Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 1/6/11

Northwest:

--Chilliwack search and rescue volunteers joined a search last week for a snowmobiler killed in an avalanche near Tulameen, northeast of Hope.  The man was later identified as 43-year-old Mike Buckles.  To read more, click here.

--Military gunner Tanya Murray of Abbotsford decided to spend her holiday season out of town this year. Instead of relaxing on a sunny beach, she is braving chilling temperatures and more snow than she would have encountered at home.  Murray is on call 24 hours a day until early February during Operation Palaci, the Canadian military’s annual support to Parks Canada’s avalanche control program at Rogers Pass.  To read more, click here.

--Canadian backcountry skier Greg Hill, 35, completed his goal – with a day to spare – of logging 2 million vertical ski-touring feet, all self-propelled, in 2010.  And get this: He counted only the uphill elevation gain in his quest.  That means his round-trip elevation gain and loss for the mission was a whopping 4 million vertical feet without the use of a tram or ski lift!  To read more, click here.


Sierra:

--More snow news from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The mountain measurements show Mammoth Pass snowpack still even with the wettest years on record - that's 1982/83.  The statistics remain staggering with both snow and precipitation measurements double, triple even quadruple normal for this time of year.  To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

-- Investigators continue to look into the death of a St. George man who fell while hiking in Utah's Snow Canyon on Sunday, not yet labeling the incident an accident.  Joshua F. Shillander, 20, was hiking with two friends atop the Island in the Sky hill, an unofficial route frequented by local technical climbers but considered dangerous for inexperienced or ill-prepared hikers.  To read more, click here.

--Registration is now open for this year's Red Rock Rendezvous.  Click on the icon below to find out more:

--An all-time record for December rain and a mild summer and winter highlighted 2010 weather in Yucca Valley.  A record 5.43 inches of rain fell in December, smashing the previous record of 3.66 inches set in 2004.  Big Morongo Canyon Preserve got 6.37 inches, Joshua Tree received 3.37 inches, Landers recorded 3.33 and Lost Horse Ranger Station in the park 4.33.  The Joshua Tree National Park visitor center in Twentynine Palms recorded just 0.77 inch last month.  To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--The 38-year-old man who was killed Sunday when he hit a tree on a blue run at Colorado's Keystone Ski Resort was described as a family man and an avid skier by his family.  The Summit County Coroner says Sean Bender died from blunt force to the chest and says Bender was wearing a helmet when he hit the tree around 11am on Sunday. To read more, click here.

--A review of how the 111th Congress acted on wilderness legislation shows that the National Park System benefited quite nicely, but it could have fared better.  According to Frank Buono, a former National Park Service official who now tracks wilderness issues, "the 111th Congress designated wilderness in more separate park units (6) than in any Congress since 1980 in the Carter Administration."  To read more, click here.

--This week the liberal blog, the Huffington Post featured an entertaining look at how South Korean Soldiers prepare for winter conditions.  The post features numerous photos of soldiers pouring snow over themselves and running shirtless in the winter.  To read the post and to see photos of the troops, click here.

--Some enterprising adventurers are planning what will be the highest Burns supper ever. The Burns supper is an annual tradition celebrating the legacy of Scottish poet Robert Burns. The Scotsman reports that a group of 20 adventurers left Edinburgh for Africa to stage the epic event on Mount Kilimanjaro. They will spend eight days climbing to the top of Africa's highest peak.  To read more, click here.

--Franc Knez and Silvo Karo were awarded the Order of Merit by Slovenia's President Dr. Danilo Tuerk on December 22, 2010.  As we all know, it is quite uncommon for a politician, much less a president, to recognize climbers for their accomplishments.  To read about this award, click here.

--In late October, Joel Kauffman and Jarad Vilhauer climbed a new route on the southwest face of Lobuje East (20,075') in Nepal's Khumbu region. They established Night Terrors (VI WI5+ AI4 M7 85 degrees) in an alpine style 37-hour push. To read more, click here.

--People who ski and snowmobile in the backcountry know that they are taking their life in their hands every time they go up on a slope heavy with snow.  Making things slightly less risky is the ABS system. It is a pair of 75-liter balloons strapped into a backpack that inflate in 2 seconds when you pull a ripcord, enabling you to "swim" out of the avalanche.  To read more, click here.

--Chris Branca, a 29-year-old who lives in the Flatiron district, is getting his 15-minutes of fame. A YouTube video of him skiing 40 mph down Park Avenue while being towed by a Range Rover the night of the big snowstorm has gone viral. The video he sent to 12 friends as a sort of postcard from the storm has since been viewed more than 166,000 times. After being featured on New York Magazine’s website, it popped up on other media outlets from Gawker to CNN, and Branca made an appearance on "Inside Edition." (No one seems to have mentioned the speed limit on city streets is 30 mph.)  To read more, click here.  To see the video, click below:

Conditions Report - January 5 2011

NORTHWEST:

--Excellent beta can be found here for Ellensburg, WA ice.  Exit 38 ice was "Ok but running", at least on Sunday. Click here for a short report.

--Did anyone else see people on Pan Dome last weekend? Looks like the upper part is better than the lower. I could have sworn I saw a person soloing it on Sunday, too. Click here.

Dyan's fourth time on skis, but first time at Baker where she could actually see Baker in the distance. 

Bluebird last Sunday, but icy. Photo credit Andrew Yasso.

--Forecast for the West Slope of the Cascades.

--Forecast for the East Slope of the Cascades.

--Webcam for Leavenworth and the Stuart Range.

--Forecast for Mount Rainier.-- Route and Conditions Report from Mt. Baker Rangers: Mount Baker Climbing Blog.

--Forest Service Road Report for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

--Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams conditions and recreation report.

--Webcams for Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park, Leavenworth.

--An up-to-date ski and snow report for the Northwest may be found here.

--Up-to-date Pacific Northwest ice conditions may be found here.

RED ROCK CANYON:

--We got a phone call on Monday from the Director of Operations and AAI Guide Jason Martin -- he was sitting at a coffee shop in Vegas, and it was snowing. Looks like it might warm up later in the week, however, with high's in the 50's and sun. He sent us the following pictures from this week's cold snap:

A Red Rock Rainbow

Climbable ice next to the popular one pitch route Peaches (5.5)?

Wet but climbable ice in the Icebox Canyon.

Red Rock Canyon and West Las Vegas got up to four inches of snow on Monday.

Rainbow Mountain, Rainbow Wall, and Juniper Peak on Tuesday.

--The scenic loop drive now closes at 5pm. See this thread and the BLM site for more information.

--Forecast and average temperatures for Red Rock Canyon.

--Webcam for Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.

--The late exit and overnight permit number for Red Rock Canyon is 702-515-5050. If there is any chance that you will be inside the park after closing, be sure to call this number so that you don't get a ticket.

--The entrance to the scenic drive had a parking area for those who wanted to carpool up until approximately April of 2009. That lot has now become employee parking and people who want to carpool are required to park at the lot outside the Scenic Drive exit.

--The scenic drive currently opens its gates at 6 in the morning.

JOSHUA TREE:


--Forecast and average temperatures for Joshua Tree National Park.

--Webcam for Joshua Tree National Park.

-- As winter use in Joshua Tree is growing, camping can be difficult at times.  It is not a bad idea to come with a back-up plan if the park campgrounds are full.  Here are the NPS Campground Details. Some people like to stay at the rural campground often referred to as "The Pit."  And lastly, there is a campground available at Joshua Tree Lake.

--The Joshua Tree entrance fee is currently $15 per vehicle.  Your receipt will give you access to the park for seven days after its initial purchase.  Rangers check this receipt at each of the major access points going in and out.  Annual passes are available for $30.

--Here is a link to a website dedicated to the events surrounding Joshua Tree National Park's 75th anniversary in 2011.  Check it out for up-to-date news on the park and the things going on to celebrate this historic park "birthday."

SIERRA:

--We just got a report for AAI Guide Ian McEleney, who was just in Lee Vining. It's in, and there's plenty to do to keep busy. Here is another report (with more pictures!) from a couple weeks ago.

 Classic Curve and Spiral Staircase, Lee Vining, CA. Photo Credit Anastasia Blagoveshchenskaya and Pete Guagliardo .

--Despite the recent snowfall, it seems the Buttermilks are dry...Click here. 

--For up-to-date avalanche and weather reports in the Eastern Sierra, click here. Avy conditions are still considerable in some areas.

--Webcams for Bishop, June Lake, Mammoth Mountain, Mono Lake, Tioga Pass.

--Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are now required seven days per week when the cables are up. This is an interim measure to increase safety along the cables while the park develops a long-term plan to manage use on the Half Dome Trail.  A maximum of 400 permits will be issued each of these days (300 of these permits are available to day hikers).  To read more, click here.

ALASKA RANGE:

--Conditions in the range are not currently available.  But we are taking reservations for both Alaska Range Ascents and Denali trips.  To learn more, click here.  We will begin regular conditions reports in the Alaska Range in late April.

ALPS:


--Chamonix and Mont Blanc Regional Forecasts may be found here.

--Webcams for Chamonix Valley, Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

UIAA Gear Testing Videos

Some time ago, we posted a video of a carabiner strength test. The video was very popular and we got to see a press destroy a carabiner! Videos of gear breaking are always engaging. As a result, today we have posted a few more climbing gear testing videos from the UIAA. These are both terrifying and a lot of fun all at the same time!







--Jason D. Martin

Viva Chile!

The stream below us
Less than four weeks had gone by since I had first arrived and I was rushing to meet "Red" downstairs. Two days prior he had said on the phone that in order to beat the Santiago crowd we'd have to leave early, which was fine to me because I wanted to beat the hot sun as best as we could. I figured he'd have me meet at the end of one of the subway lines at 7am so that we

Backclipping!

Backclipping is one of the most common mistakes that beginning level leaders make. This is the process of misclipping a quickdraw so that the rope does not run smoothly out of the top of the carabiner, but instead runs behind the gate. If a leader falls with the rope clipped in such an orientation, it is possible that the rope could become unclipped.

This diagram from Spadout.com shows an incorrectly clipped rope
and how it may become unclipped in the event of a fall. Click on the photo for a larger image.

This image from Greatoutdoors.com shows the proper way that a rope should be clipped.
Note that the rope runs out of the top of the carabiner and over the spine.

It is quite common for those that are learning -- and even some of those that have been climbing for a long time -- not to recognize a backclipped carabiner. It is important for both leaders and belayers alike to be able to easily recognize an incorrectly clipped draw. It is also important to quickly correct this once it is recognized.

One of the best ways to avoid backclipping is to practice the art of clipping a rope into a draw. Climbers should be able to do this with both hands, regardless of the direction of the gate. This is a great technique to practice while vegging in front of the television. If you can wire it at home, then your muscles will remember how to do it and will do it right.

The following video provides a quick lesson on clipping a rope to a draw. Be sure to obtain real instruction from a live person before doing this in an environment that has consequences...



--Jason D. Martin

Janurary and February Climbing Events

-- Jan 6-9 -- Ouray, CO -- Ouray Ice Fest

-- Jan 7 -- Golden, CO -- AAC Sun Valley Dinner

-- Jan 15-16 -- Green Bay, WI -- Ice Pit Festival 

-- Jan 17 -- Seattle, WA -- Denali NP Open House Meeting On Climbing Fees

-- Jan 18 -- Golden, CO -- Denali NP Open House Meeting On Climbing Fees

-- Jan 11-25 -- Tanzania -- Climb to Fight Breast Cancer

-- Jan 13 -- Seattle, WA -- Travel Medicine Seminar 

-- Jan 14 -- Nevada City, CA --  Wild and Scenic Film Festival

-- Jan 22 -- Bellingham, WA -- Northwest Collegiate Climbing Challenge (WWU)

-- Jan 27 -- Seattle, WA -- Altitude Illness Seminar

-- Jan 29 -- Truckee, CA --  Lost Trail Lodge Ice Climbing

-- Feb 5 -- Mammoth, CA -- (Ski Mountaineering) Mammoth Chase  

-- Feb 12-13 -- Alpental, WA -- VertFest sponsored by OR

-- Feb 12 -- Seattle, WA -- Northwest Collegiate Climbing Challenge (UW)

-- Feb 26 -- Seattle, WA -- AAC Annual Benefit and Awards Dinner

Weekend Warrior - Videos to Get You Stoked!!

Terrain parks are great, but sometimes overrun by tons of people, with hard icy landings.  Powder landings are awesome, but building the jumps in the backcountry can be difficult and time consuming.  Enter Peter Colombo and Cory Smith, as well as some private land, a great idea, and a snow cat.  These guys built a backcountry terrain park, with hard packed take offs and powder landings.  Needless to say, they had the place to themselves.


Prospecting Idaho #4.5 from smith optics on Vimeo.


I just got a new helmet and a pair of goggles from Smith Optics, and thought I would pay a little tribute to their founder and "original pow slayer," Bob Smith.  The best part of the video is at the end when the narrator suggests commentary for Bob.  "Hey Bob, do those goggles really work?"

"Yeaaaaaaaaaah man!"



Bob Smith is the original pow slayer! from smith optics on Vimeo.

 --Andrew Yasso, Program Coordinator