Aug 24, 2011 3:14pm Daring heli-sling rescue
BANFF, Alberta – two mountain climbers were plucked off a mountain in Yoho National Park in what the Rocky Mountain Outlook says is believed to be the highest helicopter sling rescue in the history of the national parks of the Canadian Rockies.
The elevation was 3,567-meters, or 11,700 feet. but that wasn’t the hard part, said Steve Holeczi. “It’s not so much the altitude, but there’s strong winds up high, and for (pilot Lance Cooper) to be able to pinpoint the location and put me on a very narrow ridge is not easy.”
The two climbers had climbed the South Tower of Mount Goodsir, one of the highest peaks in British Columbia, then bivouacked. The pair had intended to traverse the Goodsir peaks, but found they were unable to go back down what they had climbed, nor could they find anchors for rappels. At that point they used a satellite beacon called a SPOT to summon rescuers.
Local food movement in the news
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. – The local-food movement is all over the news in mountain towns of the West, even those with short, short summers.
In Breckenridge, elevation 2,900-metres, several parties are working together to create a community garden. “The Breckenridge community has said it’s important to them,” said Kim DiLallo-Dykstra, spokeswoman for the town government.
Fourteen kilometres away at Frisco, a celebration of local food-growing is being held this week, reports the Summit Daily News. The community already has a garden with 40 outdoor plots, where lettuce, peas, broccoli and other cool-weather crops are grown. a greenhouse provides a suitable climate for zucchini, basil, tomatoes and other vegetables that demand warmer temperatures than ordinarily found at 9,000 feet.
Also at about 2,700-metres in elevation, the dude ranch called Devil’s Thumb Ranch, located near Winter Park, has a strong focus on regional food sourcing. Evan Treadwill, the new executive chef, most recently was in California, where he started his career during the first regional “farm to table” movement 20 years ago. Finding local meats is somewhat easier than other foods, he tells the Sky-Hi News. that said, leafy-green spinach found a few miles away at Granby meets part of the bill.
And from Ketchum, Idaho, comes news about a new business model, in which a variety of producers deliver goods to the Ketchum-Sun Valley area. The model creates a critical mass, explains the Idaho Mountain Express, for producers of local, or at least regional, produce, meat and other products.
“This way, you can get this super-healthy, super-fresh and super-local food in front of more people,” said Lynea Newcomer, general manager of Idaho’s Bounty. but while she does concede at least a slight mark-up of costs, she does not believe the mark-up to be 30 per cent that was reported in the Express.
Is fracking safe ?
ASPEN, Colo. – no doubt about it – the safety of hydraulic fracturing is on trial. The technique, usually just called fracking, uses primarily water and sand to break up sandstone formations underground in order to allow tiny amounts of natural gas to escape into collecting pipes.
But do drillers really know what they’re doing? That’s been the big question for several years as drillers, using fracking and other techniques, have moved to tap the giant resources of natural gases everywhere from British Columbia to Pennsylvania.
The most basic question is how safe is fracking? Drillers have been using scores of chemicals, mostly in tiny quantities, to aid in the escape of gas. that has led to concerns about whether the chemicals could be leaking out of the geological formations deep underground.
Drilling engineers, geologists and others scoff that claims of contamination have all been proven false, even after hundreds of thousands of “fracks.” but, because of coverage in the New York Times and a movie called Gasland that premiered at Telluride last year, much of the public is unpersuaded.
“Public perception is a huge, huge challenge that we are engaged in,” said Tisha Conoly Schuller, chief executive of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, in an appearance in Aspen last week. “On every level, we are learning that public perception matters.”
At the association’s annual conference in Denver recently, drillers heard from speaker after speaker that regulation will be crucial if drillers hope to win acceptance for their ability to exploit the vast stores of natural gas found in shale and other unconventional formations.
Boosters of natural gas believe that the resource can be exploited successfully, reducing the amount of coal that is burned. Natural gas produces roughly half the amount of carbon dioxide as coal, and almost none of the other pollutants. they also argue that natural gas can be used for transportation, limiting how much oil is imported.
“It’s gonna give the United States an opportunity to sit at the big table for energy,” said T. Boone Pickens, who also spoke at the Aspen event, which was covered by the Aspen Daily News. “For the last 20 years we have had no seat at the big table. When OPEC met, they met and we sat in the hall… now you can sit at the table and say, ‘Look, we have a resource that can compete with your coal.’”
Wyoming became the first state in the country to require drillers to divulge the chemicals they use in fracking.
But the onus is still on the industry, said Wes Wilson, a whistle blower from the Environmental Protection Agency. Appearing at a showing of the movie “Gasland” in Jackson, he said legislators should consider performance-based drilling. that, according to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, means that companies would be allowed to continue drilling only if they prove they can do it safely and cleanly.
Natural gas drilling has been planned both south of Jackson and west of Aspen, if several dozen miles away.
No guns at town hall
GRANBY, Colo.- in June, an individual who had unsuccessfully sought election to the Granby Town Board addressed the trustees. as he stood at the lectern, the semi-automatic he had stuffed into his waistband fell to the floor. The gun was loaded.
Mindful of the shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords as well as other shootings of public officials, the Granby board has decided that henceforth guns cannot be carried in plain sight at the town hall.
The Sky-Hi News reports that trustees had considered extending the ban to town-owned parks, trails and open spaces. However, given wild animals do exist in the region, they concluded that open display of guns should be allowed to continue.
Colorado law allows people to carry weapons, provided they have a permit. However, Granby could have chosen to ban guns altogether in select locations. as is, carrying a concealed weapon will still be allowed.
The individual whose dropped gun precipitated the new law in Granby told the newspaper later that he had not intended for the gun to be intimidating. “It was just an unfortunate encounter with gravity,” he said.
Writing in a letter published in the same newspaper, James Ware of Grand Lake said that Granby officials had it all wrong. The incident happened because the individual had been carrying a pistol in the waistband of his pants, and not in a proper holster inside his clothes. that made him an irresponsible gun handler, and hence his permit to carry a concealed gun should be revoked.
His solution: a sign that tells anybody entering the town hall that “all concealed weapons brought into the building must remain in holsters, purses, or pockets while inside the building.”
As for the dropped gun being loaded, Ware had this to say: “Why in the world would someone carry an unloaded weapon in the waistband of their pants, anyway?”
Keep in mind, this is the town where in 2004 somebody with a grudge over a zoning dispute clandestinely armored a bulldozer and then spent several hours terrorizing the community by dozing into the buildings of those by whom he felt offended, including the town mayor, the newspaper and, finally, a hardware store.
That was in June. not even the death grip of cabin-fever could explain the rampage.
Flight revenue needed
TELLURIDE, Colo. – Add Telluride to the long list of communities where the finances of the direct-flight programs need shoring up.
The Telluride Montrose Regional Air Organization has secured pledges of $360,000 from the ski area operator, local towns and some businesses, but it needs $500,000. Even while planning to reduce flight schedules this year, it is passing the hat to avoid more severe cuts.
The organization arranges for flights from various cities to Montrose, located 65 miles away, the nearest airport capable of handling large airplanes. Two-thirds of the budget comes from a 2 per cent tax on restaurants and lodging.
A few years ago, the organization had $5 million in reserves. but revenues collected by the air organization have remained flat at $2.3 million, while payments to airlines – who insisted upon minimum revenue guarantees – and for marketing have gone up.
The Daily Planet reports expected expenditures of $3.6 million in 2011. Rising fuel costs are cited as the single biggest reason for increasing payments to airlines.
Flying to Jackson to cost more
JACKSON, Wyo. – The cost of flying will be going up. That’s the bottom line in many places – including those going to Jackson Hole this winter.
Jackson Hole expects to see about the same number of passengers seats available for the ski season as last year, and at about the same potential cost in terms of revenue guarantees to local sponsors of $1 million.
But fares will go up. “That’s just kind of the long and short of it,” Mike Gierau, president of the Jackson Hole Air Improvement Resources, told the Jackson Hole News.
Asimilar message was given by airline consultant Kent Meyers in a July appearance before the Vail Town Board. He said there are fewer airlines, which are trying to become more global. and airlines such as Delta are pulling out of smaller airports.
He urged that a Vail-area community group look at low-cost carriers, such as Southwest and Frontier, to keep fares in check.
Steamboat considers fee on plastic bags
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. – The effort to discourage use of disposable plastic shopping bags by imposing a fee is spreading to Steamboat Springs. but a spot check of two council members by Steamboat Today suggests the proposal is unlikely to go far.
The proponent, Catherine Carson, says that Yampa Valley Recycles has sold 12,000 reusable bags for $1 each in the last three years. The next step, she said, is to put a tax of 20 cents on each disposable bag.
But Walt Magil, a city council member, tells the newspaper that Steamboat doesn’t have a problem with plastic bags blowing around. and Cari Hermancinski, the city council president, said she prefers such proposals come from the stores. “I’d like to see things happen because the marketplace creates it, not because the government requires it,” she said.
Aspen and Basalt this week were scheduled to take up a proposal to levy a 10 cent fee, and the down-valley community of Carbondale also intends to do so soon.
Ritz-Carlton rated AAA
TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe, has been awarded the prestigious AAA five Diamond designation, something bestowed on only 124 lodges and 55 restaurants. The hotel is located at Northstar, and it’s the first-ever hotel in the Tahoe area to get the rating.
Time to turn off the lights?
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. – Breckenridge has 1,120 town-owned street lights, and a study by town staff suggests that 21 per cent could be turned off, saving $13,000 a year in electricity costs, without threatening safety. but town councillors, says the Summit Daily News, haven’t rushed to endorse the idea. one councillor said that, like snowplowing, it’s the job of town government to keep the streets lit.
Shaun White inks deal with Vail
BROMFIELD, Colo. – Shaun White has inked a deal with Vail Resorts. among other considerations, Vail Resorts will donate $5 to White’s chosen charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for every Epic Pass it sells.
Last year that would have yielded $1.5 million. For his part, White will design a 22-foot half-pipe at Northstar, a California ski area that is among the half-dozen that Vail Resorts owns.
The Denver Post notes that White has developed a rigorous and highly selective process for choosing partners. “Yeah, we found that out,” said Rob Katz, chief executive of the ski company.
In linking arms with Vail, the 24-year-old White is bidding adieu to Park City Mountain Resort, his long-time sponsor.
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