SierraDescents | Category | Skiing
December 9, 2013
Reading the SoCal Backcountry
I know what you're thinking: it's snowing! How much has it snowed? Has it snowed enough? It is worth it to try hitting the SoCal backcountry? How do you know if it's deep (more)
June 8, 2013
The Winter Wrap
Well it looks like I'm finally hanging up the skins on this unfinished-business of a 2012-2013 ski season. I'd hoped to add a volcano trip here in the waning weeks, but even that (more)
April 21, 2013
El Gringo Eskiador
In 1979, Patrick Vallencant skied the west face of Peru's 21,768' Yerupaja. Lou Dawson describes the route as "Possibly the continuously steepest mountain ski descent ever done." (more)
June 14, 2011
Split’s North Face
It is one of California's big mountains, colorful, complex, and consequential, and for ski mountaineers, it holds not one but several of the range's most coveted lines. Split's (more)
May 28, 2011
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)
May 18, 2011
Steep Turns & ‘Edge of Never’
One of the things I love about ski mountaineering is that there's always something new to learn. Over the course of this season I've been trying to improve my steep skiing (more)
May 12, 2011
Muir’s East Buttress
In a way, I wished I'd never seen it. I was having a nice, easy backcountry skiing season, perfectly fine, and I didn't need any trouble. I didn't need to do anything special. I (more)
March 28, 2011
Back from the Bird
Back on the grid here after four fun-filled days at Snowbird, Utah. Weather really treated us well—it snowed every single day, but was kind enough to break yesterday for a (more)
March 6, 2011
Snow Valley $199 Pass
One of my never-ending quests is finding an appropriate place to ski with my four-year-old son in SoCal. We drove up to Snow Valley today, motivated by distant memories I had of (more)
February 23, 2011
Wolfgang Lert’s “Mugelhupf”
Wolfgang Lert died in his San Francisco home on Feb 13, 2009 at the age of 91. He was one of the founders of SMS as well as a builder of the San Antonio Ski Hut. In 1936-37 he (more)
February 20, 2011
The Inbounds Powder Experience
About a foot of new snow on the ground here in Flagstaff meant it was a mad-dash morning for a powder day at the Arizona Snowbowl. Those of you who sometimes wonder if you're (more)
February 2, 2011
SIA Denver
The SnowSports Industries America's SnowShow is the largest and "most concentrated" trade show in the snow sports industry. This year, The Ski Channel decided to hold their (more)
January 21, 2011
Finding Backcountry Partners in SoCal
One of the more common questions I get is from people who have just moved to Southern California, and, having discovered there is actually backcountry skiing in the area, are (more)
January 14, 2011
C2N Goes to Denver
I've been holding off announcing this until I was sure it was official, and now it is: my documentary, The Couloir to Nowhere, will be screening as part of the Ski Channel Film (more)
January 1, 2011
Cornell Peak?
Back to San Jacinto I went for the last skiing day of 2010, this time with the man formerly known as the man formerly known as Bullet (ie, once again Bullet. Or Bill. Just don't (more)
