SierraDescents | Page 34
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)
May 3, 2011
Portal Road, Snow, Permits
Despite the ease of access, the Whitney Portal region has a less than glowing reputation when it comes to backcountry skiing. Perhaps it's not so much that there's something (more)
April 28, 2011
Sony NEX-5
Sony's interchangeable-lens NEX-5 is both an oddly compelling and an oddly vexing digital camera. Despite its flaws, however, once you start using an NEX-5 it's hard to stop. I (more)
April 19, 2011
Thor Peak
Every time I visit the Whitney Portal area, I always look up at Thor Peak and wonder about skiing it—but I never do. Erratic coverage in the Eastern Sierra had us (more)
April 18, 2011
395 Report (South)
Scouted Highway 395 between Olancha and Independence this past weekend. As has been the case the past few years, snow coverage varies greatly depending (I assume) on wind effect (more)
April 13, 2011
Black Diamond Quadrant
Some relationships define themselves immediately. Others refuse easy explanation. That's about where I find myself with Black Diamond's stubbornly-ambiguous Quadrant A/T ski boot. (more)
April 12, 2011
Marker Tour F12
Visions of an Alpine Touring binding from a heavyweight Alpine manufacturer like Marker have been dancing in the dreams of A/T skiers for many years now—mine included. Those (more)
April 8, 2011
Salomon Shogun
Salomon's Shogun moves away (slightly) from the powder specialization of big-brother Czar toward a more classic all-mountain design, modernized with just a touch of rocker. (more)
April 7, 2011
Nikon P300
Nikon's 12-megapixel P300 compact is the latest addition to my quiver of field cameras. I've learned to carry compacts in addition to or even instead of larger DSLRs and (more)
April 6, 2011
Rossignol S7 Freeride
Effortless powder skiing is the goal of Rossignol's unusually-shaped S7 Freeride, a ski that departs radically from traditional design standards, camber and sidecut included. (more)
April 5, 2011
The Girly Man
Yes, it's Southern California's infamous steep-skiing classic, the Girly Man Chute, seen here in far from ideal conditions on an alternately foggy and sunny warm April day. Girly (more)
March 31, 2011
Salomon Czar
Salomon's damp-and-quick Czar delivers a powder ride so irresistibly smooth just one run might well turn you into a wandering deep snow nomad for life. So I warn you now: if you (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 18, 2011
Winter Returns (Again)
Our off-again, on-again winter returns this weekend, with a huge forecast that should turn our thoughts back to snow. Sunday night appears to offer the most potential for (more)
