NASA: Snow Blankets Yosemite National Park, CA In the second week of November 2022, the first significant winter storm of the season pummeled California with record daily rainfall in the lowlands and heavy snowfall in the mountains. As the storm system moved on to the Great Plains, skies cleared over California and revealed this wintery view of the Central Sierra Nevada. Related: 8-Year-Old Boy Sets Out to […] SnowBrains | November 15, 2022 0 Comments
8-Year-Old Boy Sets Out to Become Youngest Ever to Scale Yosemite’s El Capitan, CA This week, a father and son duo initiated an attempt to climb El Capitan at Yosemite National Park in California. The feat would make the 8-year-old boy the youngest person ever to climb the world-renowned peak. Rising more than 3,000 feet above the valley floor, you don’t have to be a climber to comprehend that El Capitan is a challenging […] Climbing Nick DeRiso | October 27, 2022 0 Comments
NASA: Thousands Evacuated as Wildfires Burn Near Yosemite National Park, CA For the second time in a month, wildland fires are burning through parched forests near Yosemite National Park. The fast-moving Oak fire in Mariposa County, west of the park, has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. The smaller Washburn fire, now mostly contained by firefighters, burned earlier this month in Madera County, along the southern edge of the […] Fire Firebrains | July 26, 2022 1 Comment
500 Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park, CA, Threatened by Growing Wildfire The Washburn Fire has doubled in size over the past 24 hours, threatening the largest grove of giant sequoia trees in California’s Yosemite National Park. The blaze is estimated to have burned 1,591 acres and park officials have closed down Mariposa Grove, home to 500 giant sequoias trees, including the famed Grizzly Giant which is thought to be around 3,000 […] Fire Firebrains | July 11, 2022 4 Comments
Trip Report: 12,590′ Mt. Conness – Y Couloir Alternate to GPS Chute Report from June 3, 2022 Yesterday, I had the most fun I’ve had in the mountains in a long time on 12,590′ Mt. Conness, CA. Anxiety, mini wet avalanche sliding, fear, boot packing, no-fall-zone skiing, elation, cramponing, knife-edge ridge walking, 2 ice tool climbing, navigation, no-skin boot-scooting, satisfaction, skinning, slogging, corn skiing, getting lost, skins not sticking frustration, fresh spring […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | June 4, 2022 3 Comments
Tioga Pass Opens This Friday | All Eastern Sierra Mountain Passes Open for Travelers Effective Friday, May 27th, all roads leading to Mono County will be open to road warriors seeking escape in the beautiful Eastern Sierra. Tioga Pass will officially reopen on May 27th at 9 am, marking the full opening of the three high elevation gateway passes that close each winter season and providing access to the pure natural wonder of California’s […] SnowBrains | May 26, 2022 1 Comment
Trip Report: North Peak, CA – 50º+ North Couloir | “I’m Never Doing That Again…” Report from May 24, 2022 2 nights ago we got a text from Tall Carl. It was a picture of the North Couloir of North Peak, CA, and all it said was: “The couloir on North Peak is in.” Greggy & I got the text at the same time, looked at each other and simply nodded. The next day, we […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 25, 2022 3 Comments
Trip Report: 3 Chutes, 6 Buddies, 1 Damn Wet Creek Crossing on 12,054′ White Mountain, CA Report from May 20, 2022 On Friday, we went back to White Mountain to ski the chutes we didn’t ski on Wednesday. Sierra Nevada, CA, Report: 3 Chutes, 8 Miles, 4,000-Vertical-Feet, & 5-Star-Corn on White Mountain We had a solid mob: Garret, Andy, Jon, Greggy, Nate, and me. We went straight to the far ridge and booted right up to […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 22, 2022 0 Comments
Sierra Nevada, CA, Report: 3 Chutes, 8 Miles, 4,000-Vertical-Feet, & 5-Star-Corn on White Mountain Report from May 18, 2022 Yesterday, we took a look at Ellery Bowl and Banana chute off Tioga Pass and they looked bad… We decided to cruise up to White Mountain and have a look. The past week or so hasn’t been great in the backcountry around here due to the new snow and the process of going from new […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 19, 2022 1 Comment
Half Dome Cables in Yosemite National Park, CA, Will Be Ready For the Season on Thursday Exciting news! Yosemite National Park, CA, just announced that the Half Dome cables would be up for the season on Thursday, May 19, 2022. Related: VIDEO: How to Hike Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, CA – The Complete Guide A permit is required to summit Half Dome. Most permits are available via a preseason lottery, but a limited number are available […] Climbing CragBrains | May 19, 2022 0 Comments
Mammoth, CA Report: Bluebird Powder Day in May at 7:30am Report from May 11, 2022 We awoke today to a bluebird powder day. It felt weird to wake up at 6am for it… But the mountain opens at 7:30am right now! We were in line right at 7:30am when it opened and we went straight to wait for Chair 23. We could tell that the snow generally wasn’t gonna be […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 12, 2022 3 Comments
Sierra Nevada, CA, Report: The 3 Bears Chutes, Cinco de Mayo, & an Insane Lenticular Sunset Report from May 5, 2022 Yesterday we went for a zone we’d noticed the day before that holds 3 stupendous chutes. The 3 Bears Chutes (we’re calling them). Everything north and east and likely west is absolutely gross right now with what we’re calling “Macro-Sastrugi” (basically huge corrugated chunks of snow that ski like shit – we skied it on […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 6, 2022 0 Comments
Trip Report: Tioga Pass, CA – 1,800-Foot “Kidney Chute” Report from May 4, 2022 Today we skied 1,800-vertical-foot Kidney Chute off the Dana Plateau on the edge of Yosemite National Park, CA. The thing skied like a 5-star corn dream. Its 35º pitch is designed for cool, cruisy fun that just won’t stop. No, it literally won’t stop. We timed it and this thing took 2-minutes and 40-seconds to […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 5, 2022 10 Comments
Tioga Pass, CA Report: Solstice Couloir + Banana Chute = 1 Concussion, 1 Dislocated Shoulder, 2 Heinous Chutes Report from May 3, 2022 Today was wild… I skied the worst snow I’ve ever skied on Tioga Pass. One of our crew aired onto rocks in the parking lot, got a concussion, and dislocated his shoulder. We had to take him to the hospital. I pulled a 1cm long sea urchin spine from the Maldives out of my foot […] Conditions Report Miles Clark | May 4, 2022 4 Comments
Caltrans Opens Gate on Tioga Pass Near Lee Vining, CA | Motorists Can Now Travel Up To Yosemite Eastern Entrance Caltrans on Friday, April 29th, opened its gate on State Route 120 W near Lee Vining. Motorists can now travel up to the eastern entrance of Yosemite National Park, CA. Related: Caltrans Update Says They Hope to Open Tioga Pass, CA, for Memorial Day Weekend The park entrance is still closed at this time and drivers will not be able […] SnowBrains | May 2, 2022 0 Comments
Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite, CA Report: A Storm Brought 8″ of New Snow, the Most Since December 30th Report from March 31st, 2022 and written by Laura and Rob Pilewski – Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers New Snow: 8 inches Settled Snow Depth: 30 inches High temperature: 59 °F (March 25) Low temperature: 23 °F (March 25) Ski Conditions and Weather The weather this week brought us the best corn snow cycle of the season so far. Although the high temperatures were well […] Conditions Report SnowBrains | April 1, 2022 0 Comments
Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite, Backcountry Report: Spring Conditions Continue as Days Lengthen Report from 16th March 2022, and written by rangers Laura and Rob Pilewski Ski Conditions and Weather It was a dry week with temperatures near seasonal norms. Not much has changed as of our lasting posting in regards to ski conditions or weather. With the daylight hours now stretching into the evening, outdoors now having more of a spring feel […] Conditions Report SnowBrains | March 18, 2022 1 Comment
Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite, CA Backcountry Report: Winter Returns After 53-Day Dry Spell Report from February 22nd, 2022, and written by Laura and Rob Pilewski – Tuolumne Meadows winter rangers We had the first measurable snowfall in 53 days at our weather plot this week. Although the Sierra Nevada is known for extended periods of dry weather between winter storms, this is a record dry stretch during what is typically the snowiest months. […] Conditions Report SnowBrains | February 28, 2022 1 Comment
Yosemite, CA’s 1932 Winter Olympic Games Bid Some describe winter in Yosemite as magical. For many people, their visit to Yosemite National Park is filled with activities… typically those of the summer variety: hiking, backpacking, biking, swimming, rafting, climbing, sightseeing, horse riding, just to name a few. But, what about winter? A smaller number of visitors experience Yosemite in winter. It is a tranquil season here, when snow blankets the trails and roads that so recently were […] SnowBrains | February 27, 2022 0 Comments
[PHOTOS] Yosemite National Park, CA, Has Snowiest December Ever Recorded Let it snow! With 78 inches of new snow the past week in Tuolumne Meadows, it marked the snowiest December on record (since 1980). While this doesn’t translate to the most water, the fresh snow has kept winter rangers busy shoveling, breaking trail, and collecting data. Related: [PHOTOS] Record-Breaking December at Palisades Tahoe, CA by the Numbers An important distinction […] SnowBrains | January 5, 2022 0 Comments
Climbing
Fire
Conditions Report
