Every month during the peak season, when new permits for the upcoming month were released (limited to 400 permits per day), the permits would sell out in a matter of minutes, but not always to hikers. In fact, the largest buyers of Half Dome climbing permits were scalpers out to make a buck. Forget concert tickets–the real cash was in the Half Dome permits!

After two years of struggling to overcome these issues, the park service will be implementing a new strategy for Half Dome permits this year. Rather than a first come, first serve situation, those hoping to climb the cables this summer will be able to submit their name (and up to 6 guests) into a lottery for $4.50 online (or $6.50 over the phone). This reservation fee is non-refundable.

If, you submit your name and you are one of the lucky winners, you’ll also shell out a $5 fee per person to confirm your intent to climb the cables. This per-person fee is refundable if you find out you won’t be climbing the cables well in advance of your permit date. If entering the lottery system isn’t your cup of tea, the park service will still be doing short notice permits for those that apply through the online application lottery closer to the date they hope to climb.

The other major change is that the permits will no longer be transferable. This transferability was one of the biggest downfalls of the original system–scalpers were purchasing bunches of permits, and then transferring the tickets to their buyers. Cracking down on this was difficult but the hope is that this new system will prevent these sort of situations again. In addition to the new permits being non-transferable, a ranger will also be stationed at the base of the cables, checking permits against photo IDs. While this may sound drastic, just for a climb, these measures are important, if not a necessity to ensure that all visitors to Yosemite’s Half Dome are not put in danger from overcrowding on the cables.

According to Kari Cobb, park spokeswoman, “the Half Dome hike is the most popular hike in the park because of its popularity, we’ve seen cases of concern for safety. By implementing a permitting program, we not only are providing for the safety of our visitors, but also providing a genuine wilderness experience.”

Read more about the new policy here.

We’re still digging out from under the ice in Seattle. So, today we’re featuring a guest post from David Wilkinson over at Switchback Travel. He recently headed out to Methow Valley in Washington for a cross country ski trip and sent us his thoughts.

The Methow Valley in the North Cascades is just beyond the weekend reach for most Seattlites, enough so that it remains an off the beaten path haven for those who love the outdoors. Rolling ranch land slowly narrows over the course of thirty miles before reaching the sheer walls of a box canyon. The terrain in between, fondly referred to simply as the Methow, elicits the far more famous Telluride in the Colorado Rockies. It’s difficult to say which is a more beautiful place.

The pride of the Methow is the over 200 kilometers of world-class trails used in the winter for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. A relatively flat valley floor is surrounded by high peaks, therefore the snow conditions mimic the mountains but with easy access to outdoor activities. An extensive network of ski trails—the Methow Community Trail and a number of nearby loops—is fastidiously managed and groomed for all levels of experience. The rest of the work is up to you.

The character of the Methow evolves as one heads up-valley and north toward the Cascades. At the mouth is the town of Methow, a dusty throwback to the time before many tourists made it there at all. Next up is Twisp, the most real town in the valley, home to old industry and new establishments serving organic food and microbrews. The next town north from Twisp is Winthrop, the hip tourist heart of the valley dominated by Subarus and historic buildings transformed into outdoor stores, shops, and restaurants. Mazama is the last stop, a prime location with the most snowfall in the valley and some of the premier trails.

For those new to the area or to cross-country skiing, there couldn’t be a better place to learn. Winthrop Sports on the main drag rents and sells all the requisite gear, and they will also get you trail passes and point you in the right direction of where to ski. Much of the terrain is comprised of soft rolling hills ideal for beginners and families. For those with some experience, Jack’s Trail near Mazama offers more change in elevation. The most difficult track is the Rendezvous Hut system, which makes for a great multi-day trip or a challenging 30-km day.

The Methow snow is legendary, but the valley is just as alive in the summer. Fly-fishing shops are abundant and many of the ski trails transform to accommodate hikers and mountain bikers. Eateries and watering holes open their patios, many facing the Methow River. Of course, when the snow melts there is far easier access to the surrounding North Cascades for all kinds of backcountry hiking and camping.

Aside from being active, the Methow Valley is a place to recharge, meet good people, and soak up the laid-back mountain town atmosphere that is not easily replicated. If you stop by the Old Schoolhouse Brewery in Winthrop, one of two Methow breweries, you will likely end up in conversation with those who have made the permanent move there. The ease on their faces suggests that maybe it’s not such a bad idea, and many visitors spend the long drive back brainstorming on just how to make it happen.

More information on cross-country skiing and other activities in the Methow Valley can be found at www.mvsta.com.

It is unknown how and when the subadult elephant seal became entangled but over the last two years the cable has been slowly cutting into his neck and creating a deep wound as he grew. Last week, biologists were finally able to safely capture and sedate the seal, nicknamed “Mr. Elusive,” so that the strap could be removed and the wound could be cleaned. It was no easy task, as a subadult elephant seal can weigh anywhere between 700 and 1000 pounds.

Point Reyes park rangers teamed up with volunteers, veterinarians, and The Marine Mammal Center (TMMC) to capture and sedate the seal when he was spotted near Drake’s Beach. Working quickly, the team was able to sedate and calm the seal while they removed the band and cleaned the wound. Shortly after the wound was cleaned, he returned to the ocean. “Mr. Elusive” is expected to make a full recovery from the wound, according to biologists.

No word on how or where the seal became entangled, but this kind of occurrence happens more frequently than one would hope. Dr. Bill Van Bonn, Director of Veterinary Science at The Marine Mammal Center, said of the incident, “This field disentanglement is the third, in a recent series of northern elephant seals seriously harmed (injured) by negative human interaction, and one that we’ve been able to help. It’s what we all work for, and it’s gratifying when it all goes this smoothly, especially after such a long time tracking this animal.”

Seven years ago, a similar incident happened with a young female elephant seal. She was freed, made a full recovery and every year since has come back to Point Reyes to give birth to her pups. The park rangers, biologists, and veterinarians that freed “Mr. Elusive” expect him to continue returning to the area as he recovers and grows.

Closeup photo: Point Reyes National Seashore

According to police, the hiker then climbed to high point while his wife notified emergency services. What he may have thought were good intentions, did not turn out so well. He lit a small fire to signal authorities, but when the rescue helicopter arrived, the down draft caused the fire to flare up and spread. Fortunately, the small blaze was able to be contained within a few hours by a seven-man crew before it got out of hand.

While the fire never got too out of hand, the story could have ended much worse, but even better yet, it could have been prevented in the first place with a little preparation and the right equipment, like a GPS or emergency beacon. Both items would have made an impact in the prevention in getting lost, and the prevention of the brushfire.

Of course, conditions are considerable different in Australia than here in the Pacific Northwest. While we’re getting our first real snow of the season in Seattle, it’s quite the opposite in Melbourne. During the dry, hot summer months, lighting fires in the brush may not be the smartest idea for notifying rescue teams of your location. Police gave this sage advice: “The advice for anyone lighting a fire on bush land is always to exercise extreme caution – but obviously there are circumstances when people are lost and need to draw the attention of emergency services.”

Read more in the Herald Sun.

Like the rest of the country, we have not seen much of any snow in the Pacific Northwest this season. I went skiing at Snoqualmie last weekend and there were large patches of mud showing through many runs. This is certainly not the year to be a skier.

Normally I wouldn’t bother skiing in these conditions, but I had to stop by ski patrol as Snoqualmie wouldn’t return my calls after the accident. I had to refuse to leave before they’d let me talk to someone. Come to find out, the guy that ran Sarah over wasn’t just some random snowboarder. The guy was a Summit at Snoqualmie snowboard instructor.

I was eating lunch in the lodge at Summit East and happened to glance down at the pass the guy behind the counter was wearing. It was the exact same red pass the guy that ran into Sarah had been wearing. So, this guy was an employee.

All of a sudden it made sense why I hadn’t been able to get in contact with anyone at Snoqualmie after leaving 5+ messages. So, I headed over to the ski patrol office at central and asked to talk to one of the supervisors. They said they’d take my number and give me a call but I had enough. I wasn’t leaving until I got to speak to someone. After a 5-10 minute wait, a supervisor came out and spoke to me. He hadn’t read the reports but said someone would be calling me within 24 hours to talk. So, I went home.

It only took me roughly 10 more unreturned calls and a couple unreturned emails to Snoqualmie before I finally got a call back. I had called everyone I had a number for and had been hung up on by guest services. When the head of ski patrol finally called back, he dropped the bomb. The guy that hit Sarah was a snowboard instructor at Summit. However, he said the guy had said something along the lines of Sarah being on the “blind side” of his snowboard. So – as always – it wasn’t his fault.

If anyone should know the code of conduct the entire industry subscribes to, an instructor should. In fact, they’re tested on it as part of the level 1 AASI certification that they have to take before they can teach. Snoqualmie’s take on the matter is that he wasn’t officially working. So, it’s not their problem.

Apparently I’ve been a big enough pain in their side and I finally have a meeting with the head of the ski/snowboard school on Saturday. Unfortunately this means I have to make the hour drive out to Snoqualmie to do this.

We’ll see where this goes, but frankly I’m beyond pissed at this point. When it happened, the only words the guy said to me were that it was Sarah’s fault for the accident because she turned in front of him. At no point did he bother to check if she was alright while she was screaming in pain on the snow. At no point has he said he was sorry. At no point did he bother to call ski patrol. At no point has he shown the slightest amount of remorse like any decent human being would. Did he even bother to stick his snowboard in the snow so someone else wouldn’t run over Sarah if they didn’t see her laying in the snow? Nope. I had to put my own skis in an X above her for that.

All he did was sit in the snow and cry because he was going to get in trouble. Once an onlooker and I had flagged down ski patrol, the snowboard instructor took ski patrol’s attention away from Sarah to point out another snowboarder saying he had ‘only been going that fast’ and that it wasn’t his fault because she had turned in front of him.

As I told the head of ski patrol on the phone this week. It doesn’t matter if Sarah had been drunk, high, and doing jumping jacks on the slope. She had the right of way and it was the snowboarder’s responsibility to avoid her. It scares me that this guy is teaching another generation of snowboarders.

What happens now? God knows. Sarah’s season is almost certainly over at this point after a whopping 3 days on the snow. Last year she got in around 30 and I got in 35. That’s certainly not happening for either of us at this point. Hopefully something good will come out of the meeting on Saturday, but after my discussions with Snoqualmie so far, I’m not holding my breath.

All I am certain of at this point is that I’m never buying a season pass at Snoqualmie again.

When going through pictures a couple days after the crash, I came across the following photo:

This was taken the morning of 12/31/11 (the day of the crash) of the exact part of the run Sarah got hit at. The unfurled slow sign can be seen on the right side of the picture. I had stopped behind it. Sarah was roughly where the skier is on the right side of this photo when she got hit. This is the end of a blue run (Golden Nugget) where it opens up in to a green.

While the ban is seen as a win by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, environmental and preservation groups, and Democratic politicians, those in the mining industry and on the other side of the aisle are saying that the ban hinders job creation in the area. Senator John McCain even went so far as to say that the ban was a “devastating blow to job creation in northern Arizona.”

Those are some pretty bold words, considering that the Grand Canyon area is one of the top tourist destinations in the country. Marring the natural landscape with mining claims is likely to have taken away some of the natural wonder of the area, as many supporters of the ban believed.

The mining industry has had its eye on the area for quite some time. With about 40-percent of the country’s known uranium reserves, the area is worth tens of billions of dollars if it contains as much uranium ore as they claim.

While the new ban will prevent any new mining claims from starting up in the area, there are about 3,000 current claims that will not be affected by the ban. It’s estimated that of these 3,000 claims, only a handful will actually be developed into mines.

When it comes down to it, the ban on mining claims will only reduce the overall uranium production in our country by six percent. And the devastating blow to job creation? About 450 jobs total will not be created because of the mining ban–much less than the public was led to believe by those against the ban. Is the creation of less than 500 jobs worth the risk of polluting and destroying the drinking water, when over 26 million people in four states rely on the water from the Colorado River for drinking? I’m not so sure it is.

For more on the story, click here.

We’ve been trying to track down how people can help the family since this has happened and have yet to get a response from the Park Service. However, Ranger Anderson’s father is a Pastor at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in NJ and they are collecting an offering for her family.

According to the church, all cards will be forwarded to the family. If you’d like to send a note expressing your condolences, the mailing address is:

Redeemer Lutheran Church
229 Cowperthwaite Place
Westfield, NJ 07090

If you wish to contact the church about making a donation to the family, the contact information for the church is available here.

UPDATE: We got a response back from the park service with information about donating money to the family:

We had spent the day skiing and were on our way back to the car to head home when the incident occurred. I had stopped below a slow sign and was waiting for Sarah to catch up to me. Sarah was coming down the slope and was about to stack up beneath me. At this point, the guy you see in the photo above came down the run straight lining it the entire way. Sarah started to turn right and the guy ran in to her at full speed.

Sarah was lifted in to the air off her skis. Her skis came off and she was thrown roughly 15 ft down the hill. It was not a light landing. By the time she came to a stop she had at least done a 180 as her feet were facing down hill.

Thankfully the guy that hit her didn’t run and a guy named Ron that saw the entire incident stopped and called 911. We managed to flag down someone from ski patrol a minute or two later and the troops were summoned.

Sarah was eventually backboarded down to ski patrol and had what will most certainly be the most expensive ride home from the slopes she’ll ever have courtesy of a 37 minute ambulance ride to Swedish Medical in Issaquah.  Thankfully after some x-rays, nothing was found to be broken. Since we always wear helmets while skiing, there thankfully weren’t any head or neck problems either. There’s just a ton of pain at this point and she’s probably going to be out of commission for at least a couple weeks.

Ski Patrol at Snoqualmie was fantastic the entire way. There are about 20 people to thank, but I didn’t get everyone’s name as it was a bit hectic to say the least. The people in the ER at Swedish Medical were also better than anyone could ever expect.

As for the guy that ran in to her, I have no idea what’s going to happen to him. I’m pushing for Snoqualmie to pull his season pass at a minimum, but we’ll see what happens.

In any case, I’d like to at least make something positive out of this experience. First, to remind everyone of the Skier/Rider code of conduct:

1. Always stay in control and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects.
2. People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.
3. You must not stop where you obstruct a trail,or are not visible from above.
4. Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others.
5. Always use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
6. Observe all posted signs and warnings. Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
7. Prior to using any lift, you must have the knowledge and ability to load, ride and unload safely.

Obviously, the first two codes are what went wrong in this case. These rules are posted on nearly every lift I’ve ever ridden for this very reason.

I was stopped on the very edge of the trail below a bright orange slow sign. Sarah was also skiing on the edge of the trail (skiers right). We both had the appropriate safety gear on, we both observed the rules. Yet, one of us still got hurt. Even if you’re the best skier or rider in the world, it doesn’t protect you from the stupidity of others.

We were literally on our way to the car, on a fairly easy blue trail and still one of us got hurt. Wear a helmet, slow down around others, and hopefully something like this doesn’t have to happen again. While ski patrol was helping to secure Sarah, an 11 year old got run in to somewhere else at the resort. While I was waiting in the ski patrol office, there were 3 other ambulances pulling up outside. This does not have to happen.

Watch where you’re going, don’t be an idiot, and then you won’t end up looking like the idiot in the picture above.

I’d also like to point out that while this guy happened to be on a snowboard, he could have been skiing too. Ignorance of the rules is not limited to snowboarders and I’ve seen quite a few skiers do stupid things too.

Edit: I added a larger picture of the accident for a bit more clarity. Ski patrol had shown up at this point and were working on Sarah, but this is pretty much what it looked like when she landed.

Above is a picture of the spot she got hit from earlier in the day. Right around where the skier is on the right side of the photo.

In Grand Teton NP, the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center (12 miles north of Jackson, Wyoming) will be open for winter hours (9am-5pm daily). For winter-sports enthusiasts, there is plenty to do, from snowshoeing to backcountry and cross country skiing to mountaineering. Keep in mind that permits will be required for all overnight trips in the backcountry. After the Christmas holiday, there will be ranger-led snowshoe hikes daily at 1:30pm. Previous experience with snowshoeing is not necessary, and snowshoes are provided (a donation of $5 is requested). If you’re planning on taking part in the ranger-led hikes, be sure to make a reservation by calling 307.739.3399.

In Yellowstone National Park, commercially-guided snowmobile and snowcoaches will begin to serve the public between the park’s South Entrance and Old Faithful. Travel beyond this area by commercially-guided vehicles will be subject to additional restrictions until the park has received more snow. In the coming weeks, officials will be developing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to complete the long-term plan for winter-use in Yellowstone, with the hope that it will be available for public comment in early 2012.

There are a number of passes available to visit the parks:

• $5 Day Pass valid for one-day entry into Grand Teton
• $25 Seven-day Pass valid for single vehicle entry into Grand Teton and Yellowstone
• $50 Grand Teton/Yellowstone Annual Pass valid for one year entry into both parks
• $80 Interagency Annual Pass valid for one year entry to all federal land management fee areas

Read more in the press releases for Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

According to the recall notice, “a defect in lithium-polymer rechargeable battery packs (Columbia Part: 054978-001) sold with three models of Omni-Hea Electric (“OHE”) jackets. The defect could cause the battery packs to overheat, which could pose a risk of fire. Two battery packs were included with each jacket. The defective batteries were included with jackets that were distributed to approximately 20 consumers between July 2011 to September 2011.”

The three jacket styles being referenced are:

• Omni-Heat Electric Wader Widgeon Interchange (HM7197)
• Omni-Heat Electric Big Game Interchange (HM7198)
• Omni-Heat Electric Gale Warning I/C (FM7323)

The recall does not affect any Omni-Heat products purchased after November 1, 2011, or Omni-Heat boots or gloves.

If you have one of the above Omni-Heat jackets, you should refer to the official recall notice by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. Those with further questions and concerns can call Columbia at 800-622-6953 or email columbia@custhelp.com.

Columbia recall notice available here.