Northwest:
--Experienced backcountry skier Daniel Zimmerman may have inadvertently set off the avalanche on the Leavenworth area mountain that killed him, a Chelan County Sheriff’s spokesman said on Monday morning. Zimmerman, 28, died Saturday of severe injuries when an avalanche on the southwest face of Mount Cashmere swept him 800 feet into a field of rocks and trees. To read more, click here.
--Three ice climbers are safe after having been involved in a small avalanche that buried one of them near Golden, B.C., the RCMP said Monday. "A small avalanche was triggered and one of the climbers was buried," a statement said. "He was rescued by another climber and sustained minor injuries."
Alberta's air ambulance was initially called to transport the patient to Calgary. A separate report indicated that the party was on a route called Lady Killer (WI 3) in Kicking Horse Canyon. To read more, click here.
--After watching wolves disappear from the Methow Valley’s Lookout Pack, a Bellingham-based conservation group is offering up to $7,500 for information that leads to the conviction of a wolf poacher in Washington. That’s 15 times the state’s current offer of $500 for information in a felony poaching case. To read more, click here.
Sierra:
--The following video of a car getting knocked across the road by an avalanche was taken in the Tahoe region of the Sierra. Please note that some of the language used in this clip may not be appropriate for all viewers or for the workplace.
Desert Southwest:
--Three days after he plunged nearly 200 feet down a rural Nevada mine shaft, a 28-year-old man was declared dead Saturday. Emergency workers, mine officials and relatives had kept vigil since the man fell Wednesday. Rescue efforts were abandoned Friday because of the mine's treacherous condition. To read more, click here.
--On Friday, February 25th, the Obama Administration dealt a heavy blow to the proposed Eagle Mountain dump at Eagle Mountain, nestled in the arms of Joshua Tree National Park. After nearly 24 years of defending the dump in court, the Department of Interior reversed its longstanding position and opposed the dump developer’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. This substantially weakens the developer’s case and may persuade the Supreme Court to reject the petition, leaving in place lower court rulings that protect the park. To read more, click here.
--Tim DeChristopher is considered a hero by many for stopping oil and gas drilling from just outside the Canyonlands National Park, but unfortunately his heroism came at a cost. It looks like he's going to jail for ten years. To read more, click here and here.
--The annual climbing festival, Red Rock Rendezvous is coming up fast. Once again, the American Alpine Institute will be present at the Las Vegas event, both for the event itself as well as to offer courses and trips before and after. To learn more, click here.
Himalaya:
--Former AAI Guide Kelly Cordes wrote an interesting piece on his return to Pakistan. In his article he muses on the fear of "them" and the reality of traveling to "dangerous places." To read more, click here.
Notes from All Over:
--A young man is being treated for serious head injuries at a Calgary hospital after he went out of control on a ski run west of the city and slammed into a tree. The collision happened Wednesday afternoon at Sunshine Village, just west of Banff, Alberta. To read more, click here.
--A skier who suffered a heart attack at Breckenridge Ski Resort on February 27th died Thursday night at St. Anthony's Central Hospital in Denver. Michael McPhee, 53, told friends he was not feeling well on the the morning of Feb. 27, but said he wanted to keep skiing, the Summit Daily reported Saturday. To read more, click here.
--Last September, Boulder Weekly scored an exclusive interview with a visionary who sought to change the way the ski resort industry worked. Jamie Schectman, founder of the Mountain Rider’s Alliance, riffed to the Weekly on monster second homes at ski resorts, a lack of concern for the community and on wind power. His was a dream of community-owned ski areas, focused on the riding and skiing experience, with profits put back into that experience. Wind, solar and microhydro power would ensure that these small resorts remained sustainable. Community ownership and involvement would ensure that they remained focused on core values and benefitted the surrounding towns. To read more, click here.
--Skier Magazine is celebrating a decade of publication. To read more, click here.
--Roger Hanson is something of a mad scientist meets artist meets Jack Frost. The result: a 64-foot-tall, 85-foot-wide ice sculpture has sprung up in his backyard in Big Lake. "A lot of people climb mountains," he says of his peculiar hobby. "I built a mountain." To read more, click here.
--Scientists have made an interesting discovery in Antarctica. It appears that glaciers don't only grow from the top (i.e. from the accumulation of snow) but also from the bottom. To read more, click here.
--Russian athletes dominated, as expected, the Speed discipline in the UIAA Ice Climbing World Championships, held on March 7-8 in Kirov, Russia. Pavel Gulyaev was crowned men’s World Champion ahead of fellow countrymen, Ivan Spitsyn and Pavel Batushev. It was also a Russian sweep in the women’s event, with Maria Tolokonina coming first, ahead of Maria Krasavina and Nadezhda Gallyamova. To read more, click here.
Manufacturer Recalls and Equipment Issues:
----Petzl has recently discovered Chinese counterfeit versions of the Croll, Attache, Ascension and Rescue Ptezl products. There is a significant risk that these counterfeit products could open or otherwise fail at low loads and under normal use. To read more, click here and here.
