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 Off-Road Trail Proposed for Indian Creek
The BLM is considering a plan to create an OHV (Off-Highway Vehicle) trail in Indian Creek, Utah, that would pass through the popular Creek Pasture campground. Here are excerpts from a note about the trail posted at the Friends of Indian Creek's Facebook page: "The BLM Office in Monticello has released an Environmental Assessment that analyzes a proposed OHV trail in the Indian Creek area. The Friends of Indian Creek generally does not like to take a stance against other user groups unless their actions will specifically impact our climbing experience. In this case we feel it will."  The Camp 4 Wine Cafe
Modesto, California, is about two and a half hours from Yosemite Valley, but it's a lot closer in spirit, thanks to a local wine bar with a surprising heritage. The Camp 4 Wine Cafe is owned by Damon Robbins, son of the Yosemite legend Royal Robbins, and it operates out of the building that housed the first outlet store of the Royal Robbins clothing company. The younger Robbins grew up in Modesto and entered the restaurant business in San Francisco after going to college in Colorado.  Banff Announces 2011 Film and Book Winners
The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival has announced its 2011 winners. The grand prize for films went to the movie Cold (preview below), which features the first winter ascent of Gasherbrum II in Pakistan with Cory Richards, Simone Moro, and Denis Urubko. From Forge Motion Pictures and producter/director Anson Fogel: "For the past 26 years, 16 expeditions have tried and failed to climb one of Pakistan's 8,000-meter peaks in winter. On February 2, 2011, Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and Cory Richards became the first."  Two Attempts on Twins Tower
To my mind, one of the coolest things that happened this year in North American alpinism was a pair of failures. The Canadian climber Jason Kruk attempted the legendary north face of Twins Tower in the Rockies twice, in the spring and the fall, getting high on the route both times. An obsession was hatched: If conditions and partners align, Kruk will be back next spring. This mile-high wall of limestone on the cold flank of North Twin, the third-highest peak in the Rockies, has only been climbed three times in 37 years, each by a different line, and each an epic.  Jorgeson Sidelined on Dawn Wall Project
Bummer! Shortly after beginning this fall's efforts on the Dawn Wall, the multi-year project of Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson to create El Capitan's hardest free climb, Jorgeson badly injured his ankle and began hobbling around on crutches. Jorgeson smashed his ankle late last week during his first attempt at the huge horizontal dyno on the 15th pitch (5.14+); a visit to the doctor revealed "severe ligament damage."  Anchor Ban Proposed for Many Alaskan Crags
Attention Climbers: The May 2011 Draft Chugach State Park Draft Management Plan has recommended "permanent rock anchors" be prohibited in Chugach State Park (CSP). If the proposed ban is not stopped then all technical climbing within CSP will essentially be banned. Given the poor rock quality and lack of natural protection in Chugach rock, permanent anchors are a necessity for climbers’ safety. Likewise, permanent rappel anchors are needed on any technical mountaineering, ice, or rock route that lacks a walk off descent.  World Cup in Boulder Just Days Away
The first Lead World Cup to be held on U.S. soil in more than 20 years is almost upon us! This Saturday, 67 of climbing's best athletes from 14 countries will descend on Movement Climbing + Fitness in Boulder, Colorado, in one of the last Lead World Cups to be held in 2011. (There will be four more after this weekend, two in France, one in Slovenia, and one in Spain.) This is pretty huge news, as you've probably seen on pro blogs, Climbing's Facebook, and extensive ads by major U.S. climbing comps, USA Climbing, and the International Federation of Sport Climbing.  Gear We Like: Omega Pacific Dash Biners
I've been adding more and more micro-carabiners to my rack, mostly for racking cams and for the free biners I carry on slings... and especially when I'm doing long approaches into the mountains. And of all the micro-biners I've tried, my favorite is the Omega Pacific Dash with the new Infinity wire gate. The Dash, which was introduced in 2009 and is named after the late Micah Dash, isn't the lightest or smallest biner on the market, but I find it the easiest to handle of all the mini-biners I've tried.  '60 Minutes' to Feature Honnold
"Daredevil scales 1,600-foot rock wall without ropes." That's the headline CBS news uses to describe Alex Honnold's free solo of the Chouinard-Herbert (5.11+, 15 pitches) on the Sentinel in Yosemite. "60 Minutes" filmed the climb, which they'll be airing this Sunday, October 2, at 7 p.m. ET. Back in June, Honnold soloed CH right after soloing The Phoenix, which is the world's first recorded 5.13.  YOSAR Saves Climber (and Thumb)
Three days ago, Yosemite Search and Rescue pulled off an impressive rescue on El Capitan after an Austrian climber took a fall and severed his thumb (his aid sling pinched it off). Thanks to El Cap Report's Tom Evans (read about ECR's comeback here), who witnessed the event from his post on the El Cap Bridge, photos are available for viewing here.  Canadian Guide Stalked by Grizzly
Prominent Canmore guide and alpinist Barry Blanchard narrowly avoided a confrontation with a grizzly bear on Monday in Banff National Park. Blanchard was taking a Japanese client to climb the north glacier of Mt. Aberdeen when they encountered a grizzly bear below the Mt. Fairview Trail. Blanchard and his client backed off slowly and used a firm tone to talk to the bear (click here to watch a funny video on surviving a bear attack with the crew at Backpacker—it may or may not involve an intern in a bear suit).  24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell Sees Another Successful Year
About 250 climbers gathered last weekend to participate in one of the country's most popular climbing events: 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch, Arkansas. Competitors climb for 24 hours straight on sandstone, trying to amass as many routes as possible. Brent Perkins and Nate Drolete on Team Petzl took top honors this year, climbing 205 routes, with the hardest line being 5.12d, totaling 56,370 points. However, no one topped Alex Honnold's 2010 score of 32,850.  El Cap Report Makes Comeback
After three months of inactivity, Yosemite photographer Tom Evans is bringing his popular El Cap Reports back, thanks to the organization Friends of YOSAR. Back in June, fans of the site—which provides daily detailed updates on the parties climbing El Cap, along with fantastic mega-telephoto images shot from the El Cap Bridge—were disappointed when Evans announced that he would be shutting down business due to the heavy time restraints the site requires.  New Management Plan for Black Canyon
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park has posted its proposed Wilderness and Backcountry Management Plan for public review. The new plan could impact climbing in the 2,000-foot-deep canyon in south-central Colorado, home to classic routes like The Scenic Cruise and Stratosfear. Proposed regulations include limits on new fixed anchors in the main climbing areas of the canyon, and a possible outright ban on bolts in "pristine" areas of the park.  Tributes to Bonatti
When Walter Bonatti died on September 13, at age 81, it was hard to know what to say. Few climbers have been so far ahead of their time, setting the standard in so many disciplines: alpine rock (the east face of Grand Capucin and a solo new route on the Petit Dru); winter alpinism (first winter ascent of the north face of the Grandes Jorasses and a solo new route in winter on the north face of the Matterhorn), and extreme high-altitude mountaineering (first ascent of mighty Gasherbrum IV).
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