The entirety of our North American program areas were hit by a series of major winter storms last week and then through the weekend. Both Red Rock and Joshua Tree saw enough snow last week to close the parks. While the Cascades and the Sierra finally got the snow they needed to kick-start the ski season.
This is what everybody feels like everywhere in the snow:
--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.
Last Week's Snow on Mount Wilson Photo by Andy Bourne
Last Week's Snow on the Strip Photo by Angela Tripp
--Last week Red Rock Canyon and Las Vegas saw the largest valley-wide snow storm in thirty years. There was snow accumulation on the Las Vegas Strip, something that never happens. Everything has melted away and things are back to normal.
Jacob Sargent on Driving Limitations (5.7) last week. Photo by Ian McEleney
--While there was enough snow to close the park last week for three days, it has mostly melted away and things are back to normal. The park service does not own a snow plow and attempted to plow the roads with a road grater...this didn't work very well.
--A few local climbers from Joshua Tree decided to go climbing while the park was closed. To do so they tried to ski in. A ranger stopped them to inform them that skiing in Joshua Tree National Park is illegal. It would have been funny if they had asked him to pull out his rule book to show them that rule. NORTHWEST:
--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest Ice Conditions may be found here.
Cody Hiatt after a large part of Bridal Veil Falls nearly collapsed on him. Photo by Andrew McDavid
--The Washington ice season has officially begun. Many parties climbed the seldom formed Bridal Veil Falls, a party climbed Skookum Falls, parties have sent CYA, Rainbow Falls is in, Preston and McCrea Falls are in, and numerous other routes have come in over the last week or so. It's a good time to get out to taste the ephemeral Northwest ice.
Pax Fox on the Seldom-Formed Bridal Veil Falls (WI 3+) Photo by Jason Killgore
--In Canada, Squamish is seeing more ice than it has in years. The ice across from Murrin Park is in, Shannon Falls is climbable on the right side, Klahanie Column is in, several first ascents have taken place in the Olesen Slabs area, a line on the Squaw was climbed 5 days ago, and the Smoke Bluffs have more ice than they've seen in decades.
--The Mountain Loop Highway from Silverton to Darrington has been closed for the winter. To read more about this, click here.
--Wildly overstated emergency warnings on the radio forecasted monster avalanche danger throughout the Cascades over the weekend. These reports kept people from going into the mountains and forced many backcountry skiers to cross-country ski in city parks throughout Western Washington and Southwest British Columbia. Even though there was a lot of new snow in the mountains and the avalanche danger was high, both AAI Avalanche Level I and Avalanche Level II courses found surprisingly little evidence of slides.
SIERRA:
--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here.
--After the latest round of storms in the Sierra, Tioga Pass through Yosemite was officially closed for the season. To read more about the closure, click here.
--Air service has returned to the Eastern Sierra. One Horizon flight a day will arrive and depart from the Owens Valley between now and April. To read more, click here.
An AAI Team Climbs Cardinal Pinnacle Last Week Photo by Justin Marion
--Here is a cool report that covers a variety of sports form an individual who spent all of his free time in the Sierra for a year.
A Climber on Chouinard Falls on Sunday Photo by Mark Grundon
--Chouinard Falls is in in Lee Vining, but there is little else that is climable yet. It is likely that this will change as the Sierra continues to see cold weather.
ALPS:
--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.
--The Alaska season is over until April of 2009, but we are already in the process of gearing up for it. We are now accepting applications for our 2009 Denali expeditions.
Fred Beckey is perhaps the most well know first-ascentionist in North America. The 85 year-old climber and author was recently featured in the New York Times and still gets out regularly. Over the years many AAI guides have climbed with the octogenarian, but even more have used his highly detailed three-volume guide to the Cascades, theCascade Alpine Guide: Climbing and High Routes.
The 432 page-third volume of this series -- often affectionately called Red Fred -- has recently been released by Mountaineers Books. Red Fred covers the climbing, mountaineering and high traverses that may be found from Rainy Pass to the Frasier River in Canada. This new addition includes 101 black and white photos with route overlays, 60 route topos, and 29 maps. Most of the driving directions, approaches and route descriptions have been updated.
Though there are dozens and dozens of valuable updates in the book, there are still a few descriptions that could use some clarification. Here is an example from the description of Lady Peak:
Make the probably difficult approach from the end of Jones Lake; the approach will be a classic bush thrash unless the ground is snow-covered.
What throws one off is the use of the word, "probably." It indicates a low level of area first or second-hand knowledge. Writing a guidebook with this much information is a monumental task. And no one can be expected to have perfect information on the thousands of routes and peaks Beckey covers. As a result, I am more-than-willing to forgive the author for an occasional ambiguous direction.
In addition to historical and first ascent information, Beckey's series addresses the geological significance to the mountains and sub-ranges of the Cascades. An unprecedented amount of energy was put into the geologic descriptions and the essays on mountain feature formation. Most guidebooks provide some geological history, but the Cascade Alpine Guides stand alone in the bredth of the information provided.
Fred reads Cosmo on a glacier Photo by Aaron Clifford
Comprehensive guidebooks like this one are the most difficult to research and write. They require a great deal more time, more commitment and more running around than any other form of book. Beckey's books literally cover hundreds of miles of mountains. One might be able to argue that this compilation of routes is the most audacious, the most complete and the most complex description of routes in a mountain range that has ever been written.
Way to go Fred!
Fred Beckey climbing in Leavenworth Courtesy of the Jared VanderGriend Collection
If there's one place in the world that I'm pretty sure AAI won't be offering trips to in the near future, it's Cuba. Not that a lot of Americans don't go to Cuba, because there's a fair amount of US passports that pass through customs and immigration at the Jose Marti airport in Havana. There is no law in Cuba prohibiting Americans to enter and they don't stamp your passport.
As many of you know there's been a US embargo on Cuba since 1963 which prohibits US citizens and residents from spending money in this communist nation under the "Trading with the Enemy Act". According to the US Dept of Treasury "The basic goal of the sanctions is to isolate the Cuban government economically and deprive it of US dollars."
Fortunately I was traveling with a Canadian citizen who paid for the whole trip with Canadian dollars. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Now, for the best part. The climbing.
I can't claim to be an expert in many things, but if there were something that I could write a book about it might have the title of "Limestone Sport Climbing Areas in Communist Countries" or something to that effect. Cuba is my third such area after China and Vietnam, and it is a real gem (if I can manage Laos and North Korea, much to my mother's dismay, I'll have the quintet). There are a couple of hundred established routes in Cuba, mostly bolted with a few traditional climbs throughout the area known as Vinales. The climbing is on large limestone towers and mountains called mogotes that are riddled with caves and overhanging limestone walls.
The climbing history in Cuba is very young, with the first documented routes going up in 1999. On one of the first climbs in '99, the first ascensionists found pitons that are storied to have been placed by a pair of adventurous Spanish women who first climbed there 15 to 20 years previously. Craig Luebben, a renowned American climber responsible for inventing Big Bros (wide crack protection in the form of spring loaded tubes) was one of these first ascensionists, and one of the first people, along with a few Cuban climbers, to discover the area's potential. Since then, climbers from around the world have visited and contributed to the established climbs making Cuba a legitimate climbing destination.
There is a tradition amongst visitiong climbers o bring climbing equipment to Cuban climbing locals. This is because they cannot procure climbing gear in their home country, and probably couldn't afford it even if it was available.
There is a web site created for those interested in climbing in Cuba. This was created by Armando Menocal, one of the Cubans who first explored the limestone with Luebben.
We spent 10 days in Vinales while staying in a Casa Particular, the Cuban version of a bed and breakfast, owned by Oscar Jaime Rodriguez. This is the unofficial basecamp for all climbers visiting the area and for good reason. Oscar is the patriarch of a wonderful casa and has rooms for rent at $20 per night. It's a great place to meet other climbers and you can find all the information that you need to climb in Vinales at his casa. If you go to Cuba, find Oscar.
The downsides of climbing in Cuba are the mosquitoes. So bring your own repellent because it is not available in Cuba, or at least we didn't find any. The only other annoyance is the government, who assert a tremendous amount of control over the daily life for Cubans. They don't really bother tourists, because they are spending money. But they make sure that tourists pay as much as possible for food and services. There is a way around all this, and you can make a relatively cheap trip out of it, but be sure to get lots of good information before going.
Cuba is an amazingly unique place with extremely friendly people and rich culture. It is flush with great music, art, history and beautiful colonial architecture. It makes a great vacation that includes authentic culture and great climbing.
Last week we brought you a compilation of climbing falls which I am sure got your blood pumping. Since we may be getting the first big snow of the season up here in Washington this weekend I'll give you Warriors one guess what type of videos we have for you this time....if you said ski falls then congratulations, you can give yourself a big pat on the back. These videos are sure to make you squirm in your seat but let's face it, deep down there is a little part in all of us that enjoys watching other people eat snow.
The first video showcases Tanner Hall attempting to launch himself over Chad's Gap in the Utah backcountry. Unfortunately for him he didn't quite get enough speed...see if you can guess what he hurt in this crash.
You can't talk about ski crashes without one of those wonderful compilation videos. Those folks at Teton Gravity Research have no shortage of these, this particular one is from "Under the Influence". What is it about death metal that makes it the perfect soundtrack for watching people fall?
AAI is excited to announce a new program offering this winter: the Avalanche Refresher course. This affordable course is designed for those backcountry users who have some avalanche education under their belt, but are in need of a day in the field to practice their skills.
The course is $125 per person, and will run from 8:00am to 5:00pm in the Mt. Baker backcountry. Snowboarders, skiers, and snowshoers are welcome. All material presented in the course will be consistent with AIARE curriculum and the other AAI Avalanche course offerings.
We have four dates schedule for this season:
Jan 3, 2009 Jan 17, 2009 Feb 7, 2009 Feb 21, 2009
If you are interested in signing up for a course, please register online. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give us a call at (360) 671-1505.
This story has been passed down through generations of guides. Indeed, this is one of those stories that guides sit around the campfire and tell one another. We believe that this incident took place sometime in the late eighties.
Long ago a guide was doing a gear check at our main office in Bellingham before setting out on a six day trip into the backcountry. They finished going through all the clothing and equipment. The guide only had one more thing to check.
"So, do have food for the trip?" the guide asked.
The two climbers, a mother and her adult daughter, looked at one another nervously. Finally the mother responded, "yes. Yes, we have food."
The guide thought it was a little weird that they didn't respond right away. She also caught the little glance that they gave one another. So she decided to take a look at it. "Can I see what you brought?"
The climbers hesitantly unloaded their food bag. Inside, there was a long plastic tube-bag -- the style that bagels come in -- and it was loaded with six days worth of Burger King hamburgers.
Needless to say they stopped at a grocery store before going out into the field.
One of the biggest snowfalls in Las Vegas and Red Rock in almost 30 years produced some beautiful scenery in Red Rock. It won't last long, but here's a few pictures that I took on December 16:
Turtle Head Peak seen while hiking up the Kraft Wash
The Cube in Calico Basin
Barrel Cactus in the Snow
Clouds above Calico Hills
Another view of Turtle Head from Calico Hills
A Snow Clad Mount Wilson
Bridge Mountain
Things looked similar on the World famous Las Vegas Strip:
--AAI's Director, Dunham Gooding, was recently featured in a book entitled, "Leadership Artistry Hope: A Celebration of Values." The coffee table book is a "celebration of what it means to be a leader, why artistry matters, and how hope takes shape." Twenty-three individuals were selected by the publisher. Dunham was selected for a section entitled, "Speaking for the Trees." His profile tells his story and that of the American Alpine Institute. The book is being distributed privately by the publisher.
--The New York Times ran a feature length article with a great video on Fred Beckey on Tuesday. The article and video both cover his long climbing career. To read the article and see the video, click here.
Fred and friends in Leavenworth, still getting after it! Photo Courtesy of the Jared VanderGriend Collection
Enjoying the top of a crag in Leavenworth Photo Courtesy of the Jared VanderGriend Collection
--A gondola tower in Whistler collapsed on Tuesday, trapping passengers inside. It appears that the accident happened on the Excaliber Gondola and not the new Peak-to-Peak gondola that opened earlier this month to connect Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. To read more, click here.
--Dan Capellini and Rolf Larson's new route that we reported on in our conditions report last week made the Climbing magazine website. Buckshot was put up on Buck Mountain in early December. This hard new line clocks in at GradeIV WI4+ M4/5 and saw multiple attempts prior to the ascent this month. To read the Climbing magazine report, click here. To read the original trip report, click here.
--Longview Timberlands purchased more than 15,500 acres of forest tree farms in the Deming area for $48 million from Mid-Valley Resources Inc., a subsidiary of Hampton Affiliates, a large Oregon timber company, last week. The sale, filed at the Whatcom County Treasurer's Office, included 71 parcels of property. This area includes the access route from the Middle Fork Nooksack river to the Twin Sisters Mountains. It appears that while Longview Timberlands doesn't allow camping on their property, they do keep it open for public use. To read more, click here.
Sierra:
The forest fires in Los Padres National Forest collectively burned over 62,000 acres.
--Steven Emory Butcher, a homeless man with mental problems, was recently convicted of starting fires in 2002 and 2006 in the Los Padres National Forest. He was sentenced to 45 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $100 million in restitution. To read more, click here. Himalaya:
--An international research team has conducted the first detailed analysis of deaths during expeditions to the summit of Mt. Everest. They found that most deaths occur during descents from the summit and also identified factors that appear to be associated with a greater risk of death, particularly symptoms of high-altitude cerebral edema. "We know that climbing Everest is dangerous, but exactly how and why people have died had not been studied," says Paul Firth, the scientist who led the study. "It had been assumed that avalanches and falling ice – particularly in the Khumbu Icefall on the Nepal route – were the leading causes of death and that high-altitude pulmonary edema would be a common problem at such extreme altitude. But our results do not support either assumption." To read more, click here. Notes from All Over:
--A 27 year-old woman was killed in an avalanche while skiing inbounds at Snowbird, Utah this weekend. Heather Gross, an experienced skier, was buried for more than an hour before being retrieved. She died later at the hospital. To read more and to see a video about this incident, click here.
Senator Ken Salazar Candidate for the Secretary of the Interior
--President Elect Obama has nominated Senator Ken Salazar (D-Colorado) for Secretary of the Interior. If confirmed, Salazar would oversee the nations National Parks and the Bureau of Land Management. In other words, he will be in charge of the vast majority of the resources that we as climbers use. The Senator was not the first choice of many environmental interests, who favored Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.). One-hundred and forty-one environmental groups and scientists launched an e-mail and letter-writing campaign in support of Grijalva for the position. To read more about both Salazar and Grijalva, click here and here. The New York Times ran a editorial about what Salazar needs to do to fix the Department of the Interior yesterday. To read it, click here. --The American Alpine Club recently launched a new online resource. It is now possible to research climbs and mountains throughout the world via a search engine with access to archived American Alpine Journal material that reaches all the way back to 1929. To visit this resource, click here.
--In related news, the American Alpine Journal is seeking volunteer translators to help prepare stories for the 2009 edition. Although the editors welcome volunteers skilled in any foreign language, translators fluent in Japanese, Italian, and French are particularly needed for 2009. Native English speakers are preferred. To read more, click here. --Sources are reporting that an undisclosed individual or corporation has made a bid on Alpinist magazine. The amount? Thirty-thousand measly dollars...or less than it costs to print a single issue of the magazine. While this may lead some loyal Alpinist readers to hope that the spectacular format of the magazine will return, it's unlikely. The price-tag is so low that the former business plan will likely be scrapped for something completely different. To read more, click here and here.
--A scary thread is currently running on supertopo.com. People have been posting pictures of broken cams, bad bolts and severed ropes. To see the thread, click here.
Mark Mathews on the summit of Patagonia's Gemelo Alto Photo by Dave Turner
--Dave Turner and Mark Mathews recently completed a new rock route in Patagonia's French Valley. Their 350 meter line sends a previously unclimbed peak called Gemelo Alto. The beautiful granite route clocked in at at a moderate 5.10- with many pitches of 5.8 and 5.9. The pair named their route Adios Ayer which is Spanish for "Goodbye Yesterday." To read more about this ascent, click here.
--Six teams summited Patagonia's Cerro Torre in early December via the Upper-West Face. This is the route that was first sent in 1974 by Daniele Chiappa, Mario Conti, Casimiro Ferrari, and Pino Negri. Over recent years, the line fell out of favor due to the supposed ease of the infamous Compressor Route. Many now view the West Face as the more natural line. To read more, click here. --The Access Fund continued its support of grassroots climbing advocacy and conservation projects by awarding over $11,000 during its third Climbing Preservation Grants cycle of 2008. The grants will help fund land acquisitions, trail reconstruction, and the creation of a trailhead kiosk. Presented three times annually, AF’s Climbing Preservation Grants provide financial assistance for local climber activism and protection of the climbing environment in the United States. Grants this cycle were awarded to the Western Colorado Climber's Coalition and to Utah Open Lands. To read more, click here.
--Last week, the Russian Prime minister renamed a major peak in the Caucasus, the Peak of Russian Counterintelligence Agents. The 10, 725 foot high mountain is located in the westernmost area of North Ossetia, close to the border with Georgia. To read more, click here.
A -- The Nose
As scientists make plans for a Mars trip, some are already thinking about the mountain climbing prospects on the red planet. Indeed, some even argue that it is a necessary step in the planet's exploration. Read more about it 
