SierraDescents | Category | Current Conditions
September 6, 2013
The Well-Cooked Andy
First of all, I apologize. I knew writing about our record-cool first two weeks of August was just asking for trouble, and I did it anyway, and of course mere days later Los (more)
August 19, 2013
A Very Cool August
I do like to check in on the weather now and then for the archives, and 2103 has been an unusually cool August for us here in the Los Angeles basin. I can't find any hard sources (more)
May 27, 2013
Wahoo Gullies Are Burnt
Here's a view that so struck me I had to jam on my brakes to pull over and take a picture of it: Mount Locke and the Wahoo Gullies, a favorite Bishop-area spring ski descent, (more)
May 13, 2013
White Mountain Is White
Passing Olancha and entering the outskirts of Lone Pine on Highway 395, what should my wondering eyes see but snow—and lots of it—dusting the high peaks. Apparently (more)
May 4, 2013
Mammoth: Electrifying!
It was such a beautiful sunny morning here at Mammoth Mountain California, I was beginning to hope the forecast T-storms would fail to show. Nope: right around 11 a.m. things (more)
April 15, 2013
Mammoth
Thank goodness we have Mammoth! Your Southern Sierra looks an awful lot like summer right now, but atop Mammoth Mountain there's got to be a solid 12 feet or so of snow. With (more)
April 1, 2013
Snow Valley: Done
Given what a rotten winter it's been in the backcountry, it was sure a solid season for me and my kids at Snow Valley...at least until today. The kids and I skied Easter 2012 at (more)
March 28, 2013
Birch Mountain Benchmark
I like Birch Mountain as a benchmark for Eastern Sierra snowpack conditions because it's gigantic and because it's readily viewable from Highway 395. Birch's upper face tells us (more)
March 18, 2013
Point of No Return?
Well there just hasn't been much news this winter in the current conditions category. For the Southland mountains I'd say we're fast approaching the point of no return (though (more)
February 25, 2013
Blue Ridge Benchmark
Yes that is indeed Mount Baldy's north face (aka Mt. San Antonio), as seen today from the Blue Ridge Road viewpoint on Highway 2, and yikes! there sure isn't much snow up there. (more)
