Category: Outdoors

Vail apologizes, explains ‘lift line apocalypse’ 5 days later

Fallout on social media of what was described by one skier as a “lift line apocalypse” prompted Vail to issue an apology and an explanation.

Fallout on social media of what was described by one skier as a “lift line apocalypse” prompted Vail Mountain to issue an apology and an explanation Wednesday, five days after long lift lines and long wait times frazzled guests.

Vail Mountain received 38 inches in a 48-hour period, and skiers and snowboarders were eager to enjoy the fresh powder, but the mountain wasn’t quite ready for the glut of customers, many showing up two hours before the resort opened.

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Photos and videos of the monster lift lines circulating on social media led to Beth Howard, chief operating officer for Vail Mountain, to make this statement as shared by The Aspen Times:

Wow, what a storm. Last weekend, in a 48-hour period, we received 38 inches of snow at Vail Mountain, which ranks as a top-five snowfall event in our 58-year history. We know that no one wants to miss powder like that — so we got straight to work. We had a lot on the line.

Digging out from that kind of snowfall to get our mountain open and safe for guests requires a Herculean effort by ski patrol, lift operations, groomers and the entire Vail Mountain staff. I want to express my deepest appreciation for their hard work.

We were fully staffed — it was truly an all-hands-on-deck scenario — and we spared no expense to get the mountain open as quickly as possible. In fact, our patrol team used a record number of explosives in their thorough avalanche mitigation. But safety always comes first — and to ensure terrain is absolutely safe for guests and employees, it takes time.

I want to thank our guests for their patience this weekend and apologize for any experience that was less than ideal. I’d also like to use this opportunity to acknowledge and provide context around two particularly striking lift lines that people saw on social media.

On Friday and Saturday, the line at the bottom of Gondola One was undeniably long. Guests began lining up at 6 a.m. — more than two hours before we opened — eager, as I was, to experience the historic powder. While I don’t like to see anyone waiting in any line, I want to assure you that those lines were gone by 10 a.m. on Friday and by 9:15 a.m. on Saturday. That gondola can manage a lot of guests — and once the initial group dissipated, the line was around five minutes long the rest of those days.

Midday on Saturday, while the majority of the mountain was free from lines, we saw a more challenging situation in the limited amount of terrain we had been able to open safely in our Back Bowls. As many of you know, when skiing or riding the Sun Down and Sun Up bowls to the bottom, the only option to upload is Chair 5. At 10:30 a.m. the wait time began to exceed 30 minutes, and the line grew much longer. By 2 p.m., the line had subsided, but that period in between created an unacceptable experience for our guests and I apologize to anyone who got stuck in it.

We considered whether to limit or meter guest access to that terrain, but candidly it was not something we had done before. We also tried to warn guests about the line, but fell way short in our effectiveness — and even when we did, guests tended to ski right past our staff because they wanted to enjoy the untouched powder. To help make up for any guest impacts, we decided to keep the lifts running an additional half-hour.

Again, I know we could have done a much better job anticipating these situations and communicating with our guests. As we head into another big weekend — with more snow in the forecast — I’m focused on improving those communication channels. You’ll see more updates and information on all of Vail Mountain’s social accounts, and I’m pleased to share the EpicMix app has been upgraded so that you can rely on it for accurate lift line wait times.

I am well aware that a picture is worth a thousand words, but I truly hope my words here help provide context for what happened. I have complete confidence in our team at Vail Mountain and the huge investment we’ve made in high-speed chairlifts to alleviate lift line concerns across our resort. I am confident this was an isolated incident in the midst of extreme conditions.

Today our operations are back to normal – and conditions are truly outstanding. I hope to see you up here soon.

Sincerely,

Beth Howard

Chief Operating Officer, Vail Mountain

Photo courtesy of Joel Salamone.

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‘Friendly’ gray whale visit presents rare photo opportunity

A migrating gray whale paused to visit whale-watching boats Monday off Southern California, and for one operator this rare behavior represented a unique opportunity. Ryan Lawler, owner of Newport Coastal Adventure in Newport Beach, donned a wetsuit …

A migrating gray whale paused to visit whale-watching boats Monday off Southern California, and for one operator this rare behavior represented a unique opportunity.

Ryan Lawler, owner of Newport Coastal Adventure in Newport Beach, donned a wetsuit and slipped into the water just feet from the enormous leviathan, and captured a series of stunning images.

“The whale stared right at me!” Lawler told For The Win Outdoors. “But I don’t know how much it recognized or cared about me. It was instead very focused on the boat itself.”

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Gray whales, which can measure 50 feet and weigh 40 tons, famously swim close to boats in lagoons along Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, where the mammals nurse and breed. But they rarely exhibit this “friendly” behavior during their annual migration from Alaska to Mexico and back.

Lawler and Capt. Alex Shaw went back out after a morning charter and were about one mile off Laguna Beach when the whale appeared and nudged the vessel with its snout. Lawler slipped into the water and captured footage while making sure to keep a constant hold onto the boat.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me6h-gXdqzI&w=560&h=315]

When he was finished, Shaw dropped in and enjoyed up-close views of the whale, which moved slowly and gracefully, like a gentle giant.

“We were very cautious to just assume a position of being one with the boat,” Lawler said. “Since the whale was interested in the boat, we didn’t want to freely swim around the whale and potentially alarm it.”

Asked if he was tempted to swim freely with the whale, Lawler responded: “Yes. But … it was scary, too, since it was doing tight maneuvering around the boat, and to make those tight turns it was slashing its tail. That made me think twice.”

Lawler recalled Shaw saying “in particular how amazing it was to stare down this whale. Total eye contact, it was beautiful!”

The same whale also visited boats from Dana Wharf Whale Watching (see video) and Capt. Dave’s Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari. Capt. Dave’s video features a passenger gently touching the whale.

It’s not advisable to swim with or touch marine mammals off California, and it could be considered a violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act if such actions alter the behavior of the mammals.

But in this case the whale initiated the contact, seemingly out of curiosity, and eventually continued its slow northbound journey.

–Images and video are courtesy of Ryan Lawler/Newport Coastal Adventure

Big-wave surfer nearly dies in jetski mishap at Nazaré

After surviving a wipeout in the dangerous surf of Portugal’s Nazaré, pro surfer Alex Botelho very nearly died during the subsequent rescue.

After surviving a wipeout in the dangerous surf of Portugal’s Nazaré, a famous big-wave destination, pro surfer Alex Botelho very nearly died during the subsequent rescue when he and his partner, who was driving a jetski, were sent flying by colliding waves.

The incident occurred Tuesday during the World Surf League’s Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge, and it had those watching from shore holding their collective breath.

After the wipeout, the Portuguese surfer was picked up by partner Hugo Vau on a jetski, but they were unable to outrun a wall of whitewater and went airborne when an approaching wave slammed into them. Moments later, another wave washed over them as the cameraman panned the water.

Anxious moments passed as spectators watched in hopes that Botelho would pop up to the surface. Vau had already been located.

Finally, near the shore, Botelho was spotted unconscious and floating facedown in the water. Rescue crews from shore were quick to reach him and place him on a spinal board. Botelho was rushed to the hospital.

The WSL announced later that he was “stable and conscious,” and that he was to remain hospitalized for further evaluation.

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“Today I was confronted with the reality of our sport, heartbreaking watching my brother Alex Botelho between life and death right in front of the eyes of the world,” fellow Portuguese big-wave surfer Nic Von Rupp wrote on Instagram. “Honestly, very few would have survived, just a beast of a human like Alex [could] pull thru…not only because the strong human he is, but mostly for the love many people have for him praying to pull thru.”

Alex Botelho riding at Nazaré in 2016 (above) and walking away with his broken surfboard (below).

The Guardian reported that this was the first time the WSL’s Big Wave world tour has visited Nazaré where Brazilian Rodrigo Koxa set a world record for surfing the biggest wave at 80 feet in 2017.

The WSL was quick to recognize the efforts of the rescue crew, writing on YouTube, “A heartfelt thank you to the safety and medical teams for their quick response. We are wishing Alex a full and speedy recovery. The work of the Water Safety Team in rescuing and saving Alex’s life was incredible.”

Photos of the incident courtesy of the World Surf League. Photos of Alex Botelho riding out a big wave and later carrying his broken surf board at Nazaré in December 2016 by Lars Baron/Getty Images.

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Fighting mice in subway is a winning shot

A photo capturing two mice fighting over a food crumb won the 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year LUMIX People’s Choice award.

Entitled “Station Squabble,” a photo capturing two mice fighting over a food crumb in London’s Underground was chosen from more than 48,000 images as the winner of the 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year LUMIX People’s Choice award.

Sam Rowley of Bristol, England, visited multiple subway platforms every night for a week, laying in wait for the perfect shot. His patience paid off when two mice battled over a leftover crumb, the encounter lasting only a split-second before one ran off a winner.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. Rowley’s entry garnered 28,000 votes from nature photography fans in the worldwide contest now in its 55th year. Entries came from more than 100 countries.

“I’m so pleased to win this award,” Rowley said in the museum’s news release. “It’s been a lifetime dream to succeed in this competition in this way, with such a relatable photo taken in such an everyday environment in my hometown. I hope it shows people the unexpected drama found in the most familiar of urban environments.”

Said Sir Michael Dixon, director of the Natural History Museum: “Sam’s image provides a fascinating glimpse into how wildlife functions in a human-dominated environment.”

Added Mike Owen, Professional Imaging marketing manager from Panasonic LUMIX UK, “Incredible photography is a combination of patience, luck and skill – Sam has managed the rare feat of pulling all three together in this single shot. The simultaneously recognizable and unknown world Sam has captured draws the viewer into the image. It makes me stop and do a double take, seeing something new every time I look at it.”

Four other photos earned “Highly Commended” LUMIX People’s Choice Awards:

“Losing the fight” by Aaron Gekoski, U.K./Wildlife Photographer of the Year

“Orangutans have been used in degrading performances at Safari World, Bangkok – and many other locations – for decades. The shows were temporarily stopped in 2004 due to international pressure, but today the shows continue – twice a day, every day – with hundreds of people paying to watch the orangutans box, dance, play the drums and more.”

“Spot the reindeer” by Francis De Andres, Spain/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

“The conditions for photographing at the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard are extreme, but wildlife has adapted to the environment and its freezing temperatures. Francis found this composition of white arctic reindeer, which were observing him, both curious and charming.”

“Matching outfits” by Michel Zoghzoghi, Lebanon/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

“Michel was in the Pantanal, Brazil photographing jaguars. One afternoon, as he was on the Três Irmãos River, a mother and her cub crossed right in front of his boat. He watched mesmerized as they left the water holding an anaconda with a very similar pattern to their own.”

“The surrogate mother” by Martin Buzora, Canada/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

“Elias Mugambi is a ranger at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya. He often spends weeks away from his family caring for orphaned black rhinos like Kitui here. The young rhinos are in the sanctuary as a result of poaching or because their mothers are blind and cannot care for them safely in the wild.”

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How many African lions can you spot in this photo?

David Bough was observing buffalo standing in a shallow river during a recent trip to South Africa, when the animals became agitated.

David Bough was observing buffalo standing in a shallow river during a recent trip to South Africa when the animals suddenly became agitated. The photographer trained his camera on the riverbank and discovered that lions were hiding in tall grass, sizing up the buffalo.

The U.K. resident, who was visiting Kruger National Park, shared one of his images to the South African National Parks group Facebook page and asked, “How many lions in this photograph?” in what became a popular post.

 

 

(The image appears twice atop this post and the answer is detailed below and revealed in the bottom image. Viewers can save and enlarge the top images for a closer look.)

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Bough, who was vacationing at Crocodile Bridge Safari Lodge, captured several images of this dramatic confrontation between predators and prey.

The photographer told FTW Outdoors that he was standing on an observation deck and half-expected a visit from the Vurhami lion pride, which often hunts near the lodge.

The buffalo had been cooling themselves in the river for at least an hour before sensing trouble.

“I grabbed my camera, which I always kept handy on the observation deck, and scanned the bank,” Bough said. “Sure as eggs is eggs, there were the Vurhami gang watching from the reeds.”

The buffalo grouped together in a defensive posture before rushing across the river. Bough lost sight of the lions, temporarily, as they retreated into the reeds.

Eventually, though, the buffalo circled back downstream “and two of them charged into the reeds, scattering the lions, who decided that discretion was the better part of valor and hightailed it out of harm’s way,” Bough said. “It was a great sighting.”

As for the image featured in the quiz, viewers might spot one lion at first glance, then another, and possibly another. But the fourth lion – there are only four, according to Bough – is more difficult to locate.

Bough hinted that the fourth lion is mostly hidden: “You can only see an ear and a spot of the eye.”

All four lions are circled in black in the bottom image.

Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest and most popular game reserves, is located in northeastern South Africa. Visitors can observe lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards and buffaloes, as well as a vast array of other mammals and birds.

Sea Shepherd says it was fired upon by poachers in Mexico

The crew of a vessel involved in a campaign to protect the critically endangered vaquita porpoise in Mexico says it was shot at by poachers.

The crew of a vessel involved in a campaign to protect the critically endangered vaquita porpoise in Mexico says it was fired upon Sunday by poachers.

Capt. Jacqueline Le Duc of the M/V Sharpie says in the accompanying video that her crew was surrounded twice by angry fishermen in the Sea of Cortez, and that at one point crew members heard what sounded like gun shots.

Viewers can hear the possible reports of weapons at 49 seconds. Subsequently, when the footage is slowed, viewers can see splashes, possibly from bullets, well short of the ship. Nobody was injured during the confrontation.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdcb9IRELK0]

“It just shows how aggressive the poachers are here, and it proves to us that they are armed, and that we need to take every [skiff] that we come across seriously, because we have no idea what they’re capable of,” Le Duc says.

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The M/V Sharpie is one of four Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessels working in conjunction with Mexico to patrol a vast area in the northern Sea of Cortez, or Gulf of California, and remove gill nets set by fisherman to snag a type of fish called totoaba.

Vaquita image courtesy of Tom Jefferson/NOAA

Totoaba swim bladders are sold on the black market in China for up to $10,000 per bladder, and illegal fishing operations inside the Vaquita Refuge are directed largely by Mexican drug cartels. The nearly invisible gill nets pose a grave danger to vaquita, whose numbers are said to be fewer than 20.

The skiffs, referred to as pangas, are speedy and not easy to detect. Their crews set gill nets inside protected waters at night and hope to retrieve them before they can be found by authorities.

Sea Shepherd, whose ships typically have Mexican authorities on board, have retrieved several illegal nets since it launched Operation Milagro in 2015.

Monday morning’s encounter was not the first scary confrontation involving angry fishermen. In January 2019 Sea Shepherd captured footage of fishermen racing alongside the M/V Farley Mowat, hurling objects and attempting to foul the ship’s propellers with nets.

The vaquita porpoise, the world’s smallest cetacean, is endemic to the northern Sea of Cortez. The estimated size of the vaquita population in 1997 was 600, but they’ve been in sharp decline for decades, thanks mostly to the use of indiscriminate gill nets.

–Tom image is courtesy of Sea Shepherd; vaquita image is courtesy of Tom Jefferson/NOAA

Kayak fisherman towed 15 miles by ‘record’ marlin

A kayak fisherman in Panama caught what was unofficially being called a record for a black marlin caught from a kayak.

A kayak fisherman hooked up with an estimated 500-pound black marlin in front of a Panama fishing lodge and by the time the battle was over, he was 15 miles from the point in which he started.

The recent catch by Adam Fisk was unofficially considered a world record for a black marlin caught from a kayak and it came a year after he caught an estimated 450-pounder in a kayak from the same spot.

Fisk of Los Buzos Resort, a kayak fishing destination on the Pacific Coast of Panama, called it an “epic experience.” After a 4-hour, 37-minute battle, he reeled the marlin close enough to touch the 15-foot leader to constitute a catch and turned the rod over to Robert Field on a boat to ensure the marlin lived.

“We decided to transfer the rod to the boat to save the marlin’s life,” Field explained to USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. “Marlin are notorious for fighting so hard and for so long that they die of exhaustion. It’s quite common, even when the angler intends to release the fish unharmed.

“From a kayak, Adam simply could not physically put enough pressure on the marlin to shorten the fight, and we knew if he continued from the kayak, the fight would drag on for hours longer and the fish’s chance of survival would plummet. We didn’t anticipate it taking me another 90 minutes in the boat to bring her up.”

The entire battle lasted 6 hours, 12 minutes before the marlin was close enough to the panga to cut it loose.

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“The power of a monster like this is unbelievable especially when you are battling it from a kayak,” Fisk, a managing partner in the resort who is from Florida, told Outdoor Life. “I have pretty big gear that I target marlin with out here and even with it, sometimes I feel like the fish doesn’t even know I am pulling on it.”

One of the best parts about the battle is that Field, who produces new fishing episodes each week for his YouTube channel called YakFish TV, captured the entire thing on video and posted it Tuesday.

After the marlin puts on an aerial display, you can hear Field saying in the video, “That is the most insane thing I’ve ever seen come out of the water. That is crazy. It looked so ridiculous next to that little boat. It’s so much bigger than Adam and that kayak together.”

Concluded Fisk on his Facebook page, “I can’t think of a more epic experience to happen in the world of kayak fishing and the fact that Robert Field was here to capture it all is absolutely incredible. This catch is one for the books and one we will all be telling for the rest of our lives. So proud of the whole team!”

Photos courtesy of Robert Field of YakFish TV. 

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Kayaker Dane Jackson survives 134-foot waterfall plunge

Dane Jackson safely negotiated the 134-foot Salto del Maule waterfall in Chile to complete the second-tallest kayaking descent on record.

Kayaker Dane Jackson on Friday safely negotiated the 134-foot Salto del Maule waterfall in Chile to complete the second-tallest descent on record.

The death-defying feat was accomplished after five years of planning by a Tennessee-raised athlete widely regarded as one of the world’s best whitewater kayakers.

“This is what happens when obsession becomes reality…. I give you Salto Maule,” Jackson wrote Friday on Instagram.

The achievement is second only to the 189-foot descent by Montana kayaker Tyler Bradt in 2009 at Palouse Falls in southeast Washington State.

The Salto del Maule waterfall cascades dramatically and emphatically from a volcanic ridge along a sheer cliff, and conditions had to be perfect for Jackson to attempt what he considered to be a safe descent.

For the past five years Jackson, the son of Olympic paddler Eric Jackson, had been practicing on the Maule River with Chilean kayakers with the ultimate goal of conquering Salto del Maule.

A spokesman for Red Bull, which sponsors Jackson, said licensing details are still being worked out for a full-length video of the athlete’s remarkable plunge.

–Images are via Corey Rich/Red Bull Content Pool

Kobe Bryant once swam with sharks; now one bears his name

There’s not much to say about Kobe Bryant that isn’t already known, but how many of his fans know that he was fascinated by sharks?

There’s not much to say about Kobe Bryant that isn’t already known, but how many of his fans know that the late NBA superstar was fascinated by sharks?

So fascinated that in the summer of 2013, while recovering from a torn achilles tendon, Bryant traveled to Mexico’s Guadalupe Island to dive with great white sharks.

Martin Graf of Shark Diver told FTW Outdoors that the Los Angeles Lakers’ star enjoyed close views of two white sharks while inside the cage, and afterward soaked up the magical atmosphere surrounding the vast and remote volcanic island, 150 miles west of Ensenada.

Kobe Bryant with Martin Graf at Guadalupe Island. Photo: Shark Diver

“It was nice having a conversation with him that had nothing to do with basketball or him being famous,” Graf recalled. “Just a couple of guys talking about sharks.”

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Graf shared an amusing side note: Bryant’s feet were too big for the wetsuit booties Shark Diver clients use, so he plunged into the cage wearing his Nike shoes (see photo).

This week, the Marine Conservation Science Institute, which maintains a photo-database of 300-plus great white sharks known to frequent Guadalupe waters, announced that it was naming a newly identified shark Kobe Bryant.

Additionally, MCSI has “reallocated” the shark into the No. 24 spot in the catalog, to coincide with the number Bryant wore for much of his 20-year Lakers’ career.

Kobe Bryant merges from shark cage wearing Nike shoes. Photo: Shark Diver

“We did prepare a press release, but then I pulled the plug on that because I did not want any perception that we’re using Kobe’s tragic death as a way to gain publicity,” Michael Domeier, MCSI’s president and executive director, told FTW Outdoors. “I don’t want it to be about that. We’re just showing our respect and honoring him in a small way.”

As most of the world knows, Bryant, 41, died along with eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter, in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 in Calabasas, California.

The 18-time All-Star played his entire NBA career with the Lakers, winning five championships, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

–Images are courtesy of Shark Diver

Lamb does wild flip as bighorn sheep herd flees

A lamb attempting to follow the rest of a fleeing bighorn sheep herd didn’t quite get to the other side of a barbed-wire fence as gracefully as the others.

A lamb attempting to follow the rest of a fleeing bighorn sheep herd didn’t quite get to the other side of a barbed-wire fence as gracefully as the others, taking a wild forward flip between the wires and tumbling to the ground before quickly righting itself and moving on.

The amusing incident occurred Monday just outside Kootenay Plains Ecological Reserve in Alberta, Canada, and Michael J. Kossin happened to capture it in video.

Kossin was returning from Abraham Lake with friends when they came upon the herd licking the salt off the road along AB-11 highway. They snapped several photos (seen below) before the herd began fleeing.

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When the bighorn sheep headed for the fence line, Kossin started taping.

“At first I was concerned for the lamb, and the audible gasp you hear in the video is from me,” Kossin told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors. “I thought he or she might have been hurt, or would get tangled in the wires, but was relieved to see it immediately be able to stand up and catch up to the rest of the herd.”

As for the shaky footage when the lamb flipped, Kossin told For The Win that “I was not bumped while recording the video, but I think I reflexively attempted to center the frame on the lamb as it tripped. The sheep were pretty far away and I had the lens zoomed-in to 200 mm so even slight movements are exaggerated.”

Even so, it’s impressive video footage of a big herd of fleeing bighorn sheep, despite one wild flip.

Photos courtesy of Michael J. Kossin.

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