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...
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...
The great Ella Fitzgerald is spot on as she sang “Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” As the snow melts out from the high country and we transition from boots to approach shoes, it’s hard to find a more enjoyable mountain range in the United...
Scroll through any social media feed, and you’ll notice that everyone’s posts seem preoccupied with “ests”. The biggest, the longest, the hardest, the fastest. In a crowded field, to stand out there has to be something somehow special about everything we do. Even as guides,...
While sitting on the Kahiltna Glacier towards the end of May, I received a message on my InReach that read “Its full-on Summer in the Sierra.” After weeks of hauling sleds and digging cache holes, I was ready for a change of pace. Daydreams of...
If you look at the numbers, skiing in the Sierra Nevada seems like a challenging undertaking. The April 1 snow totals are out, and by all measurements, we are at 35% of average statewide, although local drainages like the Mono basin is closer to 50%...
Ah, the winter of feast or famine. What started off so promising, with a record breaking December snowpack, quickly turned to a mid winter where the headlines were major wind events and little snow. During January and February, we were able to ferret out snow that...
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...
“Let’s keep our fingers crossed!” Pitch 2 of North Gully with SMG guest Caitlyn Bidwell on Feb 5th The ice in February is off to a great start here in the Eastern Sierra and this past weekend was just delightful with cool, sunny, bluebird days with pretty...
