Northwest:
--Alpinist online released a abstract about the historic Assassin Spire ascent two weeks ago. The new article traces a bit more of the peak's history. It also points out that this is the first time that the first ascent of a peak was also the first winter ascent in the Cascades. To read more, click here.
Desert Southwest:
--The Red Rock Rendezvous will start tomorrow. Eighteen of our guides will be present to help make the country's biggest climbing event a success!
Notes from All Over:
--A young man who died in an avalanche while snowboarding in Colorado backcountry has been identified. Daniel Michelotti, 20, of Spring Grove, Ill., died Wednesday in an avalanche about a mile west of the Arapahoe County Ski Area, according to a media release from the Summit County Coroner's Office. Michelotti worked for the Breckenridge Ski Resort and had lived in Colorado since November. To read more, click here.
--The Open Space Institute (OSI) announced today the acquisition and permanent protection of 67 acres of dramatic cliff face on the southeastern edge of the Shawangunk Ridge. The area has cliffs reaching 350 feet in height and massive boulders at its base, making it visible from across the Hudson Valley. The property has played an important role in regional rock climbing history, provides key habitat for rare plants and cliff-dwelling animals (such as peregrine falcons and five-lined skink), and is part of an international flyway for raptors and migratory songbirds. To read more, click here.
--The Mexican Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing (FMDMyE) is trying to raise funds to repair the roof of the Refugio Piedra Grande on Pico de Orizaba. The Piedra Grande hut is located at about 14,000 feet on the 18,490-foot volcano near Mexico City; it serves as base camp for the standard Jamapa Glacier route on the north side of the peak. To read more, click here.
--Hundreds of youth and environmental organizations are demanding that time outdoors for children become a national priority. The mass plea to the Surgeon General comes as a new study shows the average child spends more than seven hours a day staring at a television or computer screen.To read more, click here.
