High Sierra Alpine Fun

Hey y'all,

So I was hoping to log more alpine mileage (grade III-IV) before I have to stay local (NE) for my rock instructor course. I was hoping to head out sometime in May for an extended dirtbag adventure (a month or so, but dependent on what climbing partners have in mind, too)--or as far as my savings will take me! If you're interested, we could work out logistics for longer term climbing or just a smaller chunk of the time out in California if you can't commit to a longer term trip, just let me know in advance so post-departure plans can be arranged, too.

Offhand, some of the routes I was considering (of course, I probably wouldn't be able to do all of these routes, but I just wanted to put some out there for variety).

Mt. Barnard, East Pillar (5.9, VI)
Palisade Traverse (5.9, VI)
Evolution Traverse (5.9, VI)
Mt. Dana, Third Pillar (5.10, III)
Mt. Russell, Mithril Dihedral (5.10a/b, III)
The Incredible Hulk, Red Dihedral/Yggdrasil (5.10b, IV)
Temple Crag, Dark Star Arete (5.10c, V)

Some other, more mellow outings could be fun, too.

Lone Pine Peak, Complete NE Ridge (5.6/7, III)
Lone Pine Peak, North Ridge (5.4, III)
Mt. Humphreys, East Arete (5.4, III)
Mt. Williamson, NE Ridge (5.6/8, IV/V)
North Palisade, U-Notch w/Chimney Variation (AI 2, 5.2-6, III) —> This one is a full-on mountain adventure.
Mt. Sill, Swiss Arete (5.7, III)

If you're an east coaster, I was of the mind that we could drive out in my Subi. When you work it out, it comes to much less money than a plane ticket plus extended car rental... (UPDATE: CAR PLANS UNCERTAIN. Need to get my car checked out for repairs and a diagnoses on whether it can make the cross-country trip. Stay tuned...)

If you're a west coaster and car mobile, perhaps we could work out some sort of arrangement for local transport on your end.

All of the details have yet to be put in place, so there is some flexibility. Drop me a line/PM and we can go from there.

Peace and good climbing,

Ryder

Hi,

I am very interested in alpine stuff and would be able to take time off in may. Have you looked at the current conditions? Could you tell me a little more about your prior experience?

Ryder,

I have been climbin 20+yrs and am working as a professional guide...I am taking my AMGA Rock Guide exam this fall in RRCCA. Your wish list looks great and I would be psyched to do some OS guiding practice as well...I have a School bus parked in the desert of SE Utah now. I will be spending late April/May in the Black Canyon and around Moab. I could possibly camp out for awhile in the Whitney/Bishop area if the partnership was agreeable to us both... Late May/June would be best for me.
Let me know how your plan evolves...

I live in the area, just outside of Yosemite. As the time rolls around hit me up if you're looking for a partner.

5412075203

Mt. Barnard? You must have been reading some old AAJs. Supposed to be a good route but with an arduous approach. The season might be better now that some of the bighorn closures have been rescinded. Also, and this might be a typo, but a ratings on both the Palisades and Evo traverses are off. They're both VI, multiday trips (unless you're Peter Croft).

One more thing. You might get more responses if you move this thread to the So Cal or Nor Cal pages.

Ryder & Matt,

I'm living in Flagstaff, AZ right now but would love to head out at climb this May. I'm too going for my RGC this Summer and hope to get some more practice in before taking the plunge. And hanging out in the Sierras sounds like an absolute blast! Shoot me an email if you guys would like to meet up. It'd be a joy to go out and share our expertise.

A little about me: My climbing stemmed from Alpine climbing with my father in Europe and subsequent internships, apprenticeships, and jobs in Alaska, Nepal, and South America. I've only just began leading the more rock intensive alpine routes, but feel very comfortable in the Alpine zone and at climbing 10+

Lets all meet up and enjoy the mountains!

Elias

Hey all,

Thanks for the replies. Looks like we could have a good plan here. I am working an event from May 8-11 in NYC, so I could head out west any time after that, depending on your schedules.

I'll be in touch with y'all via PM.

And thanks for the beta correction, Fat Dad. I was using MP and SP for general route beta, so I'm not sure why I underestimated the routes. Weird. In any case, thanks for the correction.

Ryder

As an FYI, the Palisade Traverse listed on MP is the Thunderbolt to Sill portion, not the full Palisade traverse. Hence, the grade is accurate. Having done both directions, I would highly recommend doing the shorter version it in reverse. It's a more direct approach/descent without a car shuttle and you get to do the Swiss Arete.

Even Peter Croft gives Evolution a VI (and it is accurate on SP since it's my page :) ).

Hard to have a bad Sierra trip. Enjoy!

fossana: Thanks for the correction. Didn't think I'd have the page's author intervene to set me straight!

Elias and Matt: I contacted you two via PM. Keep me posted.

Bighorn Adams: Will do. I'm hoping to be out there for a while, so let's stay in touch. I'll keep your # handy.

I would be interested in any of the mellow outings. As long as it isn't the end of May I could probably free up time for a week and knock out a couple of those or just a couple days. Whatever you have time for.

bump...hows everybody's plans shaping up ?

i'm in tahoe and down to play in the sierras. 540-400-1868

Looks like an excellent list! Of the routes I've done, Red Dihedral, Mithril Dihedral, and Third Pillar of Dana are all super-classic.

If you're looking for other routes in the 5.10 grade, Southeast Face (Direct) of Clyde Minaret is awesome and adventurous. 5.10a IV I think.

Some of the other routes on Mt. Russell are supposed to be just as good as Mithril. Western Front (5.10c III) and Bloody Corner (5.10a III) among them.

Another one I haven't done, but would really like to, is North Buttress of Merriam Peak (5.10b IV). Really aesthetic-looking peak.

Kind of hard to go wrong in the Sierra. Happy climbing!

Matt,

I sent you a PM. Perhaps it didn't reach you? I can send again. I was trying to coordinate timing with you and Elias (PM'ed him, too). I just didn't want the thread blowing up into a million criss-crossed responses. I'll try sending again. Let me know if it reaches you.

Ryder

P.S. Matt: email me when you get a chance if the PM isn't working. It's kind of wonky and keeps returning error messages to me... (J.ryder.stroud@gmail.com)

Bump.

Plans have been moved to the end of July through September. Financial plans went a bit sideways for May-June, but the end of July looks pretty set. Hope some of y'all stay interested and hope to hear from you soon.

I'm in Bishop now and have done some of these routes (like 3rd pillar). If you're in the area NOW please contact me ASAP. I'll be looking to camp at pine creek tonight. I might be able to receive TXTs there, based on previous experience (although I had a better phone).

I'd like to get on some routes on Temple, maybe Polish route on Hulk. Open for anything right now.

@Ball: Currently still on the East Coast. My plans are pretty set to head out at the end of July, so not much help for you at the moment, sorry. If you're in the area later in the season, let me know.