STATE PARKS -- After a four-month search and screening 170 applications from here to England, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission today named the head of the agency's southwest region as the state parks director. Starting Dec. 1, Don Hock, 53, will replace retiring…
STATE PARKS -- Today's story about Inland Empire Paper Co. closing its lands to snowmobiling said that leaves 40 miles of groomed trails available to snowmobilers at Mount Spokane. The mileage figure came from Spokane County Parks, which manages the grooming.However, Cris Currie of Friends…
SKIING -- Lookout Pass and Crystal Mountain opened with good skiing conditions this morning. Now 49 Degrees North has announced its lifts will open Saturday.
ADVENTURE -- For the first time, I'm able to reveal the lineup of films for the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, which starts its three-day run tonight, 7 p.m., at The Bing.I just returned from the meeting as Mountain Gear staff made the difficult…
CLIMBING -- Rock climbers are feeling the pinch and the need to get involved in agency decisions.Smith Rocks State Park, a prized rock climbing area near Portland, Ore., is closing camping at the area during winter. Climbers are trying to work with officials for a…
SKIING -- Lookout Pass isn’t the only ski area with enough snow to open the season this weekend.Crystal Mountain resort near Mount Rainier opened today, but running just two chair lifts. Mount Baker will have seven lifts in operation starting Saturday, the Seattle Times reports.…
HUNTING -- Andrew Graham, 15, a freshman at Cheney High School, recently returned from Easton, Md., where he attracted plenty of attention in the venerable World Goose Calling Championship. Surrounded by and judged by such goose-calling notables as Tim Grounds and Fred Zink, Graham took…
Rich Landers writes and photographs stories and columns for a wide range of outdoors coverage, including Outdoors feature sections on Sunday and Thursday.
