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Rock Climbing News - February 2007
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Tuesday, 27 February 2007
Around sixty rock climbing enthusiast from the Midwest attended the 8th annual Rock Revolution Climbing Competition at the University of Northern Iowa.
UNI's coordinator Andy Martin says students winners will get reward and was judge accroding to their rock climbing abilities. He further explained that everyone should have a good time meeting other climbers, after all this is their goal in organizing this competition.
The climbing wall used in the rock climbing competition was 38 and half feet height with 11 routes of varying degrees in difficulty. There are 3,000 holes in the wall so climbers can take control of their every move.
Visit www.radioiowa.com for more information about this news story.
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Monday, 26 February 2007
Despite the feel-good story of Velvet, the black labrador mix who helped keep three Mount Hood hikers warm and alive, some experts say taking dogs up the mountain for warmth and companionship is a fool hardy practice that could do more harm than good.
"Any sport that requires safety gear, like harnesses, crampons, ice axes and rope, is probably not an appropriate place for a pet dog to be," and could endanger both the dog and owner, said Julie Kittams, a Portland veterinarian for sled dogs in the Iditarod.
Taking a dog on a mountain-climbing expedition, she said, is "like caring for an injured team member. It just hinders your ability to get safely off the mountain."
The dog kept the climbers warm as they were tucked into sleeping bags Sunday night in a whiteout snowstorm at 7,300 feet, about 4,000 feet shy of the summit.
A sheriff declared that the dog saved the hikers' lives, but it was not clear whether they took the dog along for anything more than companionship.
Kittams said dogs, with body temperature between 99.8 and 101 degrees, can provide warmth in some situations, such as a sled race. But she cautioned against thinking of them as an emergency source of heat.
"If there's a crisis, it's not unheard of for a musher to snuggle up with the pack," Kittams said. "I still wouldn't advocate that as a reason to take a dog along on a mountain-climbing expedition."
The rescue prompted climbers to chatter on mountaineering Web sites such as cascadiaclimbers.com about the wisdom of bringing a dog on an expedition. Climbers noted that some dogs are bred for snowy environments, but other hikers wondered about potential risks for the animals.
"I've got a dog myself. I take her skiing, and I take her rock climbing," said Steve Rollins, a veteran Hood climber and a leader of Portland Mountain Rescue, the outfit whose volunteers brought the three climbers out on Monday. "I think the south side of Mount Hood is pushing the envelope."
But, Rollins said, every mountain situation and each dog is different. He said he's taken his dog to the top of 12,276-foot Mount Adams, in Washington State, where the climb does not demand as much skill and equipment.
Velvet's owner, Matty Bryant, did not respond to requests for an interview Tuesday.
David Lytle, spokesman for the Oregon Humane Society, said he doubted the publicity surrounding the rescue would lead more climbers to bring dogs. Given the injuries Velvet suffered, he said, "I would expect that it would be just the opposite."
Velvet suffered cuts and scrapes on her feet from exposure to the snow and went home with bandages, antibiotics and pain medication. She was expected to make a full recovery.
Check www.businessportal24.com
Thursday, 22 February 2007
Trevor Liston saw one friend, and then a second, then a third disappear over an icy ledge on Mount Hood. A black Labrador mix plunged over as well. That left Liston and four others wondering what had h appened to their companion’s _ two women and a man. They used a rope to lower one of their climbing parties over the edge, trying to spot the trio. But there was no sign of the three.
So the five remaining climbers decided to use a cell phone to call rescue authorities and ask for help as a snowstorm raged and winds howled at up to 70 mph.
The climbers' fall was the start of yet another drama on Oregon's highest mountain, one that had a happy ending Monday as rescuers reached the three who had slid about 500 feet.
All three, plus Velvet the 4-year-old dog, who had been clipped to a rope the trio of climbers had used, were transported off the 11,239-foot mountain Monday afternoon, accompanied by their rescuers.
"I'm really glad they were there for us. They did an incredible job. They were amazing," said Matty Bryant, one of the three climbers, thanking rescuers.
"We're soaking wet and freezing," said one of two rescued women as she walked from a tracked snow vehicle to an ambulance. After the three got in, Velvet leapt in after them.
The rescuers credited the group's rescue to two things, one low-tech and one high-tech: Velvet, who offered warmth as the three climbers huddled overnight, and the activation of a radio transmitter the size of a sunglasses case that helped rescuers to the group.
"The most important part of this rescue is that they did everything right," said Lt. Nick Watt of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
Liston, who described himself as a veteran of Mount Hood climbs, said those in the party of eight had experience either rock climbing or mountaineering.
They'd known about the Mount Hood disaster that left three climbers dead in December. But Liston said that wasn't the reason the group decided to bring Mountain Locator Units, devices that can send out electronic signals to rescuers.
"We've been up on the mountain for many years," Liston said. "With the group we were going up with this time, we just wanted another extra level of security, just in case something happened, especially with winter conditions."
In addition to Bryant, 34, a teacher in the Portland suburb of Milwaukie, the rescued climbers included Kate Hanlon, 34, a teacher in the suburb of Wilsonville.
The other woman, whose name was not released, was being treated for a head injury in Portland, said Jim Strovink, spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office.
"She's going to be fine," he said, noting that she had walked most of the way down the mountain.
Velvet, owned by Bryant, had minor cuts and abrasions on her back feet and legs caused by prolonged exposure to the snow. She was cleared to go home.
"The dog probably saved their lives" by lying across them during the cold night, said Erik Brom, a member of the Portland Mountain Rescue team.
As the group started out on Saturday, the weather was clear and Velvet was leading the way, Liston said. "She looked back every once in awhile to make sure we were OK."
They planned to scale the mountain the next morning. But a storm started moving in. On Sunday, they started their descent with high winds and blowing snow making for perilous going.
"You had no visual reference around you to determine if you were going up or down," Liston said. "You could make out a climber at 30 feet at best."
After the three climbers fell, the remaining five made a distress call and hunkered down in a snow cave. Searchers brought the main group down to Timberline Lodge on Sunday evening.
Liston said he felt that he and his climbing companions were well-equipped for climbing Mount Hood in the winter, bringing with them cell phones, Global Positioning System gear and the beacons.
"We'd been in those conditions up on this mountain before," he said. "We've walked out in whiteouts before. We didn't know it was going to be that bad. But we were prepared that it might be snowing and blowing."
Liston said he understands critics who say people climbing Mount Hood during the winter are putting not only their own lives at risk, but also the lives of rescuers dispatched when something goes wrong.
"It's a kind of delicate balance," he said, "about doing winter climbing, and pushing some of those limits, and not doing it, and only climbing in the summer in shorts and T-shirts.
"It's kind of a point of pride you might say for a lot of climbers, that you can take care of yourself out there."
Still, Liston said, "Things happen."
Check www.businessportal24.com
Tuesday, 20 February 2007
A thirty year old teacher from Denver will scale Mount Everest to encourage more children to exercise. He plans to send mails, blogs and videos to classroom while on the mountain. The goal of the exped ition is to get children to run or walk 5.5 miles, the height of Mount Everest.
Mike Haugen is a former Stillson Elementary student and moved to Ohio at the age of twelve. He took rock climbing classes at the age of 16 under his mentor Andy Politz who was part of the party who found the body of the famous explorer George Leigh Mallory.
Haugen is climbing the 5.5-mile mountain along with his buddy, Casey Grom of Ohio. They’ll leave the U.S. on March 17 for the climb in May. They both plan to go up Everest's south side leaving from Nepal and will be using climbing equipment from The Coleman Company where Haugen works as and ambassador and field tester.
Visit www.chippewa.com for more information about this news story.
Saturday, 17 February 2007
A twenty year old New Mexico Tech student died in San Lorenzo Canyon after he fell 70 feet from a steep precipice while climbing. San Lorenzo is a popular hiking and outdoor recreation area about 12 mi les north of Socorro, New Mexico.
Michael Hogan who worked at the Tech Computer Center was with his fellow students when the incident happened at about one o'clock in the morning. Hogan was on track to graduate in May 2008 with a bachelor's of science degree in computer science.
Prayers were extended to his family by friends and colleagues. According to the people close to him, he died doing what he loves to do - rock climbing.
Visit www.observer-online.com for more information about this news story.
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