East Face of Mt. Whitney, August 9-10, 2009

Andrew Lewicky from www.sierradescents.com and Eileen Bistrisky from Vancouver joined us for another memorable climb of the East Face of Mt. Whitney.  In addition to Kurt’s photos Andy wore a...
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Mt. Russell East Ridge (14,086′), August 12, 2009

On August 12 it was a pleasure to climb with Betsy on my favorite 3rd class route in the Sierra. Betsy is a lifelong visitor to the Whitney area but...
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Palisades Traverse August 30 – September 1, 2009 (Thunderbolt Peak – North Palisade Peak)

Benjamin Bauman had been up all of California’s 14ers except a couple in the Palisades. He wanted to finish climbing them all in 2009. We climbed Thunderbolt Peak via Southwest...
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Mt. Russell, East Ridge (14,086′) September 3-4, 2009

Pleasant temperatures and a forecast for thundershowers greeted us at the start of the Labor Day weekend. Mt. Russell continues to be overshadowed by its much more popular neighbor Mt. Whitney...
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Mt. Russell (14,086′) East Ridge, October 6-8, 2009

In the midst of the first cold snap of the fall season in the Sierra we returned to the East Ridge of Mt. Russell. Temperatures got so cold at higher...
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Polemonium Peak via U Notch Couloir, October 10-12, 2009

The U Notch Couloir, like all the gully climbs in the Sierra that don’t melt off, is hard ice during the fall months. In the spring time Sierra gullies are...
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Packed and ready for Mexico’s Volcanoes

November marks our annual trip to climb Mexico’s Volcanoes. Our objective will be to climb two volcanoes in this beautiful country: Iztaccihuatl (17,158′) and El Pico de Orizaba (18,410′). We...
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Summit Success on Iztaccihuatl (17,158′)

Greetings from Puebla, Mexico. Our group reached the summit of Iztaccihuatl yesterday. The weather was clear with a slight breeze. Overall it made for excellent conditions for climbing. After arriving...
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Summit Success on Orizaba, Mexico 18,410′ the 3rd highest point in North America

After a memorable climb on Iztaccihuatl (17,158′) on Tuesday our team traveled south and east to the town of Tlachichuca at the base of Orizaba. We spent some time here reorganizing...
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