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.
--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:
--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.
--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.
--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.
