--A climber was injured at Shields Park in the Spokane Valley on Sunday morning. It appears that the climber was practicing his skills as a trad leader when he decided to test a cam by taking an intentional fall. The cam popped and the climber took a 20 foot fall to a ledge. He sustained a head injury, but will make a full recovery. To read more, click here and here.
--It appears that another climber was injured in a fall over the weekend at the Careno Crags in Leavenworth. It's likely that the climber was on Pumpline (5.11a), a traditional line considered to be a testpiece. It's not clear how badly the climber was injured, but he was reportedly released from the hospital shortly after admittance. To read more, click here.
A Climber on the North Ridge of Mount BakerArchived Photo by Alasdair Turner
Sierra:
--After a week of pouring over the mountainous terrain in the Mammoth area, searchers have located the remains of a motorized glider that had been reported missing April 24th. The pilot and passenger, a couple from Colorado, did not survive. To read more, click here.
--The Sierra Wave is reporting that the ski season for Mammoth Mountain was only down 2% from the previous year in ski visits. The Mountain as a whole is off from last year by 7%. The areas of lost cash flow include lodging and dining or hospitality which is off 25%, which reflects the national statistics. To read more, click here.
Alaska:
--John Evans, a well-known Denali guide who worked for AMS, died in a fall in the United Kingdom on Tuesday. It's not clear how the veteran guide died, but he was reportedly rock climbing in the Lanberis Pass area in Wales. To read more, click here.
Click on the Photo for a Larger Image--The following report on Mount Redboubt's volcanic activity is from the Alaska Volcano Observatory:
Current activity at Redoubt volcano suggests that a significant explosive event is likely, though not certain, in the coming days. The level of seismicity, rate of dome growth, and gas output indicate that an explosive event could occur at any time with little or no warning. Since about May 2, shallow earthquake activity beneath the actively growing lava dome has been slowly increasing. Recent observations indicate that small, ash-producing rockfalls from the dome's north side are becoming more frequent.
The seismic activity consists primarily of repetitive events occurring several times per minute as well as more continuous volcanic tremor. Similar seismicity was observed prior to several explosions earlier in the 2009 eruptive sequence and many of the explosive events during the 1989-90 eruption. The lava dome that has grown in the summit crater is now roughly equal in size to the largest dome that was emplaced during the 1989-90 eruption. As the dome grows larger it becomes increasingly unstable and is more and more likely to experience a complete or partial dome failure. A dome failure event could produce voluminous block and ash flows down Drift glacier and could generate significant amounts of meltwater.Should a significant explosion, dome collapse, or both occur, the event will likely produce high altitude (>30,000 ft ASL) ash plumes, trace to minor ash fall in parts of south-central Alaska, lahars and flooding in the Drift River valley, and pyroclastic flows in the immediate vicinity of the volcano. The effects of the next explosive event or events could be similar to what has been observed so far during the 2009 eruption.Ash preserved in the snow northwest of Mount Redoubt
Photo by Janet Schafer - Alaska Volcano Observatory
AVO is monitoring the situation closely and the observatory is staffed 24/7. AVO will provide frequent updates of the volcano's status and the earliest possible warning of significant explosive activity and other hazardous phenomena. The next AVO visit to the volcano is planned for May 7, weather permitting.
Himalaya:
Should there be bolts on Mount Everest?--It appears that the first summits of Mount Everest this season took place on Cinco de Mayo. A group of Sherpas fixing lines from Camp 4, topped out via the South Col route. To read more, click here.
--Joe Puryear and David Gottlieb just completed the first ascent of Jobo Rinjang (22,237') via the direct south face, in the Khumbu Region of Nepal. The pair climbed the line alpine style over 6 days (from April 20 to April 25) and summited on April 22nd. To read about the ascent, click here.
--Guy Cotter, owner of Adventure Consultants, was recently interviewed on a website that focuses on Mount Everest. The American Alpine Institute and Adventure Consultants partner on a number of trips, Mount Everest being one of them. To read Guy's interview, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--Six mountain climbers were killed in an avalanche near the major ski resort of Soelden in the Austrian Alps at the weekend, regional police said Sunday. Witnesses spotted the snowslide in rugged highlands on Saturday and alerted alpine rescuers but they could not reach the scene until Sunday due to poor weather, police in the Tirol provincial capital of Innsbruck said. To read more, click here.
--Three teams won the prestigious Piolet d' Or presented in Chamonix, France on April 26th. Kazuya Hiraide and Kei Taniguchi won their award for the first ascent of the southeast face of Kamet (25,446') in India. Kazuaki Amano, Fumitaka Ichimura and Yusuke Satowon for their first ascent of the complete north face of Kalanka (22,739') in India. And lastly, Simon Anthamatten and Ueli Steck completed the first ascent of Tengkangpoche (21,325') in Nepal. To read more, click here.--There is a new blog making waves on the internet. Hiker Hell is a blog that dissects accidents and fatalities after they take place in the wilderness. The idea behind the blog is to make people aware of the mistakes of others so that they are not repeated. To view the blog, click here.
