Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 1/5/12

The mountains can be a dangerous place.


This week we have five avalanche fatalities to report in the United States and Canada. It's that time of year when the snowpack isn't always stable. It's very important to become familiar with the dangers posed on a given slope, but it is also important to be aware of the "blue skies" trap, in other words, the how-could-anything-bad-happen-on-such-a-beautiful-day trap.  If you haven't taken an avalanche course, then this is something that you should seriously consider prior to spending time in the winter backcountry.  But even if you do take a course, sometimes the mountains are hiding dangers that can't be foreseen.

The mountains can be a dangerous place...

All of these fatalities were horrific and will leave terrible holes in communities and in families. But this week's ranger fatality was different. An act of nature didn't take the 34-year-old mother of two away from us. Instead, it was an unbalanced individual.

Was there a way to predict the danger that this individual posed? Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not an expert on mental illness or PTSD.  I just know that this wasn't right and that this wasn't fair.

The mountains can be a dangerous place...but we shouldn't have to worry about something like this...

Northwest:

Park Ranger Margaret Anderson was killed on Sunday.

She is survived by her husband and two young daughters.

--Park Ranger Margaret Anderson was shot and killed during a traffic stop on New Years Day in Mount Rainier National Park by a mentally disturbed Iraq War veteran. The suspect, Benjamin Colton Barns, fled the scene of the shooting and attempted to hide out on Mount Rainier.  The following day, the man's body was found in Paradise Creek a short near Narada Falls. It appears that Barns was involved in another shooting earlier in the day.  To read more, click here and here and here and here.

--On Tuesday, a stress management team was sent to Mount Rainier National Park to help the staff deal with the loss while returning to normal operations. To read more, click here.

--There is some conversation taking place on CascadeClimbers.com about a possible memorial climb that would raise money for the Anderson children. To read more, click here.

--The tragedy on Mount Rainier underscores a little-known fact about the country's national parks and national forests: these landscapes are also home to some of the highest rates of assault on law enforcement. To read more, click here.

--Information about donations for Ranger Anderson's children may be found here.

--This individual's team was near Reflection Lake when the ranger was shot.  Their story about the incident from their -- at the time -- completely uninformed perspective is terrifying and well worth reading. 

--A warm spell and heavy, wet snow are creating a risk of avalanches in western Canada, including one that killed a backcountry skier, officials said Friday. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Staff Sgt. Alex Boden said a man in his 30s from Whistler, British Columbia, was critically injured in a Thursday afternoon slide near Pemberton. To read more, click here and here.

--The man who died while heli-skiing on Friday near Revelstoke, B.C., was a married father of three. Ronald Greg Sheardown, 45, was in a group of 11 skiers on their sixth run of the day in the backcountry 32 kilometres southeast of Revelstoke when RCMP say the group triggered an avalanche. To read more, click here.

--A skier at the Revelstoke Mountain Resort experienced a near miss after triggering an avalanche during a run last Thursday afternoon at the B.C. Interior ski facility. Approximately 12:50 pm, the Revelstoke RCMP responded to a report of an avalanche being triggered by a skier in the “Thumbs Up” Greely Bowl area of Mt Mackenzie north side. To read more, click here.

--A Montana-based watchdog group is suing the U.S. Forest Service and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Supervisor Rob Iwamoto.  Wilderness Watch alleges that, under Iwamoto's direction, the Forest Service violated the federal Wilderness Act and National Environmental Policy Act when it built a new lookout atop Green Mountain in the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area east of Darrington. To read more, click here.

--Oregon State Police, with the help of an anonymous tip reported to the Crime Stoppers program, recovered a trail construction machine and a trailer stolen in late November from LL. "Stub" Stewart State Park. The investigation is continuing and a suspect has been identified but not charged. To read more, click here.

Sierra:

--A Florida skier has sued the owner of Heavenly Mountain Resort on Lake Tahoe's south shore, claiming she was seriously injured when an employee on a snowboard crashed into her last year. To read more, click here.

--On the morning of Wednesday, December 28th, 2011, at approximately 10:30, Mono County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch received a call regarding a downed paraglider in the area of the Mono Craters. Kern Barta, age 45, of Truckee, CA, was paragliding with a group of friends above the west aspect of the craters when he collided with the steep terrain. To read more, click here.

-The Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives.  They commit to search and rescue activities throughout the year in the Sierra.seEach year, the Team honors members for their individual excellence and public service. The rescue member of the yearis Rick Dodson.  Rick serves the Team as Equipment Officer, Board of Directors member, and has participated in 51 team events in 2011, including 14 field missions. To read more, click here.

Desert Southwest:

--The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the body of a hiker was found last Wednesday near Sedona. The man, 21-year-old Mahdi Harrizi, had called his mother on Tuesday and claimed to be stuck on a cliff. To read more, click here.

--A hiker was injured in Red Rock Canyon last Thursday. It appears that he broke his ankle in Pine Creek Canyon. He was short-hauled by a helicopter to the road where he was evacuated to the hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery. To read more, click here.

Alaska:

--The American Alpine Institute only has six positions left for people interested in climbing Denali in 2012.  To read more, click here.

--Lonnie Dupre, the arctic explorer on his second attempt at Denali in the winter, is currently at 14,000 feet.  He took a rest day yesterday and is looking for a weather window to make a quick ascent to the top of the mountain. To read more, click here.

--The National Park Service will begin charging per head Sunday, not per vehicle, to enter Denali National Park and Preserve.  After reviewing public comments, the park service has decided to eliminate a $20-per-vehicle entrance fee and instead will charge a flat $10-per-person entrance fee for visitors age sixteen and older. That means a vehicle with four adults in it will have to pay $40 instead of $20 to get into the park. To read more, click here.

Himalaya:

Mount Everest

Photo by Guy Cotter

--No mountain captures the popular imagination like Everest. The world's highest peak, towering out of the Himalayas, has frequently proved deadly. The most famous of the mountain's victims was the first Englishman to attempt a climb: George Mallory. In the early 1920s Mallory took part in the first three expeditions up Everest, dying on his third attempt. Wade Davis, chronicles these expeditions in his new book, Into the Silence, which links the team's hardiness and appetite for risk and adventure to their experiences in the trenches of World War I. To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

--Three separate avalanches caused the deaths of a skier and two snowmobilers Saturday and Sunday in Montana. To read more, click here.

--The Colorado Avalanche Information Center has issued an avalanche warning for Colorado's backcountry after a telemark skier triggered a large avalanche near Berthoud Pass on Sunday.  Reports indicate that the skier, only identified as Matt from Fraser Valley, nearly died when his entire body, except for his head, was buried under snow from a three-hundred foot-wide avalanche that pushed the skier 400 feet downward. To read more, click here.

--New York Mets Pitcher, Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey is planning an ascent of Kilimanjaro in order to raise money for Bombay Teen Challenge, which helps victims of sex trafficking in India. This is a noble cause, but we still can't help snickering a little bit about his strange and useless training regimen, which includes jogging with a mask on to simulate high altitude. He would be more comfortable and better prepared if he just jogged. To see photos and to read a story about the ascent in the Wall Street Journal, click here.

--A hiker and his dog were nearly killed when the dog fell down a steep slope in Lake View Terrace, near Los Angeles. The hiker attempted to climb down the hill to rescue the dog, but quickly became stuck.  Watch the following video to see dramatic footage of the rescue. To read more, click here.



--2011 was a dangerous year in grizzly country: Two hikers lost their lives in separate maulings in Yellowstone National Park and 10 people were attacked by the majestic bears across the West. To read more, click here.