Hello everyone! Winter is finally upon us and with that comes the danger of avalanches. Don't be caught out and in doubt. Arm yourself with the knowledge you will need to be safe and sound in the backcountry this season. Whether it is ice climbing, skiing, or hiking, we are all at risk. Check out our avalanche courses page and sign up today!
I (Neil) just finished a three day rock climbing / training trip with long time clients Ted and Chris. Even in December we were able to find some amazing rock climbing. There is a little known fact that Bishop has more climbable days in the winter than Joshua tree. They arrived on Thursday and checked into their hotel in Bishop. The next morning we met at Jacks Waffle shop and decided to check out Pine Creek. With early snow and a weather forecast that threatened snow 
and rain we were still able to find dry rock and fun climbing in Pine Creek. With light jackets we were able to climb several pitches with 
Its not often in the Sierra that we get to climb in a true storm. First of all, the Sierra doesn't receive too much stormy weather so we are pretty spoiled in that respect. Summertime brings the occasional afternoon thunderstorm which we steer clear from. In the winter, storms are usually associated with high avalanche danger so we find other options on those days and weeks. But this time of year, as we've said before, brings a variety of conditions to think about.
Overall the guys had a great and unusually wintry ascent of the V notch. Thanks Jon!
October can be a tricky time of year for a guide service. On one hand the weather in the valley is spectacular and the sun shines brightly. On the other hand the mountains can be finicky and the weather just never knows. This year we have gotten little flurries of storms and cold spells, covering the mountains with a thin layer of snow in the high country. Sport climbers and boulderers traveling from afar start to fill our parking lots and coffee shops looking for 'sending temps' in the shade and a tan in the sun. Guide services aren't hugely employed during these times and guides find themselves catching up on work or traveling to do some personal climbing. This year we have been pretty fortunate and have run several trips so far. Most recently, Jed porter took two accomplished Swiss climbers up to Mt. Whitney to give it a try. Between the two they had climbed over 40 of the alps 4000 meter peaks, completed numerous ski mountaineering (randonee rally) races, and traveled around the world for climbing and ski mountaineering. Their goal was the summit and their preference was the east face. However, suspicions of the seriousness of doing the east face in October were confirmed once they arrived. The route was cold and snowy and the days are just short. So the group decided to head up the Mountaineers Route instead. Jed led the way and they all thought it would be fun to ascent a gully on the east side of the notch. 7 pitches of 5th class alpine climbing led them to the summit. The climb was described as climbing rock, snow, ice, talus, and scree in crampons. Not an easy feat! What we love about this trip is that they went for it. You won't find Eastside climbers waiting for a better time of year to accomplish their goals and you shouldn't either. There is ALWAYS something to do on the Eastside. 
r most recent office manager, has retired from 'regular' office hours to pursue a life of guiding and marketing. She has opened her own company; Cloudripper Designs and Sierra Mountain Guides has hired CRD to handle all of their marketing and product development needs. Our new office manager, Danielle Kuhl, will be in the office 5 days a week from 9:30-5:00pm to answer all of your questions and get you signed up for trips. We are the only guide service in the Eastern Sierra that has a full time, year round office manager.
ra Mountain Guides taught clinics to all the employees, Wilsons Eastside Sports donated slideshow equipment, Idle Hands entertained, Lisa Rands and Peter Croft gave a great slideshow and Paula Richards slaved over stove and cast iron to cook everyone the best food the Eastside has ever tasted.
ding at the Buttermilks. Sending temps in the shade and t-shirt weather in the sun with a backdrop of Tom, Humphreys, and Basin covered in a gorgeous layer of sparkling snow made for a classic day at the Buttermilks.