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 Peak to be more or less in the same orbit—a little higher and a little more vertical, true, but fewer miles overall. Instead, I was just humbled by this hike (more…)

Posted in video | 5 Comments

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 get wet. So I felt more than a little rusty getting pulled on a slalom ski. To be honest, I’m not sure there’s a sport that inspires more anxiety in me. Some of the worst falls I’ve ever taken involve crossing the wake while slalom skiing (more…)

Posted in video | 1 Comment

Lounging on Hammock in Flagstaff

No more, no less.

Posted in video | 1 Comment

San Gorgonio Panorama

At just over (or maybe under) 11,500 feet, San Gorgonio Mountain is Southern California’s high point, considerably eclipsing rivals San Jacinto Peak and Mount San Antonio. This might just be the most inspiring summit view in SoCal, but you’ll have to work for it. The shortest approach, via the Vivian Creek trail, is about 8 miles and 5.5K of vertical. The South Fork approach, from the north, chops a bit of vertical (more…)

Posted in video | 3 Comments

Esha Peak

This was a bit of Sierra serendipity: as I was driving into Mammoth last weekend, I found myself staring at an unknown peak up the McGee Creek drainage. I snapped a photo through my car window for the archives, and then emailed my friend Jed Porter, of Sierra Mountain Guides, to see if he wanted to come out and play. Jed wrote back suggesting Esha Peak, which turned out to be…the very same mountain I’d spotted driving in (more…)

Posted in video | 2 Comments

A Telluride Storm

I love the sight of snow falling. On the last night of our Telluride trip this year, it unexpectedly started snowing heavily—big, fat, wonderful flakes dropping out of the sky. I figured it was just a squall since the forecast called for clearing. But it kept snowing. So after an hour or so I grabbed my RX100 and went for a walk outside, thinking I’d try to capture some shots around town before the storm quit (more…)

Posted in video | 8 Comments

San J Okay

I can’t figure these storms out. After a forecast initially calling for as much as 43″ of snow, Tuesday’s storm left a much smaller but still respectable 18″ or so in the higher elevations of San Jacinto State Park, where Brent and I went exploring on Wednesday. Despite the combination of abundant new snow plus last week’s totals, the SoCal backcountry remains pretty marginal, however (more…)

Posted in video | 3 Comments

Snow Valley: Top to Bottom

Sure, Andreas Fransson skied the Whillans Ramp on Patagonia’s Aguja Poincenot…but has he ever skied Snow Valley?

I highly doubt it.

Posted in video | 7 Comments

My Most-Hated Video

I don’t get much feedback on my videos, positive or negative, and I certainly don’t get much in the way of ‘likes’ or ‘dislikes’, but there is one huge exception: my video review of Volkl’s RTM-84 ski. Something about this video has sure aroused the passions of my otherwise-disengaged YouTube audience. That crazy RTM84 video gets a ton of views, and a ton of dislikes (more…)

Posted in video | 0 Comments

Grand Canyon: Rim to Rim in 7 Gigs

Is Grand Canyon but a dream, or is it instead where I am most truly awake? I shot a massive 7 gigs of raw video on this hike, starting at Yaki Point on the south rim and finishing at Bright Angel Point on the north some ten hours later. Looking back over these incredible images, I find myself transported back to this magical October day. I hope it takes you there also.

Posted in video | 1 Comment

→ More SierraDescentsPrevious Posts ↵