Do you know what happened in the mountains this week? Here’s a selection of backcountry news, articles, posts, videos, photos, and other cool things that we think you’d like to know about. Enjoy!
- SNOTEL Data: The Current Western US Snowpack – May 15, 2016 – A Mountain Journey – Looking for snow? Try Colorado. The snowpack is still fat down there.
- 9 Sherpas Claim First Everest Summit Since 2014 and 2015 Deadly Disasters – A Mountain Journey – After the earthquakes and avalanches in 2014 and 2015 no one has summited Everest. Until now. Congrats to the 9 sherpas who got the highest point on Earth this week.
- Avalanche Kills Shepherd On Tusheti Road In Georgia – A Mountain Journey – An avalanche buried and killed a shepherd who was clearing a road in northeastern Georgia.
- Here’s What It Took to Fight Alberta’s Massive Wildfire – OutsideOnline.com – Wildfires are scary stuff. Thank a firefighter whenever you get the chance.
- Spring Considerations For Avalanche Forecasting – WildSnow.com – Good article about spring avalanche forecasting from Sarah Carpenter of AAI.
- Volcanic Warning To People Climbing Mt Ruapehu – Doc.Govt.NZ – Climbers have been warned about potential likelihood of volcanic activity on Ruapehu.
- American Bison Named National Mammal Of The USA – VisitBigSkyMT.com – The US government finally agreed on something and the American Bison was officially declared the National Mammal of the United States as part of the National Bison Legacy Act.
- Slovakian Climbers Caught In Everest Avalanche And Rescued By Sherpas – SnowBrains.com – After being trapped by an avalanche on Everest, these two lucky climbers were rescued. Lucky.
- Crowdsourced: How Will Social Media Shape Avalanche Forecasting – Backcountry Magazine – Almost everyone is on social media. How will it change the way we approach avalanches?
- The Weekender: Mountain Biker Steve Smith Killed In Motorcycle Accident – SI.com – Canadian mountain biker Steve Smith died this week in a tragic accident.
- How Durable Is Trad Gear? – RockAndIce.com – Heading into climbing season? Be sure to read this and update your gear as needed.
- Professional Skier From Quebec Declared Dead Two Years After Avalanche – MonteralGazette.com – The body of Jean-Philippe Auclair was never found after an avalanche in the Andes in 2014. He has now been officially declared dead.
- BC Snowpack Hits Record Low For May – SnowBrains.com – There’s not a lot of snow left in British Columbia for this time of year. Bummer.
Did we miss any backcountry news? Tell us in the comments below. Have an awesome week!
