X

    Request More Information


    We'll get back to you as soon as possible. Please make sure you put the name of your class in the form to make sure we know what you are asking about.

    --
    This email was sent from a Class Item page.

     

    Ritter Range High Tour

    Ritter Range High Tour

    $1640 per person

    The Ritter Range is one of the most rugged and beautiful sections of the High Sierra crest.


    Looking for one of the best ski mountaineering tours in High Sierra? We invented this 5-day point-to-point tour of the Sierra Crest from Mammoth Mountain to June Mountain. An unbelievable journey with epic ski descents! Best season is February through April.

    Spring 2023 Dates:

    – May 15-20

    Maximum guiding ratio of 4:1 and needs a minimum of 2 to run on these dates with these prices. We can also arrange this trip on a custom private basis.

    These high mountains get more snow than most of the range and their volcanic and metamorphic geology provide beautiful ski lines.

    The Ritter Range is one of the most rugged and beautiful sections of the High Sierra crest. The legendary late Sierra ski guide Bela Vadasz and SMG guide/owner Howie Schwartz connected a beautiful ski itinerary through it while co-teaching a Ski Guide Course for the American Mountain Guides Association, and we have since evolved it into one of our most popular and spectacular ski trips. These high mountains get more snow than most of the range and their volcanic and metamorphic geology provide beautiful ski lines. The itinerary maximizes the fun of skiing yet maintains the point-to-point adventure of the classic Mammoth to June tour. For excellent skiers who are looking for the ultimate in guided multiday Sierra ski trips this is the one we recommend first.

    This one is not very splitboard friendly, but we will custom build a similar program in the Ritter Range that works better for snowboarders upon request.

    • Included
      Backcountry Skiing
      Crest tour
      Mammoth to June
      Ritter Range
      ski mountaineering
      Yosemite ski
    • Not Included
      14ers
      3D chute
      3rd pillar
      3rd Pillar Dana
      AIARE
      AIARE 1
      AIARE 2
      Alaska
      Alaska skiing
      alpine
      alpine climbing
      alpine rock climbing
      Alps
      Alps climbing
      Alps running
      Alps skiing
      Alps trilogy
      American Mountain Guides Association
      AMGA
      avalanche awareness
      avalanche course
      backcountry
      backcountry 101
      backcountry ski
      backcountry snowboard
      backpacking
      Bear Creek Spire
      Berner Oberland
      Bernese Oberland
      Bishop
      Bishop Skyline
      Blacksmith Peak
      Bloody Mountain
      Breakthrough
      Bridgeport
      California
      California fourteeners
      camping
      Cardinal Pinnacle
      Carson Peak
      Celestial Aretes
      Chamonix
      Chamonix climbing
      Charlotte Dome
      chef
      classic rock climb
      classic Sierra rock
      climb
      climbing
      climbing camp
      climbing skills
      climbing Swiss Alps
      Clyde Minaret
      Convict Creek
      cook
      courses
      courses instruction
      crampon
      Crystal Crag
      custom
      custom private ski
      Dana Plateau
      destinations
      Devil's Slide
      Dolomites
      Dolomites climbing
      Double Eagle Resort
      Dream Bowl
      East Buttress
      East Face
      Eastern Sierra climbing
      Eastern Sierra skiing
      Eastern Sierra Winter
      Eiger
      Evolution Loop
      exam
      fastpacking
      Fishhook Arete
      Four Seasons
      France
      Glass Creek
      Grindelwald
      guide course
      Haute Route
      heli assisted
      heli skiing
      Hemlock Ridge
      High Sierra
      High Sierra skiing
      high tour
      hiking
      Horse Creek
      horses
      Horsetail Falls
      Hut to Hut
      ice 101
      ice axe
      ice climbing
      ice climbing course
      Incredible Hulk
      instruction
      intermediate level
      international
      introductory
      introductory ice climbing course
      Italy
      John Muir Trail
      John Muir Wilderness
      June Lake
      June Mountain
      Jungfrau
      Kautz Glacier
      kids
      kids climbing programs
      Las Vegas
      lee vining
      Lee Vining area
      lee vining canyon
      level 1
      level 1 refresher
      level 2
      light and fast
      lightweight
      Lone Pine
      Lone Pine Peak
      Lovers Leap
      Mammoth Lakes
      Mammoth Lakes to Yosemite
      Mammoth Mountain
      Mammoth to Yosemite
      Matterhorn
      Matterhorn Peak
      McGee Creek
      Merriam Peak
      mixed climbing
      Monch
      Mont Blanc
      Mont Blanc run
      Mount Conness
      Mount Dana
      Mount Emerson
      Mount Gabb
      Mount Humphreys
      Mount Mills
      Mount Rainier
      mountain running
      mountaineering
      Mountaineers Route
      Mt Conness
      Mt. Dana
      Mt. Emerson
      Mt. Humphreys
      Mt. Russell
      Mt. Sill
      Mt. Tom
      Mt. Whitney
      Mt. Winchell
      mules
      multiday
      negatives
      Nevada
      North Palisade
      North Peak
      north ridge
      onion valley to mt. whitney
      Ortler
      Owens River Gorge
      pack outfit
      pack support
      packers
      palisades
      Palisades Glacier Camp
      peak descents
      Peter Croft
      Pine Creek
      Polemonium Peak
      porters
      Positive Vibrations
      private
      private custom
      professional development
      Red and White Mountain
      Red Dihedral
      red rock
      Red Slate Mountain
      rescue skills
      rock
      rock 201
      rock climbing
      Rock Creek
      Rock Creek to Mammoth
      Sabre Ridge
      San Joaquin Ridge
      Sawtooths
      self arrest
      self belay
      self rescue
      Sequoia National Park
      sherpas
      Sierra
      Sierra 5.10
      sierra alpine
      Sierra Mountain Guides
      Sierra Nevada
      Sierra skiing
      single pitch instructor
      ski
      ski guiding
      ski tour
      ski touring
      skiing
      snow
      snow skills
      snowboard
      SPI
      splitboard
      sport
      sport climbing
      Starlight Peak
      supported
      Switzerland
      Tahoe
      Temple Crag
      third pillar
      Thompson Pass
      Thunderbolt Peak
      Tioga
      trad climbing
      trail running
      traverse
      Tuolumne
      Twin Lakes
      Ultra Trail Mont Blanc
      ultralight
      Valdez
      Via Ferrata
      white line
      wilderness trip
      winter
      Yosemite
      yosemite national park
      Yost Meadow
      Zermatt
      Zermatt Valley

    TRIP ITINERARY: Ritter Range High Tour

    DAY 1 Meet your guide very early in the morning in Mammoth Lakes. After a gear check and final packing we head up to Mammoth Mountain, skin through the ski resort to Minaret Summit, then ski down the road to Agnew Meadows. From there we head up the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River to Shadow Creek. Ascend to Shadow Lake then on up to Ediza Lake where we make a basecamp.
    DAY 2 Day tour! High circumnavigation of the Minarets. This is an incredible tour reminiscent of the Dolomites. The Minarets are the most jagged ridge of peaks in the High Sierra. We weave a tour betwixt the spires up past the southeast face of Clyde Minaret, up over the South Notch. over to the incredible Amphitheater Lake, and up to the Adams-Michael Col. From there we enjoy a technical ski descent down a beautiful couloir, often using ropes to enter, then wrap around the west side skiing down a roller coaster ride of ramps. Climb up to the Gap and ski back down the east side back to camp.
    DAY 3 Another day tour! Mount Ritter (13,149') is the crown jewel of the Ritter Range and it has an incredible ski line from the very summit down its Southeast Face. If you have skied Mammoth Mountain then you have probably looked at this line front he lifts as your gaze went fuzzy and the drool dripped from the corner of your mouth and froze on your chin. We aim to summit the mountain and ski the face. A dream line of a lifetime.
    DAY 4 Now that our packs are much lighter, we are ready to head up over the Ritter-Banner Col. If conditions are right, we will continue up the West Face of Banner Peak. This in an incredible ski line that starts just below the summit and drops 1800 feet to Lake Catherine. Camp there or cross North Glacier Pass and camp near Thousand Island Lake, depending on the group and conditions.
    DAY 5 Another day tour, this time over toward Electra Peak on the Yosemite border or some steep skiing in the Mt. Davis zone of the Northern Ritter Range.
    DAY 6 The Big Finish! Cross eastward to the San Joaquin Ridge and reach the final high point. Many amazing options from here including Carson Peak, Fern Creek, the Negatives, the Hourglass, the Positives, and more. If conditions are right we can finish via Devil's Slide or Hemlock Ridge to Four Seasons both of which finish at the Double Eagle Resort and Spa. Alternatively, we can finish on the slopes of June Mountain. Either way there will be a place we can finally put the packs down, enjoy a beer, and toast to a trip of a lifetime!

    Prerequisites:

    • Advanced-expert downhill skiing skills
    • Ability to control speed and execute fall-line turns in control and comfort in difficult snow conditions (deep powder, heavy and/or moist snow, breakable crust, firm or icy, etc.)
    • Ability to execute hop turns on 40 degree+, firm slopes, coming to a complete and immediate stop at the finish of each turn
    • Ability to sideslip forward and backward, with edge control, on steep, firm slopes
    • Experience ski touring in the backcountry using ski touring equipment (boots, bindings, skins, transceiver, shovel, probe, etc.)
    • Ability to make uphill facing kick-turns in an uphill track on a steep slope
    • Experience in multi-day winter camping and/or mountaineering
    • Experience with the use of climbing ropes and technical competency in use of ice axe, crampons, and ski crampons
    • Excellent fitness

    Cost Includes:

    • SMG Guide(s)
    • Group camping gear and technical gear
    • Meals (dinners and breakfasts)
    • Return shuttle at the end of the trip from the June Lake area back to Mammoth Lakes
    • Use of avalanche rescue gear (beacon, shovel, probe)
    • Wilderness Permits

    Not Included:

    • Travel to/from the Eastern Sierra
    • Lodging in the Eastern Sierra
    • Food or drink in towns
    • Snacks/lunches or drinks on the tour
    • Personal or rental equipment
    • Trip Insurance and Mountain Rescue Insurance (recommended)