SierraDescents | 2014
December 22, 2014
Mammoth Wind
If the north wind is the scourge of the Sierra (as Mingori and Greenberg write) it is doubly so for isolated, treeless Mammoth Mountain. High winds and holiday crowds made for (more)
December 11, 2014
It’s Coming In Warm
Good news, bad news again from the west coast: indications are we're on the cusp of seeing a major winter storm hit California, perhaps the most significant storm of the past (more)
December 7, 2014
Snow, Rain, & Mesh Canopies
The good news is it's early December and there is skiing in Southern California. The bad news is last week's heavy rain did exactly what you'd expect to the local resorts' (more)
November 27, 2014
Summit Opens
Skis touch snow once again and I say AAHHH it feels good. Opening day 2014: once again I am in awe of Snow Summit's snowmaking capability. We drove past an utterly bare Snow (more)
November 13, 2014
Black Diamond Carbon Convert
If you ask me, Black Diamond has been victimized, to an extent, by the very same perfect powder that makes Utah skiing so famous. Skis tuned to perform in that incomparable (more)
November 12, 2014
La Sportiva Vapor Nano
If you want a ski with lots of surface area and very, very little weight, La Sportiva presents the aptly-named Vapor Nano: 103mm underfoot and 5.29lbs per pair (spec). The Vapor (more)
November 4, 2014
Lange RS 130: Liner Updates Make a Difference
Lange has been making the RS-130 for so long and for so well it seems almost presumptuous to review it. This is the boot for citizen racing and elite frontside performance. (more)
November 3, 2014
Pumpkins, Snow, & Rainbows
Are we not overdue? Depending on how you see the glass, we have now gone three years in a row without a true Sierra winter. Three years! It seems like a lifetime. Throughout (more)
October 30, 2014
Dynafit Huascaran
Dynafit's Huascaran took me completely by surprise. With the Huascaran we know we're getting a light ski, but who could have expected how solid it is? Skiing the Huascaran (more)
October 21, 2014
Wildrose Peak Panorama
As with next-door neighbor Telescope Peak, Death Valley's Wildrose Peak features striking juxtapositions of desert and alpine landscapes. Wildrose is in the Panamint Range, (more)
October 10, 2014
Volkl Reboots the Mantra
The Mantra has changed. Yes, there have been minor tweaks to Volkl's All Mountain masterpiece over the years, including the daring addition of a dash of tip rocker. But this time (more)
October 3, 2014
Fransson
He was one of the titans of modern extreme skiing, with a traditional, mountaineering tilt that connected him directly to the most storied names of the past. On September 29, (more)
September 11, 2014
Dirty Girl Gaiters
Of course we all hate scree gaiters, but the darned things tend to be useful—particularly (as is often the case) when we've decided not to bring them. Leave the scree gaiters (more)
September 4, 2014
La Sportiva Ultra Raptor
The only thing wrong with La Sportiva's Ultra Raptor is that it's not a mid. For ultra-class hikers and runners, this is an outstanding all-day shoe. The Ultra Raptor is (more)
September 1, 2014
Sawtooth Peak
Trevor and I paid a visit to Mineral King yesterday, and as we hiked past mile after mile of richly colored rock, I have to say I kept feeling potent impulses to grab a pick axe (more)
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