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Division Creek Road & Armstrong Canyon

Division Creek Road & Armstrong Canyon

The obvious question would be, does this place really exist? A broad and inviting u-shaped valley in the Southern Sierra with walk-up access to snow? In June, no less? The (more)

The San Gabriel Traverse

The San Gabriel Traverse

I don't know when, exactly, I first started thinking about skiing across the San Gabriels, but 2008 (the first time I climbed and skied Baden-Powell) is probably a good (more)

Telegraph’s South Face

Telegraph's South Face

Looking at Telegraph Peak's south face from Ontario Peak in 2006, I remember thinking, if that ever has snow on it, I should ski it. Well snow finally arrived, and I was lucky (more)

What’s Your Dream?

What's Your Dream?

I came to Los Angeles a small-town kid chasing elusive dreams and let's be honest, you can imagine how that went. This is a city that tends to grind people like me to (more)

Kendrick Peak

Kendrick Peak

As you all know, my fondness for off-the-beaten-path adventures sometimes often goes awry, but in this case, I found surprisingly good skiing on Kendrick Peak, just northwest of (more)

Skiing The Waterman Backcountry

Skiing The Waterman Backcountry

I admit I was at best marginally interested in heading to the San Gabriels this past weekend. There were any number of things that sounded like they'd be more fun. Riding my (more)

The Mountain Took My Phone, My Car, & My Tooth

Matt Dixon hiking San Antonio Ridge, California

Mountains demand sacrifices—we all know that. So when I accidentally left my phone atop Mount Baldy's west summit, I thought: Fine. Better than blood. My friend Matt (more)

Skiing the Kuna Crest

The Kuna Crest, in the Eastern Sierra, from Highway 120/Tioga Pass

After having loads of fun skiing Mammoth Mountain's closing day in the rain, I drove up Tioga Pass, wanting to see if any promising hike-and-ski opportunities remained. The (more)

Prospect Express With and Without Storm

Prospect Express With and Without Storm

Telluride's Prospect Express was installed in 2001, adding a quick 5-minute, thousand-vertical-foot ride that somehow manages to be both sublime and transformative. The lift (more)

A Mammoth Storm

A Mammoth Storm

Well! It was a VERY stormy Christmas 2021 for us at Mammoth Mountain this past week. When we got there Tuesday NOAA was calling for 70+ inches of snow. The weather, as you (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.