--Congratulations are in order to Viren Perumal, Ben Traxler, Dana Hickenbottom, Julie Schoenfeld, and Nathan Zumwalt. This group of guides -- the first three from AAI -- all successfully passed their American Mountain Guides Association Single Pitch Instructor Certification Exam. The AMGA Single Pitch Instructor Course is the first in the AMGA sequence of climbing instructor and guide training programs. The SPI course was designed to help capable recreational climbers transition into capable and effective climbing instructors. To learn more about this, click here.
SOUTHWEST:
--Congratulations to Jason Martin! The AAI guide/program coordinator and his wife had a baby boy this morning in Las Vegas. More news to come on this front!
--The search for 44 year-old Ric DeVan has come to a tragic end. Authorities located the man's body near Bishop Pass in the Eastern Sierra. DeVan went missing while on a solo tour on July 5th. Search and Rescue officials suspended the search on Saturday. A backpacker is responsible for discovering the body after investigating a rock slide. To read more about this tragic incident, click here.
ALASKA:
--Eleven year-old Jordon Romero summitted Denali on June 19th. With this feat, Romero became the second 11 year-old to stand on the top of the tallest peak in North America. Denali is the fourth summit in the young man's quest to climb the seven summits. To read more, click here.
NOTES FROM ALL OVER:
--Respected Italian alpinist Karl Unterkircher was reportedly killed in a crevasse fall on Nanga Parbat (26,660') last week. Unterkircher and his partners were at approximately 20,000 feet when a snow bridge collapsed beneath the climber. Unterkircher fell to the bottom of a deep crevasse. His partners Simon Kehrer and Walter Nones worked through the night to retrieve the man but were ultimately unable to do so. To read more, click here and here.
--Teton climbing guide George Gardner died on Saturday while making a solo ascent of the Lower Exum Ridge. To read more about this tragedy, click here.
--The Merced River in Yosemite Valley is one of the most scenic rivers in the country. The river is currently under federal protection, but what does that protection mean? What level of recreational use is acceptable? Officials in Yosemite National Park must come up with a plan that accommodates both its use and protection. To read more, click here.
--After multiple ascents over the last few months, the New York Time Building is now altering its facade to keep climbers from sending the 52 story building. To read more, click here.
--Climbing guide Frank Sanders decided to do something a little unusual to draw attention to the poverty stricken Native Americans around the Devils Tower National Monument. Over a period of a year, the fifty-seven year old climbed "the Tower" 365 times. To read more, click here.
--Three German climbers who were kidnapped by PKK Kurdish Rebels in Turkey while on an ascent of Mount Ararat were released on Sunday. The three Germans were seized on July 8th, reportedly to protest German pressure on Kurdish rebels' supporters in Germany. To read more, click here.
--The Discovery Channel is currently casting a new show about Alaskan adventurers. They are looking for real-life adventure seekers to make the show feel "real." To read more about this, click here.
