Bronco

Pretty great, the force is strong in this one.

The North Peak of Index is a proud outing. One of the difficult 10 if you didn't know and now you have first hand route details for going back for the full traverse.

For clarification, it's my understanding they were climbing the glacier route on Silver Star and fell in the area of Chianti Spire. I'm a mountain rescue volunteer and don't have any problem with them requesting a rescue. Falls like that can cause internal injuries that may not be apparent. Live streaming the rescue is totally inappropriate and should result in a loss of phone privileges for a minimum of two weeks and no TV after dinner.

My takeaway is don't get complacent if you're not the team leader or you're just less experienced than your partners. Research the routes, know the descent and if you have concerns, speak up. I wonder what compelled this group to intentionally plan to descend the climbing route (the day before) instead of the standard descent that did have fixed anchors.

Great timing catching the avalanche! 👍

Awesome, thanks for posting!

Awesome, that's a good day in the alpine!

Someone on FB linked this go fund me page for one of the climbers. RIP. https://www.spotfund.com/story/f2174a23-36a7-4434-bf55-853dce5d17af?fbclid=IwY2xjawKQmSxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFxdHdMcjI4N3VEakpZSmN0AR6AS8Hodhucn9wrKe56lQ9ozehQodGwuPuueXkVs6vLvtpmpnYOnX38S1Ogfg_aem_wqvs2a2IOK7RronyZfN5sQ

Holy cow that was hilarious!

Hopefully some Washington Pass action once the snow melts a bit and plantar fasciitis/achilles tendonitis heals up.

More evidence that boomers ruin everything for the youngsters. How's this kid supposed to be the youngest to climb anything now?

Nice write up and Showa 282-02's for the win!

I wonder how this will affect NCNP permitting this summer. Self issue? No enforcement? Will it be overrun with social media content dorks? Might be a busy summer for SAR.

Nice, congrats on completion of the Difficult 10!

Congrats Jason!

So, what's up with the new helmet? I always appreciated your old clunker in photos....

At least you're not in snowshoes! Nice report!

Saw some climbers coming off of Goat Wall near Mazama. Sounds like some of those climbs are in.

https://methowvalleynews.com/2025/01/16/feds-announce-new-plan-for-grizzly-bear-recovery-in-west/ Feds announce new plan for grizzly bear recovery in West JANUARY 16, 2025 BY ANN MCCREARY Map courtesy of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a new approach to promoting grizzly bear recovery in the Western states, managing them as one population in a large area. Propose ‘landscape-scale’ management Grizzly bears will be protected in western states under a “new and comprehensive approach to grizzly bear recovery” announced last week by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The federal wildlife agency proposal retains the bears’ designation as a threatened species, and manages them as one population in a large geographic area that encompasses all of Washington state and large parts of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The new approach is a significant change from a decades-old practice of managing bears as separate populations in six areas designated as “recovery zones” — including one in the North Cascades, which currently has no known grizzly bears. In announcing its proposal on Jan. 8, FWS also rejected petitions that had been submitted by the states of Montana and Wyoming seeking to remove federal protections for grizzly bears and turn management over to the states. Instead, the agency chose to pursue a landscape-scale management approach for grizzly bears in the lower 48 states. The proposal would classify grizzly bears as a “distinct population segment” that includes the six recovery zones and additional areas where suitable habitat exists and where grizzly bears currently reside or are expected to become established as populations recover. As part of the reclassification, FWS also proposed revising regulations protecting bears, providing more flexibility to agencies involved in research and management, and to landowners experiencing conflict with bears. The flexibility, provided through a “4(d) rule,” includes actions like deterrence, capture and relocation, or shooting bears in specific instances, such as during attacks on livestock or working dogs. “This reclassification will facilitate recovery of grizzly bears and provide a stronger foundation for eventual delisting,” said Martha Williams, FWS director. “And the proposed changes to our 4(d) rule will provide management agencies and landowners more tools and flexibility to deal with human/bear conflicts, an essential part of grizzly bear recovery.” Removed protections In designating the distinct population segment boundaries, FWS also removed protections outside those boundaries in the lower 48 states, “where grizzly bears do not occur and are not expected to inhabit in the future,” FWS said. Grizzlies have been listed as a threatened species throughout all the lower 48 states since 1975. A distinct population segment is defined under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) as a population of vertebrates that is discrete from other populations of the species and significant to the species as a whole. FWS said the new management approach is warranted because grizzly bears are moving between populations in recovery zones “indicating recovery zones are no longer discrete” and grizzly bear distribution “has significantly expanded.” This increased movement of bears between recovery areas “demonstrates the remarkable success of conservation and management efforts” by federal, state and tribal agencies “and private landowners, who support coexistence with grizzly bears,” FWS said in a Q&A section on its website. As a result of conservation and management efforts, the population of grizzly bears has grown from a few hundred bears when they were listed as threatened 40 years ago to more than 2,000 today, FWS said. Recovery of small and extirpated populations, like the North Cascades, “relies on contributions from high resilient populations,” FWS said. “Maintaining all recovery zones together in one DPS (distinct population segment) will increase the speed of recovery in remaining ecosystems and the overall viability of grizzly bears, increasing the likelihood of successfully delisting the entire DPS by addressing the species’ recovery needs as a whole.” North Cascades implications Plans are underway to relocate grizzly bears from the Rocky Mountain area to the North Cascades — one of the six recovery zones — in an effort to restore bears to their historic habitat in mountains near the Methow Valley. As part of the North Cascades recovery plan approved last year by FWS, after years of study, bears in the North Cascades are designated a “nonessential experimental population.” That’s a designation provided under the ESA for a group of threatened or endangered species that are restored in an area that is geographically isolated from other populations. The grizzly bear recovery plan for the North Cascades includes a rule, called 10(j), that provides management options like deterrence, relocation or even killing bears, much like those just announced for the larger distinct population segment. However, there is a difference in the way the management rules for bears in the North Cascades and the larger population of grizzly bears will be applied, explained Andrew Lavalle, public affairs specialist with FWS. “Flexibilities under the proposed 4(d) rule are tied to the recovery status of a given population, meaning certain actions may only be allowed if the population meets specific recovery goals. In contrast, the North Cascades 10(j) rule provides these flexibilities regardless of the population’s recovery status,” Lavalle said. Additionally, federal agencies are not required to consult with FWS about actions that could impact bears in the North Cascades, while consultation would be required in other areas within the distinct population segment boundaries, Lavalle said. Legal challenges The decision to maintain federal protections for grizzly bears was applauded by the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation organization that advocates for grizzly bear recovery. “With ongoing federal protections, grizzlies in the Northern Rocky Mountains and North Cascades will have a real change at long-term recovery, instead of being gunned down and mounted on trophy walls,” said Andrea Zaccardi of the Center. However, Zaccardi criticized the proposed rule that would permit bears to be killed in more situations than is currently allowed for threatened species under the ESA, for example, by property owners when bears attack livestock or dogs. “While grizzlies won’t be killed by state-sponsored trophy hunts, I’m concerned that their recovery will be harmed as more bears die at the hands of the livestock industry,” Zaccardi said. She also criticized FWS for not including in the distinct population segment boundaries places like California and Colorado, “where the bears once lived and abundant habitat remains.” FWS has previously attempted to delist bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, declaring the population recovered in 2007 and in 2017. Both times the decision was challenged by conservation groups and overturned in federal court — in the latter case just before a state-approved grizzly bear hunting season was set to open in Wyoming. FWS is under court ordered settlement agreement with the state of Idaho requiring the service to complete an evaluation of grizzly bear listing in the lower 48 states by January 2026. The announcement last week is part of fulfilling that agreement, FWS said. “Courts have urged the Service to consider the interconnectedness of grizzly bear populations. This revision incorporates lessons learned from prior litigation while balancing the need for management flexibility with implementing conservation measures. The goal is to achieve the species’ long-term, durable recovery and eventual delisting,” FWS said. Public comment period A 60-day public comment period on the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed grizzly bear distinct population segment designation and the 4(d) management rule will open on Jan. 15, after publication in the Federal Register. For information on the proposed rule and how to participate in the public comment process, visit the project webpage: www.fws.gov/grizzlyrulemaking. A final rule is expected by January 2026. FWS has also scheduled public meetings in Missoula, MT on Jan. 28, Coeur d’Alene, ID on Jan. 29, a virtual meeting on Jan. 30, and Cody, WY on Feb. 10. More information is on the website.

Careful man, that log looks to be under quite a bit of tension and large enough to do some damage!

This one is highly recommended. All of these come with the caveat of needing low avalanche danger forecast which happens to coincide with good climbing conditions (firm snow).

I did a little googling yesterday and found there's an entire sub-reddit dedicated to "unsolved true crime" that this came up in. Part of a larger conspiracy of course.

Thanks for bumping this, very inspiriting Monday morning shoulder season read.

Anyone know if the incoming administration has taken a position on this?