SierraDescents | Category | Skiing
May 30, 2014
The Vertigo Machine
It is unlike any other chairlift I know of, and it scares the hell out of me every time I ride it. I'm talking of course about Mammoth Mountain's wonderful Chair 23, that aging (more)
May 28, 2014
Memorial Day
For me, the 2013-2014 winter began and now ends with Mammoth: a Thanksgiving opening and a Memorial Day close. Yes, in terms of snowfall, this year ranks easily among the most (more)
December 9, 2013
Reading the SoCal Backcountry
I know what you're thinking: it's snowing! How much has it snowed? Has it snowed enough? It is worth it to try hitting the SoCal backcountry? How do you know if it's deep (more)
June 8, 2013
The Winter Wrap
Well it looks like I'm finally hanging up the skins on this unfinished-business of a 2012-2013 ski season. I'd hoped to add a volcano trip here in the waning weeks, but even that (more)
April 21, 2013
El Gringo Eskiador
In 1979, Patrick Vallencant skied the west face of Peru's 21,768' Yerupaja. Lou Dawson describes the route as "Possibly the continuously steepest mountain ski descent ever done." (more)
June 14, 2011
Split’s North Face
It is one of California's big mountains, colorful, complex, and consequential, and for ski mountaineers, it holds not one but several of the range's most coveted lines. Split's (more)
May 28, 2011
Skiing Whitney’s North Face
Whitney has eluded me. When I first tried to ski this mountain the defeat was so humbling and so absolute it was years before I dared return to the Sierra backcountry. But, every (more)
May 18, 2011
Steep Turns & ‘Edge of Never’
One of the things I love about ski mountaineering is that there's always something new to learn. Over the course of this season I've been trying to improve my steep skiing (more)
May 12, 2011
Muir’s East Buttress
In a way, I wished I'd never seen it. I was having a nice, easy backcountry skiing season, perfectly fine, and I didn't need any trouble. I didn't need to do anything special. I (more)
March 28, 2011
Back from the Bird
Back on the grid here after four fun-filled days at Snowbird, Utah. Weather really treated us well—it snowed every single day, but was kind enough to break yesterday for a (more)
