--An unnamed American skier was killed in British Columbia by an avalanche over the weekend on Alice Mountain near the town of Terrace. The skier was with a group that was accessing the backcountry via a helicopter. To read more, click here.
--Two more avalanches struck snowmobilers in British Columbia over the weekend, leaving two people dead. This incident comes on the heels of another snowmobile tragedy. A group of eight snowmobilers were killed in a slide on December 29th. To read more, click here.
--Last week, three skiers and a snowboarder were banned for life from North Vancouver's Grouse Mountain after they knowingly ventured out of bounds and entered a dangerous, avalanche-prone spot. Rescue crews were unable to go in after them, so the four men were guided to safety by a helicopter 45 minutes after they entered the area. The group was billed for the full cost of the search, and their names have been circulated to all ski resorts in Western Canada. Thirteen avalanche related fatalities in recent weeks in Southwestern British Columbia are forcing ski resorts to rethink their strategies for keeping people in-bounds during periods of high avalanche danger. To read more, click here.
Mount IndexLake Serene is in a small bowl just off center to the left of this picture
Photo by Ty Drisden
--The teenager who shot and killed a hiker on Sauk Mountain after he mistook her for a bear in August is set to stand trial for the death April 20. The hunter, who has turned 15 since the shooting, is charged with first-degree manslaughter, a class A felony for recklessly causing the death of another. To read more, click here.
Sierra:
--Police recently set up a sting operation at Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort to catch snowboard-stealing thieves. After the bait was set, three young men were captured. This led to the recovery of eleven snowboards. Ski blogs with a focus on Mammoth are rife with comments about the criminals like, "they should be whipped with a cane," and "they should be beaten with skis." These are the most pleasant punishments that were devised by skiers and snowboarders. To read more, click here.
--Yosemite National Park is announcing the public scoping period for the Badger Pass Ski Lodge Rehabilitation Environmental Assessment (EA). Public scoping comments will be used to assist the park in developing a range of reasonable and feasible project alternatives that meet the purpose and need, including a no action alternative, and then analyzing the environmental effects of each alternative. A 30-day public scoping period for this EA will open on January 14, 2009 and will extend through February 13, 2009. Written comments should be postmarked no later than February 13, 2009. To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--An ice climber was killed in Wyoming on January 2nd. Kieth Spencer was following the fourth pitch of Main Vein (WI 4) when a massive avalanche swept the route. The avalanche started high on the mountain above and slid nearly fifteen-hundred feet before raining down on the climbers. It is believed that the slide was triggered by the collapse of a cornice. To read more, click here.
--Rob Gauntlett and James Atkinson, both 21 and from Sussex, England were killed last week in an apparent ice climbing accident on Mont Blanc. They were on the east Gervasutti route of the 15,700 foot mountain on Saturday. It remains unclear how they died because weather conditions were not extreme, there were no reports of avalanches and both were well equipped. Gauntlett made the news three years ago when he became the youngest Briton to summit Mount Everest. To read more, click here.
--Over at the rockclimbergirl.com blog, Sara -- the aforementioned rock climber girl -- wrote a funny and engaging piece on "normal" people and mountain people. The article is entitled, Us and Them: Living Life Unconventionally.
Trango Flex Cams -- Clearly these are not homemade.--On October 31, 2008, Rainer Hertrich marked his 1,825th consecutive day of skiing. He has skied every day for five full years! A few days after this major achievement he hit another milestone: 61 million vertical feet skied. To read more, click here.
--Northwest local and Cascade hardman, Colin Haley recently completed the second solo ascent of the Supercanaleta (a.k.a. Super Couloir) on Fitz Roy in Patagonia. This incredibly difficult and spectacular line required 14 hours on route. To read more, click here.
Speed Climber Uli Steck beneath the North Face of the Eiger--On Sunday, the United States Senate advanced legislation that would set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as wilderness. Majority Democrats assembled more than enough votes to overcome GOP stalling tactics in an early showdown for the new Congress. The measure - actually a collection of about 160 bills - would confer the government's highest level of protection on land ranging from California's Sierra Nevada mountain range to Oregon's Mount Hood, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and parts of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia. Land in Idaho's Owyhee canyons, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan and Zion National Park in Utah also would be designated as wilderness. To read more, click here.
--In related news, on Monday, Congress took the first step towards nearly doubling the amount of designated Wilderness on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in Utah. After nearly five years of hard work by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, a greatly improved version of wilderness legislation for Washington County was included earlier this week in a package of public lands provisions. The U.S. Senate approved the first key vote on that package, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (S. 22). Another procedural vote and a vote on final passage, likely to occur next week, are needed before the package moves to the House of Representatives for a vote. It is expected to then proceed to the desk of President-Elect Obama for his signature. Monday's succesful vote marks a momentous step forward for wild lands in Utah. To read more, click here.
Update 1:37: The United States Senate just passed the Omnibus bill. This is the second procedural vote mentioned above. The final vote will take place in the House next week...
