Mt. Whitney Winter

Indulge me a bit here, if you will.  Usually I try and post SMG trip reports here from the guests' perspective.  What made this trip special for him or her?  What did he or she bring to the trip that made it so enjoyable?  How did he or she rise to the challenges our beautiful Sierra offer? Believe me, Jason had an excellent time on Whitney, going above and beyond his own expectations.  An early January Whitney summit is a big deal for this fine-art carpenter from Brooklyn.

However, I can best describe the trip in my own terms.  Never before have I seen so few people on Whitney.  Never have I been so pleasantly surprised by travel conditions in the mountains.  Most importantly, I am utterly blown away by how this foray to the hills has cooled my wicked case of "snow fever."  Like virtually all US skiers right now, I am feeling in my very bones the lack of snow.  This snow sickness is a brutal beast.  It drives us crazy when the snow doesn't come, and leaves us distracted and overwhelmed with joy when it does.  However, tromping around in a clean and crisp and icy Whitney Zone has left me appreciative of all the options we have here and thankful for the flexible mountain athletes that come to SMG.  During those 3 magical days (and over a subsequent week of crampon-clad day-tripping) never did the insidious depression of a snow-deprived soul rear its head. Check out some pictures.

 

   

Yosemite's Tioga Pass Ice Climbing

The Tioga Pass road is open, which means access to (almost) roadside ice in Yosemite National Park!

The descent was aided by a nearby sport route with bolted anchors....we were able to swing over from the 1st tree rappel and get back to our packs with a double 60M Rappel.

The ice down low was a really fun angle but was pretty bullet hard and thin in some places....wish I had some stubbies. 

       Errr...guides day off...rope management is overrated right?                                                                                      

        
Top of the route in the sunshine (the ice was a little rotten for the top 80 ft). Guides Viren & Julie taking advantage of open roads and ice conditions.

Ice Climbing, Parker Canyon CA

The lack of snow and cold short days may get some skiers down this time of year, but not for those willing to hike a little and swing some tools in the frozen seeps of the Eastern Sierra.  The Parker Canyon trail head typically gets buried by big early season storms making the approach way too long for short winter days.  However this season, we have little to no coverage at the lower elevations and were able to drive up to the upper trail-head access for Parker Lake (High clearance and 4WD needed)  

The drive in was an adventure in itself, as Lyra's 4-runner bounced around the road and those of us in the back wished we had our helmets on. The approach hike which was an enjoyable 2 hours and 15 minutes had us going up and over a moraine, on a good trail to Parker lake, crossing the glassy lake that was iced over, and then traveling cross country with a little bushwacking up to the base of the ice flow.

  the view up-canyon from Parker Lake (you can see the climbing higher up the canyon in the shade)

The bulk of the ice was around 60-90 Meters tall and had several different sections of varying difficulty (WI - 2-4).  We chose to start on the left flow which had really nice ice, though the cold night yielded some dinnerplating on the bulges.  Above the main flow, the drainage continued for 300-400 Meters of really fun ice (WI 2) which I was able to solo up and get high enough to have some amazing views and bask in the sun.  We then top roped some of the steeper ice on the main flow that looked a little too chandeliered  to lead (though I suspect that will form in over the next several cold nights).

 Dave and Lyra (SMG guides) approaching the ice (it really was steeper than it looks- the left flow is WI 2-3 and the right flow is WI 3-4) 

We noticed several other thinner flows on the north side of the canyon, though the sun hits the tops of them and they may contain rotten or unstable ice.

Viren leading WI3

Overall a great adventure with a nice remote feel and every aspect of the day being really fun (except for the icy cold breeze)  we were greeted by a full moon rising on the last leg of our hike out which topped off a perfect day of adventure in the Eastern Sierra.

This is one of the better venues to teach ice climbing ... the approach is just a little long for these short days, and the trail-head will get shut down once we get our first big storm.  The fun lower angle ice down low is a great way to ease into the season, but will get buried by snow making the flow quite a bit shorter.  Get it while it's good!

 

~Viren P. 

Ice Climbing, Lee Vining CA

 Approach: Heinous. Ice: In, but thin in most places. Beta & Pics below provided by Dale Apgar.

 Dale Climbing this weekend  Photo Credit: Bryan Tucker

Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas Rock Climbing

Red Rock Sunrise.  Chad B. Photo

How did you get into rock climbing?  How about alpine climbing?  Which came first?  Seems as though the answer to those questions for most people falls into one of two categories.   If you start out rock climbing, the photos and stories you are exposed to romanticize alpine climbing.  That romantic view is inspiring, we can't deny that.  On the other hand, if you start out trekking through the mountains, seeking high and beautiful peaks, eventually you will come upon some terrain that requires some technical know-how.  Acquiring the body of knowledge and experience that technical terrain requires can be quite a journey.  Modern, accessible rock climbing forms the foundation of the entire body of technical skills.  Chad, a die-hard mountaineer, fits solidly in this latter category.  The mountains inspire Chad.  Hiking or scrambling.  Well-known peaks or the more obscure.  High mountains or shorter.  Chad digs them all.  This past summer Chad and I encountered a fair amount of more technical terrain in the High Sierra.  

Hiking to the Brass Wall.  Chad B. Photo

Chad is self-aware, motivated and organized.  He saw the challenge (acquiring technical climbing skills), discovered the opportunity (our November Red Rock trip), and executed (3 days in Red Rock, a combo of technical training and big mileage).  Setting quite an example of focus and fun, Chad has it figured out.  Chad has big aspirations, but enjoys every moment of even the most mundane "training".  We weren't "training for the ultimate training day".  We were just out doing it with a bit of an agenda.

As for the agenda...  Day 1 we hit the Brass Wall in Pine Creek for some top-rope mileage and movement skills.







Day 2 was rope-geeking in Calico Basin.  We dialed in up-travel transitions and some improvised ascension practice.  Repetition, repetition, repetition.

Calico Basin.  Chad B. Photo

Upper Solar Slab.  J. Porter Photo

The third day we raced the loop road and a particularly fast crowd of accomplished climbers to, and then up, Solar Slab.  I'm pretty sure Solar Slab in its entirety is my favorite route in Red Rock.  Just thousands of feet of beautiful, sustained moderate climbing.  Yee Haw!

Glen Plake & Howie Schwartz Ski Black Divide

Journey to the Black Divide- Part One

UIAGM Ski and Mountain Guide, Howie Schwartz and professional skiing ambassador, Glen Plake get together for some adventure skiing in the heart of the Sierra Nevada, California, in search of "probable" first descents.

Part 1 features a discussion on tips for setting up a successful multiday ski mountaineering tour in the Sierra. Supported by Outdoor Research, Sierra Mountain Guides, and Sage to Summit.

Stay tuned, part 2 coming out soon.....

Late Season Climbing in the Owens Valley- Rocks!

In late fall, I hear alpinist and skier types complain when the first snows of the season start to stick to the mountainsides. Hopes for one more high altitude rock climb before the end of season are dashed, and impatience for the backcountry skiing sets in during this hiatus from the high country. These addictions can only be fed by wallowing on talus covered in 10 inches of faceted snow, generally alone (since you are the only one who thinks this sounds fun) or perhaps Mammoth Mountain opens one meandering white ribbon of death upon which you can be entertained for a good 45 minutes just to claim you skied in November this year. It seems rare that this 'tween season is very long in the Eastern Sierra. As excited to ski as I always am, I still sometimes find myself wishing it was longer.

 Trish in Alabama Hills; Photo Credit: Weston Walker

The 'tween season forces us to capitalize on the best of what we have way down near the bottom of the Owens Valley. There is perhaps no better place and time for rock climbing than the Eastern Sierra in late fall. I was just down in the Owens River Gorge yesterday discussing this with a British couple, when one of them said, "You don't have to explain it to us. Last Fall we accidentally spent a month here!" I have heard international climbers proudly proclaim such statements without shadow of doubt as, "We will be climbing in Bishop every Fall for the rest of our lives," and "As far as I am concerned, the Buttermilks are hands down the best bouldering venue in the world." Legendary masters of stone such as Peter Croft, Lisa Rands, Chris Sharma, Doug Robinson, John Fischer, Bob Harrington, and many others have made their homes here, either for a good while or more permanently. Croft points out, "Bishop has more climbable weather days than any major climbing venue in the country." He is right. Even J-Tree and Red Rock are more often either too hot or too cold throughout the year. There are literally thousands of accessible sport, trad, and mixed routes in the Valley, plus more bouldering problems than you can hang on in a lifetime, on multiple rock types. Bishop is a hard place for a rock climber to get bored, and an easy place to stay strong all year without having to pull on plastic.

Climbing in the Owens River Gorge

That's cool if you are more concerned with keeping up with the jonesers on Mammoth Mountain this Fall, or perhaps donning those ripped, nylon, knee-high gaiters you still have from before the advent of soft shell pants. On the other hand, don't obsess so much that you forget to take advantage of the season when we can, without missing a great day of snowsports, put on a T-shirt and bask in the sun on a desert boulder or sparkling granite wall, or feel the pumpy burn that hurts so good on a steep, pocketed wall of welded tuff. This time of year, with the sun relatively low in the sky, and the dusting of snow on the foreground Sierra peaks, the world of rocks and mountains sparkle with the colors of the Earth and the warmest hues of sunlight. It reminds you how inspiring life is and how lucky we are to be able to commune with nature as we do.

Peter Croft in the Buttermilks

If you are thinking of a rock climbing weekend getaway while you wait for the snow, give us a call or shoot us an email. Peter Croft is going to be leading some very special winter climbing events this year! And we are stoked to rock climb with you anytime this winter, especially when the high country is too stormy, or your legs are too tired from skiing. Fly direct to Mammoth from LA or the Bay Area! We'll even arrange a pick up for you at the airport. Happy Turkey Day everyone!