The Pole

The Hive has found a new home. Last week, the local nonprofit youth organization announced it will be moving into a new location at 1175 Camino del Rio. The Hives lost its lease last summer at its former location at 1150 Main Ave.

The magazine that brought us such luminaries as Kevin Fedarko and John Krakauer is no longer – at least as we know it. According to a Feb. 11 report by Adventure Journal editor Steve Casimoro, the parent company of Outside magazine laid off 20 staff members last week, leaving doubt about the ongoing viability of the publication.

Floating the Grand Canyon could get a lot more expensive for private boaters. The National Park Service is seeking public input on a proposal to increase the per-person cost for rafting Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek from $90 to $310. The cost of floating Diamond Creek to Pearce Ferry, now free, would increase to $55/person. The $25 lottery permit fee would remain unchanged.

For many Durangoans, their bicycles may be their most prized – and only – set of wheels. Which is why bike thieves are among the lowest of the low. But, with bike thefts on the rise, Durango Police are helping residents protect their bikes through a free registration system called “Project 529.”

If you’re planning on drinking your winter blues away at Snowdown this year, you’ve likely already been to Magpies Newsstand to grab your board games gear to celebrate. As Snowdown merch central, they have t-shirts, hats, buttons, posters and info pamphlets. Get your butt down there if you haven’t already, as supplies are dwindling! However, if you go to Magpie’s in search of the venerable Snowdown Sneer, the satirical newspaper that mysteriously shows up around town (almost) every Snowdown, don't get your hopes up just yet.

It’s been 10 years since locals Peter Carver and Joe Philpott died in separate avalanche incidents. Since then, the nonprofit organization founded in their memory, Know the Snow Fund, has raised tens of thousands of dollars and handed out hundreds of scholarships for avalanche safety training. In 2024 alone, KTSF supported scholarships for nearly 100 individuals.

There’s some good news on the horizon for discouraged would-be homeowners in Southwest Colorado. This week, the HomesFund announced it was awarded $3.5 million for mortgage and down-payment loans to qualifying local residents.

Finally, an answer to the pressing question on most everyone’s minds since Elon Musk became BFFs with Donald Trump. What do Tesla owners – who, shall we say, tend to be a climate change accepting lot – think of the sugar daddy of non-gas guzzling electric vehicles jumping into bed with the man who thinks climate change is a hoax?