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Mount Whitney Crest

Mount Whitney Crest from Thor Peak

Thor Peak's summit offers this expansive view of the Mount Whitney Crest. On display are Trail Crest and Mount Muir's east buttress (left), followed by Keeler and Day Needles and (more)

Whitney’s North Face

Whitney's North Face

For the best view of Mount Whitney's north face, try climbing Whitney's next door neighbor, fellow fourteener Mount Russell. From the summit of Russell you can clearly see how (more)

101 Switchbacks

101 Switchbacks - Mount Whitney Trail

How many switchbacks are there between Trail Camp and Trail Crest on The Mount Whitney Trail? A lot. The exact number may never be known, but 101 seems to be the most popular (more)

Skiing Whitney’s North Face

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)

Skiing Whitney!

Climbing Telegraph Peak - 300x300 placeholder

I'm so excited—Whitney has eluded me since 2006, when I passed on skiing the Mountaineer's Route, figuring I'd get to it next season. Every year since then, I've waited for (more)

Portal Road, Snow, Permits

Portal Road, Snow, Permits

Despite the ease of access, the Whitney Portal region has a less than glowing reputation when it comes to backcountry skiing. Perhaps it's not so much that there's something (more)

Mt. Whitney’s East Face

Mt. Whitney's East Face

When I close my eyes I see granite. Gray-white blocks angle sharply beneath my feet, plunging downward past my rubber-tipped toes. I press my back against a wall of rock as if I (more)

The Fresh Air Traverse

The Fresh Air Traverse

Mount Whitney's East Face is perhaps the classic Alpine climbing route in the Sierra, featuring an otherworldly mix of moderate climbing and breathtaking exposure. I had wanted (more)

Whitney Fish Hatchery Destroyed

Whitney Fish Hatchery Destroyed

Sounds like it was a wild weekend in the Whitney Portal region, with heavy storms closing the portal road (due to mudslides) and even Highway 395 (which remains closed at (more)

Whitney Portal Road: ‘Closed’ vs. Closed

Whitney Portal Road: ‘Closed’ vs. Closed

Well, I drove up to Lone Pine yesterday with big plans for some climbing and skiing in the Whitney Portal region, only to discover the road, which is normally "closed" for winter (more)

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About SierraDescents

When there is snow, SierraDescents is Andy Lewicky's California backcountry skiing and mountaineering website. Without snow, sierradescents becomes an ill-tempered hiking and climbing blog.

Pray for snow.