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!     

Fall in the Eastern Sierra: Crystral Crag, North Peak's N. Couloir, Pine Creek, & SE Face of Emerson

On the sunlit edge of Crystal Crag's North Arete.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, in the mountains it's all about flexibility.  Seems that's the theme of my entries here.  "We were greatly rewarded by the flexibility of so and so... blah blah blah."  But really, it makes a huge difference!  Ask not "how do I climb this mountain?".  Rather, ask, "what's the coolest thing to do right now?"  Billy came up for 4 days asking exactly that question.  He had some goals in mind:  big days, adventure, snow, rock, ice, summits.  Pretty good stuff, really.  But as for which routes and peaks we did, he didn't really care.  The journey is the important part.  Where did that journey take us?  We started with the North Arete of Crystal Crag.  An excellent warm-up and, with the South Ridge descent, is a full-on traverse of a High Sierra peak.

In North Peak's North Couloir-   Classic neve conditions.

 Next we headed for North Peak's North Couloir.  A proper mixed climb, this route combines a handful of ice pitches with 3 pitches of quality rock climbing.  Awesome.  Billy came with a climb like this as his main goal.  He'll be the first to admit that it was awesome, but just one day in almost a week of great days!

Approaching Emerson's huge SE Face

 Day 3 we went rock climbing in Pine Creek.  Recent and dedicated efforts by some of Bishop's finest have created some truly classic multi-pitch rock climbs out there.  We tackled "Chips off the Old Block", a 6 pitch 5.10b.

Day 4 we waffled a bit on plans, debating among our many excellent options.  Weather, access and desires narrowed the choices and soon the SE Face of Emerson rose to the top of the heap.  This is a huge route.  Never "hard", but constantly technical, Emerson can be a full-day and then some.  Billy came fit, got acclimated, and we crushed the agenda in a noteworthy-for-the-season sunlit car to car effort.  In fact, in civilized fashion, we never left the car before sunrise and never returned after.  

Above the face is some killer ridge-aneering.

Eastern Sierra Evolution Loop Go Light, Go Fast

THE EVOLUTION LOOP

Two hours on day two brought the only stint of bad weather. Driving sleet blinded us from the East as we scrambled over high granite slabs, rounding pristine lakes and crossing primitive streams to the top of Muir Pass. I am wearing my only layers and they are covered in a coat of sticky white crud. Justin and Blake are setting the pace, their sights set on the hut situated on the summit of Muir Pass. We hit the hut in three waves and take the place over. It is cold, but not unbearably so. Jed starts wrapping himself in the mega-mid he is carrying as the sole shelter for three of the hikers. Chris gets up to help him and Blake is shouting suggestions from a bench on the side. They are functioning as a team with a mission now, trying to create a streamlined hiking tarp from a piece of gear many alpine climbers already own. Multi-purposing is one of the keys to going light and fast. But this one is a failure. He looks like a raddish on steroids dressed in a body diaper. Humor is another key to success with minimalist adventures.

The Evolution Loop tracks from North Lake to South Lake through the Evolution basin up and over three 12,000 foot passes (Piute, Muir, Bishop). It is 55 miles and surprisingly run-able. We had the chance to take an experimental test run of the route with Sierra Mountain Guides a few weeks ago. Along the way, we are testing lightweight gear, learning about hyperlight strategies and tactics from frontrunners in this area of study like Justin (Trauma) Lichter and Howie Schwartz, and we are blessed with a stunning overview of the high Sierra. I am ashamed to say that before this, I had never seen the Sierras more than the highway drive from Reno to wine country. So much climbing, so little time. I am delighted to report that the range blew my mind as expected. The entire range from the Palisades to the peaks over Piute rises from the most solid layer of granite bedrock I have ever seen. This makes the terrain feel flat and continuous, even at elevations of 12,000 plus where 14ers loom overhead. It is strikingly different from the mini-ranges that form the Rockies where the elevation tends to drop sharply between each cirque.

There are also fewer roads. We are on a loop that is part of the longest continual stretch of roadless country in the nation. As such, we are self-supported for most of the trip. This is fine. Our packs average around 15 pounds for days two and three. We are breezing past hikers with huge loads covering the same ground in six days. But even this is not the best way to run this route. This is an exploratory outing and we are minimizing some costs and taking time to put some new gear to the test. We have the luxury of experiencing the mule-supported camp on the first night, then we are on our own. The trip from Sierra Mountain Guides will feature mule-supported camps (with chefs) on both nights. So sick!

For us, day one was 25 miles of mountain running. We wore shorts and our gear is minimalist with only a water bottle, snacks and lightweight wind gear. The next two days we covered the remaining 30 miles bagging high peaks along the way and stopping frequently for mini product review sessions with the seasoned team. Water was straight from the source with no treatment the entire way and the wilderness left its mark on us with bronzed skin, clean air, and a genuine feeling of detachment from the rest of the world. Content and happy, we wonder if it should ever end. But like any trip, this one has a beginning and an end. We are happy they are both (along with everything in between) beautiful, and rugged, and entrancing … the way our wilderness was meant to be.
Sierra Mountain Guides
Special thanks to the photographers:
1. Blake Herrington
2. Matt Irons
3. Matt Irons
4. Dave McCoy
5. Dave McCoy
6. Howie Schwartz
7. Blake Herrington

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North Couloir

Fall treats in the Sierra and post holing in October…….

Oct  5-6 brought a blanket of  2-3 feet of  snow to the Palisade approach – Joe and I pushed our trip back a day in anticipation of the high pressure that was following the storm, and we were treated to amazing views and some aerobic trail breaking.

Leaving mammoth at 6 AM I got really excited with calm winds and not a single cloud in the sky and my first glimpse as to what the storm had gifted us……

Our objective was the Swiss arête of Mt. Sill – however due to conditions we decided to climb the N. Coulouir – a formidable objective under our winter/October conditions.

Hours of Post holing ensued, and Joe and I ended up breaking trail to Sam Mack Meadow.

We had amazing views and the Palisades looked great under a winter blanket

                     -Viren P.