SierraDescents | Page 53
May 23, 2011
Skiing Whitney!
I'm so excited—Whitney has eluded me since 2006, when I passed on skiing the Mountaineer's Route, figuring I'd get to it next season. Every year since then, I've waited for (more)
May 19, 2011
Panasonic TM700
Panasonic's TM700 hi-def camcorder offers us the technology equivalent of a Faustian bargain: you get something extraordinary, but it comes with an unexpected cost. The good can (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)
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)
