Fly Fishing the _____ Fork of the _____ River (Redacted)
If you’re the kind of guy (or gal) that throws your clubs after a bad gold shot, then fly fishing is not for you – particularly in this kind of fly fishing...
Fly Fishing the _____ Fork of the _____ River (Redacted)
Excuse the headline. My guide swore me to secrecy. Suffice it to say that I spent a day on a rarely fished stretch of river near Yosemite National Park. Here are some of the 30+ fish we caught that day: Beauitful 12-inch brown taken on a dry fly A wild native 12" rainbow trout I met my guide at 9am, he hopped in my truck and we drove a short distance via fire roads until the fire roads ran... [Read more]
The Majestic Plastic Bag and its Grand Journey to the Pacific
Check out this disturbing mockumentary of the majestic plastic bag on its journey to its final home in the pacific. Created by Heal the Bay in support of California state senate bill AB 1998. Via Heal the Bay: Help stop our 19 billion bag-a–year habit in California and put an end to plastic pollution. Tell your Senator to support the AB 1998 at http://www.HealtheBay.org/BagBill. You can make... [Read more]
Wandering the Northern Palisades
My original plan for the weekend was to head down to the Whitney region to climb the East Ridge of Mt. Russell. If it’s not on your list yet, it will be after reading this Sierra Descents trip report. Getting into this area requires a North Fork Lone Pine Creek permit obtainable at the Eastern Sierra Interagency office in Lone Pine. They hold on to a dozen or so for walk-ins like me. I’ve had... [Read more]
2010 Ski Movie Trailer Roundup
It’s never too early to get stoked for the coming ski season. Here’s a good way to waste some time for all you office-bound suckers like me: a round-up of the 2010 ski film trailers from TGR, Matchstick, Warren Miller, Powderwhore and etc (in no particular order). There’s some good stuff in here. I’m particularly psyched for TGR’s new releases. If there are any I missed,... [Read more]
Sad News: Frederik Ericsson Dies During Ambitious Attempt to Ski K2
My condolences to friends and family. Frederik Ericsson suffered a fatal fall on K2 during an ambitious ski attempt. That’s a big blow after being so close. See below for a chronological news round up: Progress reported on July 26 via The Ski Channel: The Swedish skier Ericsson has already skied from just below Camp 2 to K2 base camp, about a 4,265 foot vertical stretch. As of July 25th Pakistan... [Read more]
Wanderlust 2010: Celebration of Yoga, Music, & Nature in the Northern Sierras
2010 marks the second year of the now annual Wanderlust Festival in Squaw Valley near Lake Tahoe. Wanderlust offers a combination of some of the world’s best yoga practitioners and a variety of musical performers, all set in nature and the beautiful mountains that surround Squaw. My friend, Sonja, and I arrived late Friday night to avoid the usual Bay Area weekend traffic. We rolled into the Silver... [Read more]
New Avalanche Danger Scale for 2010/11
There is a new unified avalanche danger scale rolling out for the 2010/11 season that will create a common vocabulary between US and Canadian avalanche centers, according to Powder Magazine. It’s not immediately clear to me what the major differences are here. It retains the Low/Moderate/Considerable/High/Extreme methodology with similar explanations for each danger rating. Whatever the... [Read more]
Tioga Pass Opening Saturday, June 5 at 8am
NICE. Tioga Pass is set to open this weekend, according to MyMotherLoad. That’s surprisingly early, if you ask me, considering the massive amount of snow the Sierra received this season. That’ll begin the annual pilgrimage to Mt. Dana and all that East-Side goodness. With Sonora Pass already open, we’ll then have full access. Get it now while the gettin’s good… Via MyMotherLoad: Another... [Read more]
Squaw Valley Open Memorial Day Weekend
If you’re just not ready to let the resort ski season go, then you’re in luck. The Sierra has received a good amount of snow and the temps have stayed relatively cool, so the resort decided to spin the lifts one last time before closing for real. Sounds like lift access will be pretty sparse, however, with just the Cable Car, Links and Shirley Lake open. The rest of us will be enjoying... [Read more]
Matt’s New Backcountry Kit
Ski season ain’t over yet. And if you’re like me, you’re not even close to letting it go. Here in the Sierra, the snowfall measured at 140% of average, so the high country should be good to go for some time. What better way to cap off the season than with a big Eastern Sierra tour on some brand new gear? I’ve taken the last couple of weeks to scour the internet for spring fires-sale... [Read more]
South Korean is First Woman to Climb all 14 8000-Meter Peaks
Congrats to Oh Eun-sun on this astounding accomplishment. Very few people can claim such a feat. Via the AP: A South Korean climber has become the first woman to scale 14 of the world’s highest mountains. Seoul broadcaster KBS television showed live coverage Tuesday of Oh Eun-sun reaching the summit of Annapurna and affixing a South Korean flag to the peak. She beats a Spanish rival for the... [Read more]
Tioga Pass Opening in T-Minus 10, 9…
Every year, right about this time, an internal clock begins ticking in my alpine-obsessed brain: the count-down to the opening of Tioga Pass on the east side of Yosemite. For those of us west of the Pacific Crest, and particularly those of us in the Bay Area, Tioga Pass stands as a winter barrier to the goodness that is the eastern Sierra. Yes, you can drive north through the Tahoe area and south... [Read more]
What would you add? The list is a living...