Solo Hiker Without Crampons or Ice Axe Rescued From California’s High Sierra After Slipping and Breaking Leg On the evening of Friday, Sept. 8, Inyo County Search and Rescue (SAR) received a call from an injured solo hiker just below Shepherd Pass, CA. He had attempted to ascend the pass, found the trail covered by a snowfield from last winter, and tried to cross the snow without crampons or an ice axe. He slipped, tumbled, lost about […] SnowBrains | September 21, 2023 0 Comments
September Skiing at “The Patch,” CA: Washed Out Road to an Absolutely Amazing Time Report from September 14, 2023 It’s halfway through September, and we’re still skiing and riding just south of Lake Tahoe, California. We have been dreaming about the heavy snow south of the equator in Patagonia (thanks, Miles), however the realistic option for us was about an hour south of home here in South Lake Tahoe. Related: Patagonia Backcountry Report: This […] Conditions Report John Cunningham | September 17, 2023 1 Comment
Breckenridge, CO, Among Few Places in US to Get Snow in August A slight dusting of snow fell at the top of 12,579’ Peak 6 at Breckenridge, CO, on August 12th, 2023. Breckenridge’s Instagram reported that “[the] evening’s storm brought…a little dust on crust (and by crust we mean rock)!” The storm also created a beautiful rainbow over the town. Breckenridge plans to open on November 10th this year, meaning skiers are […] Industry News Anton Lengyel | August 23, 2023 0 Comments
[VIDEO] SnowBrains Drops Eastern Sierra Ski Project Highlight Video: 21 Lines, 149-Miles, 77k Vertical in 2-Months This spring and summer, Miles Clark and the SnowBrains crew set out to ski 21 “new-to-us” ski mountaineering lines in the Eastern Sierra, CA. We skied lines from Independence to Bridgeport and everything in between. 77,400 vertical feet were climbed for this project, and every single foot was worth it. 149-miles were traveled. It was a wild journey, and we […] SnowBrains | August 4, 2023 1 Comment
Trip Report: Peak 12,691′, CA – “Paiute Pass Ridge Chutes” – The Walled Couloir Report from July 8, 2023 Peak 12,691′, CA’s “Paiute Pass Ridge Chutes” – The Walled Couloir yesterday was spicy hot! Ok, ok, we were only gonna do 20 lines for this Eastern Sierra project but we just couldn’t resist chute #21… I saw this well-walled beauty 3-days ago while skiing in this zone for line #20 of the project. I […] Trip Report Miles Clark | July 9, 2023 0 Comments
Trip Report: Peak 12,691′, CA – “Paiute Pass Ridge Chutes” Report from July 6, 2023 12,691′ Paiute Pass Ridge Chutes Yesterday = summer skiing bliss! This was our 20th & final “new-to-us” ski mountaineering line of our 2023 Eastern Sierra Project – “The Twenty Project” (he he). We feel simply ecstatic to have completed this challenging project and to have experienced so many inconceivable zones. We skied 20 different ski […] Trip Report Miles Clark | July 7, 2023 0 Comments
Trip Report: 11,744′ Independence Peak, CA – “Independence Couloir” Report from June 27, 2023 11,744′ Independence Peak, CA’s “Independence Couloir” yesterday was a mind-bender! This was #18 of our 20 “new-to-us” ski mountaineering lines Eastern Sierra project 2023. We knew this chute would be sun-cupped and bumpy, but we just couldn’t resist this 2,500-vertical-foot, in-your-face, dazzling Eastern Sierra couloir. The top was recklessly fun. The middle was pretty heinous in […] Trip Report Miles Clark | June 28, 2023 0 Comments
Trip Report: 13,632′ University Peak, CA – “Northeast Couloir” Report from June 25, 2023 13,623′ University Peak, CA’s “Northeast Couloir” held epic skiing & chockstone anxiety yesterday! This aesthetic chute stuffed a nail into our mind’s eye last Thursday when we passed underneath it on our way to and from University Peak’s “North Face.” We never could tell if the thing went or if it was a closeout… Yesterday, […] Trip Report Miles Clark | June 26, 2023 0 Comments