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SierraDescents | Category | Climbing

Kearsarge Revisited

Ascending Kearsarge Peak's Summit Ridge

I first climbed 12,598' Kearsarge Peak via Lily Pass in 2014, and, as is often the case, my famously-bad memory recorded it as one of the easier of the eastern Sierra's big-peak (more)

Steven Bradshaw Climbs Yahoo Predator

Steven Bradshaw Climbs Yahoo Predator

My daughter has recently taken an interest in sport climbing, and thus so have I. Coincidentally, my friend Preston is also a climber, and he invited us to watch his friend (more)

The Division Creek Drainage

Division Creek drainage, California Sierra

I wanted to see if I could reach the snow. In the eastern Sierra there is a tradition of long, heroic epics in which skiers carry skis up desperately remote drainages in hopes of (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)

Cirque Peak

Cirque Peak

I've always wanted to ski Cirque Peak. This is a handsome sub-13K' peak in the Golden Trout Wilderness, near Army Pass and Mount Langley, with a scooped east face that looks ripe (more)

Sierra Class 3

Sierra Class 3

Insofar as I can tell, the Yosemite Decimal System, which is by far the most widely-used climbing route grading system in the United States, works extremely well provided you stay (more)

Slings & Physics

Slings & Physics

If climbing's your bag you might want to check out this sling drop-test video by DMM, in which they conduct a head-to-head comparison of Dynema and nylon slings in Factor 1 and 2 (more)

This is Your Brain on Altitude

This is Your Brain on Altitude

It has been known for some time that Everest climbers often show symptoms such as memory loss and poor coordination when they get home. And studies have found irregularities in (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)

Falling Headfirst Down an Ice Cliff

Falling Headfirst Down an Ice Cliff

Blame it on Chamonix—exposure to the big mountains of the French Alps made a big impression on me. I bought a Charlet-Moser axe and crampons, intending to incorporate the (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.