Trip Report: 12,779′ Mt. Gibbs “North Face” | Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA Report from May 7, 2024 Yesterday, we went for a line I’ve been drooling over for years. The North Face of Mt. Gibbs, California. The only problem is that when we went to drive up to the Horse Meadows Trailhead, the road was closed… “North Face” 12,779′ Mt. Gibbs Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA Summit (actually a ridgeline): 12,200 feet Car: 7,300 […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 8, 2024 0 Comments
May 5 Snow Dump Officially the Largest Snowfall of the Season in Sierra Nevada UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (CSSL) has confirmed that last week’s snowfall on May 5 was indeed the largest snowfall of the entire season. The storm dropped 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) of snow on May 5, beating the snowfall from March 3 by a cool 2.6 inches (6.5 centimeters). The weekend spring storm brought heavy precipitation to Northern California […] Industry News SnowBrains | May 7, 2024 0 Comments
NASA: Sierra Snowpack Springs Back – May Storm Dumps Over 2 Feet in 1 Day While spring was springing across much of the Northern Hemisphere, California’s Sierra Nevada still looked very much like winter in early May 2024. A weather station at Donner Pass measured 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) of snowfall on May 5, marking the snowiest day there in the 2023-2024 season. The system of wet weather had mostly cleared the area when the […] SnowBrains | May 7, 2024 0 Comments
Trip Report: The “Valdezean Amor Couloir” in the Lamarck Creek Basin | Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA Report from May 3, 2024 We went for a big walk yesterday. The goal was to ski the North Couloir of 13,280-foot Mt. Lamarck, California. A classic beast that has haunted my imagination for many years… “Valdezean Amor Couloir” Lamarck Creek Basin Sierra Nevada Mountains, CA Summit (actually a ridgeline): 13,200 feet Car: 9,300 feet Vertical From Car: 4,600 feet Vertical […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 4, 2024 0 Comments
Top 9 Tributary Whitewater Trips That Absolutely Rip the Sierra Nevada’s Snowmelt Spring is officially in full swing, the change in season is dynamic, and its effects ripple through the environment. The days become longer, and the sun’s rays become more concentrated in the northern hemisphere. Temperatures increase and precipitation turns from snow to rain. The snowpack in the mountains begins to decrease rapidly and the last several months of snowfall melt […] Raft Luke Guilford | April 25, 2024 0 Comments
NASA: A “Surprisingly Average” Year for Sierra Snowpack The Sierra Nevada is known for its booms and busts regarding mountain snow. Last year, there was record-high snow, whereas the snowpack was low three years prior. After more than a decade of unusually wet or unusually dry years, the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada was close to normal in 2024. Related: California’s April Snow Survey Shows Above Average Snowpack […] SnowBrains | April 12, 2024 0 Comments
[VIDEO] One Track Mind Ep. 7 – Best Zone in the Sierra Nevada “I always say it’s either feast or famine in the Sierra Nevada. I’ve seen 700-plus inches of snowfall in a year but I’ve also seen somewhere less than 100 inches in a year. You never know what you’re going to get here, but if you’re not picky there’s always fun skiing to be had. That’s a long-winded intro to say […] Backcountry SnowBrains | April 3, 2024 0 Comments
Tributary Whitewater Prepares for Exciting Rafting Season Ahead as Sierra Nevada Runoff Forecast Soars LOTUS, Calif. (March 25, 2024) – Tributary Whitewater is gearing up for a promising white water rafting season in California and Oregon after a strong winter, a crucial link between the mountains and rivers. The Sierra Nevada mountains will particularly provide a steady surge of runoff from April through July. This optimistic river flow forecast follows a recent winter […] Riverbrains | March 26, 2024 0 Comments