Suggestions for winter trips in the sierras?

I am relatively new to California and I had such a great time climbing in the sierra this summer and am interested to see what suggestions you all may have as far as winter excursions into the sierras go.
Thanks in advance!
Sam

Do you mean for X-country skiing , or lower elevation climbing ? Starting anywhere in Yos. Valley and going up into the high country is good. Going up four mile trail to Glacier point and Sentinel Dome is pretty good beginner stuff . You can also ski out to Ostrander hut from Badger Pass in Yosemite . Parking at the closed gate and skiing 120 out to Tuolumne is awesome , although probably about 40 miles each way.

I guess it all depends on what you want to do .

Let's say he was talking about climbing in the Sierras (because that's what I want to know about!). What are the best\most feasible options?

Sam, probably a better source would be to put your query on summitpost.org. Mountain Project is great but definitely more of a CO focus. Lots of Eastside locals and other pretty committed Sierra enthusiasts on summitpost. After years of just doing Sierra stuff in the summers, etc. (apart from the really accessible stuff, like ice climbing at Lee Vining, etc.), I'm amazed at the level of winter activity that some of those folks put in. You'll probably get lots of good ideas and maybe a partner or two in crime.

Between about November and March , I climb at:

mountainproject.com/v/tollh…

about 4,000 feet and south facing , lots of sun , and not to far from the bay area ,

Sugarloaf on the way to South Lake tahoe is good unless snow level is low and it just snowed , but also very exposed and quick to dry

mountainproject.com/v/sugar…

And of course there's the original winter CA climbing destination

mountainproject.com/v/joshu…

And I disagree that mountainproject is CO centric , not really sure what you base that on , and summitpost is a great resource regardless .

supertopo.com/tr/Mt-Carl-He…

Climb this!

you should be more specific by what type of climbing your looking for. there are lots of easy snowshoe/ skis to couloirs and other mountaineering. You can also do trad and sport but not so much up high. the Valley and near Tahoe can be climbed year round.

Thanks for all the suggestions, but to be more specific I am talking Alpine in the High Sierra. So I am looking for winter trips into the High Sierra. Stuff like what pimpinainez posted. Again thanks for all the suggestions.

Vitaliy did quite a few winter Sierra ascents last year (besides Carl Heller), you can message him on SummitPost or Facebook and he'd be happy to tell you which ones he enjoyed the most.

A couple one's on our todo list this winter are
1) One of the aretes on Temple Crag
2) Mt. Whitney, East Buttress (I'm not that keen on the longgg drive from Sac)

Most of the Sierra eastside access roads are not plowed in winter so the approaches tend to be long.

A couple other's that I think can be done as short weekend trips are Dragtooth ( mountainproject.com/v/dragt…) and the north arete of Matterhorn. The access from Twin Lakes is plowed so the approach shouldn't be too bad.

pimpinaintez wrote:http://www.supertopo.com/tr/Mt-Carl-Heller-Winter-ascent-of-East-Arete/t10996n.html Climb this!

Of if you want to kill a lot of time, read mine :-)

summitpost.org/partying-lik…

Another good one Vitaliy and I did last year was the full E Arete of Humphreys:

summitpost.org/winter-ascen…

(I had issues with Picasa, so give me a couple days and the missing photos should be fixed).

Petit Griffon is also a great climb and combines well with backcountry skiing.

Some people do stuff on Mt Morrison & Mt Williamson in the winter too.

Things have been done in the winter on most Sierra peaks, just not reported.

Get creative, check out stuff on here and SummitPost and find a line that meets your approval and prepare to enjoy the beauty of Winter in the Sierra.

If you back country ski I'd be interested in joining forces on something this winter. It's been a few years since I've done any winter mountaineering and would like to cut my teeth on some routes this year.

Nameless Pyramid looks like a fun one to do in the winter.

summitpost.org/view_object.…

Mark P Thomas wrote: Of if you want to kill a lot of time, read mine :-) summitpost.org/partying-lik… Another good one Vitaliy and I did last year was the full E Arete of Humphreys: summitpost.org/winter-ascen… (I had issues with Picasa, so give me a couple days and the missing photos should be fixed). Petit Griffon is also a great climb and combines well with backcountry skiing. Some people do stuff on Mt Morrison & Mt Williamson in the winter too.

I have seen your trip reports on SP, Mark. I am not active there, or anywhere really, but lurk from time to time. I like to read the one on Supertopo because I love his honesty when he describes the climb on Carl Heller. You have a lot more photos in yours though, they are nice to look at. Doug Robinson seemed excited about this climb, that should tell you something. From what I understand your partner got into climbing at some point last year??? Winter mountaineering is not for everyone, chances for success are low. To see someone so new to this sport perform well on long winter climbs like these is impressive. Hope to see some more TRs after this winter.

East Ridge of Russell is a fun one in winter too. Easy class 3 summer climb becomes significantly more challenging. Need to belay a lot, make some 5th class moves in crampons, deal with short days/cold. Good way to begin.

The right side of El Cap is the place to be in winter!

Zodiac, T-Trip, Zenyatta Mondatta, Native Son...

pimpinaintez wrote: From what I understand your partner got into climbing at some point last year??? Winter mountaineering is not for everyone, chances for success are low. To see someone so new to this sport perform well on long winter climbs like these is impressive. Hope to see some more TRs after this winter.

Yep. Vitaliy started just over a year ago and has been climbing non-stop since then. He's been extremely dedicated in his physical fitness training and he has shown himself to be extremely tough physically and mentally - two critical keys for success in winter mountaineering! You have to be able to suffer and rebound to have a decent chance of success.

We have some big winter plans for this year, so hopefully you'll see a report or two from us this season :-)

Bear Creek Spire

mountainproject.com/v/bear-…

I soloed the easiest route once in the winter or spring. Not bad but interesting without crampons. I think I did have an ice axe. The NE ridge would be a fun winter route.

I second on Bear Creek Spire.
I was just there 2 weeks ago. And I would suggest to wait for a bit more snowfall before attempting again, as our conditions were really very difficult and dangerous.

In the winter there are a few routes you can attempt and as mentioned above check out the summitpost site for more info