Almost as awesome as the mountains themselves is the motley crew of international climbers who come to try their hand at getting high, on big peaks, cheap and fast.

Spire after spire, summit log after summit log, the Full Palisade Traverse is the biggest climb in the Sierra and probably also the most spectacular.

I caught wind of The Citadel maybe two years ago, reading how huge Sierra car-to-car days, 32 miles round trip, could be had on this incredible peak. I put it on the list right away, but the area was elusive, mysterious, remote.

Andre, Michelle, Angelina and Konstantin are all stronger climbers, but Ben is fast, so why not have Ben lead all of the pitches?

Matthes Crest is a ready made one-peak traverse in a Heavenly setting.

There is not much in life more humbling than watching somebody cruise some climb you struggle on, then come down and nurse her baby.

Some routes hog all the glory. Others that are just as good are cut from the list, wallow in obscurity, and cry at home alone in their bedroom

“I believe. I believe. I believe.” Staring at the ceiling of my car, parked at the foot of Lone Pine Peak. 2:45 a.m. on a February morning, trying to psyche myself through the doubts that kept creeping through my head. “It is within me. Believe.”

I love soloing alpine because I can reflect and take in the fantastic vistas when I want to stop, and I'm able to zoom at my own pace when I feel good.

Returning from an ascent of Bear Creek Spire this weekend, Konstantin and I got into the topic of Winter climbing. This conversation, transcribed essentially verbatim, contains pretty diverse perspectives on why we go to the Sierra in Winter.

The Sierra season is short, we are told. July through September, then the snows come. True, but in the Range of Light, the sun comes out again after the storm and warms the rock faces.

We got to Badwater at dark amidst a spectacular display of lightning bolts. The wind was blowing crazy the sand was blowing in our faces and stinging. Does Honey Badger care?

Temple Crag is a beautiful monstrous peak with the biggest technical routes in the Sierra, all lined up one next to the other.

The couloir was cold and the snow was deep. About 2 feet of packed powder lay on the route, meaning no mixed climbing as the route described, only snow and ice. 

In high altitude climbing, weather windows are everything. If you can move fast enough, you can sometimes grab the summit alpine style.

It is well established: Punishment=Glory. But the glory usually comes at the summit; we seldom experience glory on the route’s descent.