SierraDescents | Page 33
August 16, 2013
House of Pain
Olancha Peak has long commanded my attention. First of the Southern Sierra's big mountains, Olancha can be thought of as the range's regional ambassador. Drive Highway 395 north (more)
August 13, 2013
La Sportiva Xplorer Mid
La Sportiva's lightweight Xplorer Mid is not at all the shoe I was expecting. In terms of weight, stiffness, and structure, the Xplorer is almost an anti-boot. The Xplorer Mid is (more)
August 3, 2013
What The Heck Happened to Windsurfing?
At one time I was a windsurfer first and a skier, believe it or not, a very distant second. My dad and I caught the leading edge of the windsurfing phenomenon way back in the (more)
July 23, 2013
Olancha Peak Panorama
Man, did I underestimate this one. Trevor and I buzzed up San Gorgonio Mountain a few weeks ago with relative ease, and based on that speedy little jaunt I was expecting Olancha (more)
July 16, 2013
Airhead Na Pali
If you've ever driven up to a scenic mountain lake and found yourself wishing you had a paddleboard or a sea kayak, Airhead's inflatable Na Pali is worth a look. When not in use, (more)
July 15, 2013
Summer Ski Tips
Waterskiing, that is. Ironically of course when I lived in Arizona, I was out on the water all the time, but now that I live two miles from the Pacific Ocean, I basically never (more)
July 11, 2013
The West’s Fiery Future
If you want a canary in the coalmine for climate change in the western U.S., try Northern Arizona's Coconino National Forest. The forest features the world's largest contiguous (more)
June 27, 2013
Trust Issues: Steripen Freedom
I've been twice burned by Steripen's Adventurer hydrophoton water purification device, so forgive me if I'm a little less than glowing in my comments. No, the problem wasn't that (more)
June 26, 2013
The South Fork Loop
"Don't tell me how far it is," I say. I don't want to know. We're at the Mill Creek Ranger Station, waiting for it to open so we can get hiking permits. You need permits to enter (more)
