Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Mountain Town News


By ALLEN BEST - MTN TOWN NEWS SERVICE

Couple claims age record for ascent of Kilimanjaro

WHISTLER, B.C.—After training in the mountains around Whistler, Martin and Esther Kafer have set the Guinness World Record for being the oldest couple to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.

He was 85 and she 84 when the deed was done.

“Because we’ve been climbers and hikers and kept it up, that’s why we could do it at our age, because we do it all the time,” Esther told Pique Newsmagazine. “We hike three times a week in the summer, and in the winter we downhill ski two days at Whistler, and then on Sunday we hike up Grouse Mountain.”

They didn’t do it alone, though. They had a 12-person expedition team and a commercial guide.

Asked if they planned to lead a quieter life in 2013, Martin laughed and said they intend to go rafting in Alaska for their 60th wedding anniversary in April.

“We can’t stop now, can we?” he asked. 

 

Wasatch ski linkage gets public mugging

PARK CITY, Utah—The idea of linking the ski areas on the east side of Utah’s Wasatch Range with those on the west side was the subject of a recent meeting in Park City, and if the general turnout is any indication of the broader public sentiment, this proposal is one for the deep freeze, reports The Park Record.

The idea of the interconnection has been talked about for decades, but a new proposal has been made by Solitude and Canyons resorts. They’ve been pitching it for the past two years as a way for Utah to become a much greater draw for destination visitors. But they also argue that it will reduce the amount of driving, as people can stay on one side and take lifts to the other side of the range, and vice versa.

“We have absolutely no interest in any development [along the route],” said Mike Goar, managing director of Canyons Resort.

Salt Lake City, which draws water from Big and Little Cottonwood canyons, where Solitude and several other ski areas, including Alta and Snowbird, are located, doesn’t like the idea. A representative said she worried about a “piecemeal approach” to the proposals.

And environmentalists are passionately opposed. Peter Metcalf, president and chief executive of outdoor equipment manufacturer Black Diamond Equipment, said outdoor enthusiasts oppose the ski link.

But can he purport to speak for all outdoor enthusiasts? That was the response of Goar, the ski area manager.




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