Northwest:
–The Access Fund is reporting on the need for trail work at Lover’s Leap: “No formal trail system was ever developed for Lover’s Leap, and visiting climbers have created an unstable web of access trails across the mountainside, trampling sensitive vegetation and causing severe erosion in the loose granitic soils. Haphazard belay areas are also crumbling and becoming highly unstable. These issues not only threaten the ecosystem within the Eldorado National Forest, but they frustrate visiting climbers and have potential to hinder emergency response teams who need quick, direct, and stable access to the area.” To read more, click here
Desert Southwest:
–The National Parks Traveler has some tips on how to visit Joshua Tree National Park over the holidays. Check it out, here.
Colorado and Utah:
–The iconic rock gym chain, Brooklyn Boulders, has an uneven relationship with its employees and members of marginalized communities. Some are working to change this. But change is slow and painful. Check out Outside’s article entitled The Battle for Inclusivity at Brooklyn Boulders.
–After a five year closure, Saddleback Mountain Ski Area near Rangeley, Maine has reopened. To read more, click here.
–The Adventure Journal is reporting that, “the first winter ascent of K2 was supposed to be the last great prize in Himalayan alpinism. Now it’s starting to look a bit like a circus. As of today, four expeditions have set their sights on the world’s second-highest mountain this winter, including Seven Summit Trek’s 45-strong commercial expedition. Add to that a pair of elite all-Nepali teams and the trio of Icelander John Snorri Sigurjónsson and his guides, Pakistani winter ace Muhammad Ali Sadpara and his 21-year-old son Sajid, and the so-called Savage Mountain will play host to nearly 60 climbers this winter.” To read more, click here.
–The Reel Rock film everyone is talking about is Black Ice. It’s a film about a group of black gym climbers from South Memphis who go ice climbing in Montana with Conrad Anker. Forbes has just posted an excellent article on the piece.
–Inside Outdoor is reporting that, “Backcountry-related equipment sales in the U.S. grew a staggering 76% in the opening months of this year’s snow season (August through October 2020) compared to the same period last year.” To read more, click here.
–Not to sound too elitist, but if you’re buying your camp stove at Walmart, it’s not that weird that there’s a recall. From SGB Media: “About 20,600 Camp Chef portable stoves are being recalled. According to a statement from the U.S. CPSC, an internal part of the gas regulator component can have a sharp edge that can wear or tear a hole in the seal causing gas to leak out of the top of the regulator, posing a fire hazard. Camp Chef has received 26 reports of gas leaking from regulators. No injuries have been reported.” To read more, click here.