I spent the past two days climbing out in Lee Vining Canyon with my good friend Dave to celebrate the Super Bowl by smashing up some ice and freezing our tails off! No, neither of us really cared much about the super bowl this year,...
We’re back for another Eastern Sierra Ice Report. It’s been a few weeks and a few things have changed here in the Eastern Sierra. We have had a few snow storms hit the range that have kept our snowpack interesting but even more interesting is...
Well we had a nice start to our ice climbing season at the beginning of December but some warm weather has made things a bit more interesting and a bit more grim? Hopefully the holiday season can bring us some nice cold temperatures and some...
It’s been an interestingly slow start to the winter season here on the Eastside. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area has been open since November but the snow totals for the season so far would suggest that would be impossible. Thank god for snowmaking? It’s been warm...
Avalanche education in the United States started when the US Forest Service needed a better way to train their staff who worked in avalanche terrain back in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. In the mid 80’s the American Avalanche Association (AAA) surfaced, which marked...
Lee Vining Canyon February 12th I just finished up two days of guiding in Lee Vining Canyon with an incredible group for an introductory ice climbing program. Here are some of the conditions updates for anyone interested in getting out there in the next few days. Pool Power...
I think we’re in for a very interesting season of ice climbing here in the Eastern Sierra. I was out guiding in June Lake and in Lee Vining Canyon over the last couple of days and the times, they are changin’! June Lake // Dec 28th This...
Winter has finally decided to settle in here in the Eastern Sierra, and the ice seems to be forming up quite nicely at the moment. This past Tuesday I had the chance to check out June Lake and Lee Vining Canyon with my friend and...
SMG Guest Dmitry at Chouinards Wall in full conditions! (March 19th) Well the 2021/2022 ice season is a wrap for Sierra Mountain Guides and I’m happy to say that it was another successful one! This season we provided 72 different guests ice climbing instruction on a...
“Keep the cool temps coming!” It’s been a busy winter out on the ice this season in the sierra and it’s not slowing down. Good thing the conditions are absolutely fantastic! This past week was maybe our busiest one yet with three of our guides out...
“What Happened to Climbing Etiquette?” I spent the last five days out ice climbing in Lee Vining Canyon with a series of different groups and a total of seven different guests and let me tell you, the conditions have been spectacular! The cold snap that hit...
“Still Solid in LVC” I spent the last few days up in Lee Vining Canyon and enjoyed some surprisingly great conditions for ice climbing. With the warm temperatures down in the valleys it was hard to imagine the ice not falling down the mountain, but LVC...
