--A 31 year-old skier attempting a solo climb and ski of Mount Baker has been missing since Saturday. Kevin Lafleur told friends that he intended to make a solo run down the north side of the mountain. His vehicle was found at snowline on Glacier Creek Road, but there was no sign of Lafleur. For more information read the story at king5.com or follow the story at cascadeclimbers.com.
--A strange visitor made an appearance on the web cam near Mount Saint Helens this week. Somebody placed a garden gnome in front of the camera at the Johnson Ridge Observatory. To read more, click here.--Cascadeclimbers.com has published an unconfirmed report that a pair of climbers base jumped off the top of Monkey Face in Smith Rock last week. While trying to confirm this report, we found another base jump of interest...this one off of Mount Hood!
--Turns-All-Year.com reports that a TV crew spent the winter with the Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol. Apparently there will be a reality show about the ski patrol running next winter on TruTV.
--The North Cascade National Park Service "is beginning the planning process for a Stehekin River Corridor Implementation Plan within Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Public input is being sought on possible actions in response to repeated flooding in the lower Stehekin River corridor." To read more, click here.
MOUNT EVEREST:
--Last week we reported on all the craziness on Everest surrounding the Olympic Torch. Explorers Web has a nice summary of the insanity here.
--Two elements that perhaps need highlighting from the Explorers Web news round-up are:
- The media is not allowed to travel with the Olympic Torch on Everest.
- "It could be the torch mountaineers don't want witnesses to their climb. No Chinese climber is found among the top high altitude mountaineers who have completed the list of 14, 8000ers, and the presumed torch team has already been involved in at least one summit controversy." Read the entire article on the media blackout here.
--It was recently reported that there is a soldier with a sniper rifle at Camp II. We can only presume that a soldier with such a rifle is at that camp in order to shoot any climbers who go higher. To read more, click here.
--Alpinist.com has another news round-up entitled, "Shoot to Kill." To read the article, click here.
--Explorers Web reports that the torch may now be on the mountain, but that it is likely that they are waiting out the weather before moving up. To read more, click here.
NOTES FROM ALL OVER:
--Cesarino Fava died on April 22nd at the age of 87. Cesarino is most well-known for his link to Cerro Torre in Patagonia and his friendship with both Cesare Maestri and Toni Egger. To read more, click here.
--Swiss climbers, Uli Steck and Simon Anthamatten, made the first ascent of Teng Kang Poche's (6500m) north face in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal. The route required climbing up to M7+ above 6000 meters. To read more, click here.
--Last month, former AAI guide Steve House and Vince Anderson did the first known winter ascent of the North Face of Mount Alberta in the Canadian Rockies. To read more, click here.
--Last week the New York Times reported that Nalgene was going to change the composition of the plastic in their bottles due to a potentially dangerous ingredient. Now that the company essentially admitted that the chemical might be dangerous, they are being sued by a woman in California.
--Watch out for wild animals...especially rabid ones! Two hikers from Tucson were attacked by a bobcat in the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona on Saturday. After a ten-minute confrontation, one of the hiker's killed the animal with a geology hammer. To read the story, click here.
