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Conditions and News

Climbing and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad – 8/5/21

American Alpine Institute
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Olympics:
–Early this morning, the men’s combined finished, and the medals were awarded:

  • Alberto Gines Lopez (SPA) – Gold
  • Nathaniel Coleman (USA) – Silver
  • Jakob Schubert (AUS) – Bronze
Screen Shot 2021 08 05 at 8.25.52 AM

Sierra:

Here’s an older rescue story about a guy who got hit by a rock while bivying on El Cap. This piece covers the rock hitting Matthew Alexander, rupturing his orbital lobe and exposing his brain, and the following rescue.

Colorado and Utah:

–Snowbrains is reporting on the closure of I-70: “Implications from the Grizzly Creek Fire are still being felt today and are impacting commerce, tourism, and residential living in Colorado. Constant rainfall has led to the ‘rainiest July in 10 years’ in many parts of Colorado, and in turn, there have been countless mudslides, especially in Glenwood Canyon on the burn scar of the Grizzly Fire. ‘There are areas that are under 10 feet or more of mud at this point,’ said Governor Polis, and he does not expect the Interstate to be fully functioning again until ski season.” To read more, click here.

Notes from All Over:

–A female climber suffered a 20-foot fall followed by serious injuries at Summerville’s Lake, West Virginia. There is currently limited information about the fall. To read more, click here.
–The International Olympic Committee has announced that ski mountaineering will be an event starting in 2026! To read more, click here.
–From Gear Junkie: “The portal between worlds has opened; a global celebrity will officially produce a primetime TV show about rock climbing. If you’re a rock climber (or a celebrity) and you never thought this would happen, well, the future is now. Jason Momoa joins forces with Chris Sharma to introduce The Climb, which will air in eight episodes on HBO Max. In its official description, the streaming service even sounds like Sharma: ‘a visually arresting and life-changing adventure that represents the foundations of rock climbing and the exploration of the human spirit.'” To read more, click here.
–Outside is reporting that, “fifty-two days, eight hours, and twenty-five minutes. As of Thursday evening, that’s the record Timothy Olson appears to have beat running from border to border, Mexico to Canada, on the Pacific Crest Trail. Once Olson’s own time is confirmed, he will have completed the PCT faster than anyone ever before. According to his Instagram account, his unconfirmed time is 51 days, 16 hours, and 55 minutes.” To read more, click here.
–And finally, this looks really good:

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