Sierras Complete Guide

I am looking for a more complete guide to the Sierras. I understand this is a huge range and that I have done very little climbing there. Every book and resource I have seen leaves huge blanks on the walls I've seen. Anyone stashing binders with route beta? I find it hard to believe most of the stuff I've seen hasn't been climbed?

R.J. Secor's High Sierra - Peaks, Passes, and Trails.

keeps the adventure alive.

I think alot has been climbed and unreported, but also lots more to climb and not report as well.

Talk to Fred Beckey. He climbed that route. Or wall. Or peak.

+1 on Secor

Supplemented by:

Mammoth Mountaineering in Mammoth Lakes (binder)
Supertopo (newer routes often get posted here)
Climbing California's High Sierra (for additional details on more obscure routes)
word of mouth (people like Bishop guide SP Parker)

Good suggestions from fossana. Secor updated a lot of information since the old green Roper guide but, I think, thanks in part to the internet and people being able to share what they've been doing more easily, it seems like folks have gotten out and done alot since then. Having said that, there's enough in the Secor guide to last a lifetime. It just depends on what you're looking to do. Like someone said upthread though, a lot of fun will be had just getting out and climbing what looks good.

Contact 'The Chief' from summitpost and he may tell you about routes only locals know about.

There is only one Sierra. Not Sierras.

I like the falcon guide by Fiddler and Moynier. There are alot of routes in there that do not see much traffic.

D

That guid. e is a great inspiration but beta for some of the more obscure climbs (Ruby Wall comes to mind) is far from accurate or helpful. Not dissing the book, you just have to use it appropriately

Daryl Teittinen wrote:There is only one Sierra. Not Sierras.

Yea, the correct pronunciation and spelling is sierra. The word means a ridge of mountains so it is already plural.

But there is not "only one" sierra. There isn't even "only one" Sierra Nevada.

OP, I really enjoy Peter Croft's book. It won't give you any info on obscure routes but may help you get an understanding of what is like to climb in the range.

The Moynier/Fiddler book is awesome. For a long time it was the only mass printed source for some of the newer routes that maybe had only been written up in the AAJ or passed by word of mouth. However, one caveat about it is that some of the descriptions are off. Some have referred to it as "The Book of Lies" since it sometimes fudges details. One example that I know of from the first run copy I have is the S. Face of Clyde. The description of the climb is good, but the description of the descent is just plain wrong, not even close. YMMV. Not a huge deal. Adventure is a big part of the game but if you're expecting Supertopo type accuracy you may be disappointed. For all that, I still strongly recommend the book.

Ryan Williams wrote:...OP, I really enjoy Peter Croft's book. It won't give you any info on obscure routes but may help you get an understanding of what is like to climb in the range.

Peter's book is a distilled list of the more popular climbs in the range from class 2 to 5.11, grade I-VI. Given his extensive experience in the Sierra/E Side it's a worthy ticklist.

Note that Secor can be a bit vague at times given that he has compiled info from various sources. Case in point: SE Chute on Winchell, class 4-5 in Secor. I encountered a section of ~5.7 before I had to downclimb to avoid t-storms.

Summitpost and Supertopo have a higher concentration of Sierra climbers than Mt Project so both are good places for beta.

fossana wrote: Note that Secor can be a bit vague at times given that he has compiled info from various sources. Case in point: SE Chute on Winchell, class 4-5 in Secor. I encountered a section of ~5.7 before I had to downclimb to avoid t-storms.

I recall Secor commenting in print that on the difficulty of getting information on routes when he was researching his guide. Fiddler & Moynier were working on their own guide around that time, and the late Alan Bard published a few guides to individual routes not long afterward. So it's quite possible that the local Sierra hardmen were more inclined to share their information with their fellow locals, rather than an outsider from LA.

Fat Dad wrote:One example that I know of from the first run copy I have is the S. Face of Clyde. The description of the climb is good, but the description of the descent is just plain wrong, not even close. YMMV. Not a huge deal. Adventure is a big part of the game

It was funny you mentioned it. When my friend and I did the route we topped out and had a cool adventure getting down since neither of us really looked up the descent. We ended up down-climbing Rock Route (neither of us been up that before) and joked about that taking longer than the climb itself! There was a party of 3 climbing several pitches behind us and as we got down from RR it got dark and we looked back and saw their headlamps on the summit. We were damn happy to be off from there! Their headlamps were there for a while and than were turned off/or maybe they left, not sure.
Internet is a good source in addition to the books. Croft's book has some stuff that is not often done. How many people will you usually see traversing from Temple to Sill, doing the Sawtooth traverse, Evolution Traverse? Aside from fossana, not many! :) RJ's book is probably most comprehensive though. Hard to find any info at all for older routes like Rowell route on South face of Conness, or his route on Cotter North for example. Let me know if someone has any info on those. Guy who tried to repeat Rowell's S Face of BCS route ended up with a first ascent and in AAJ- not bad huh?!

Unlike Sir Toby, I plan to steer clear of the Sawtooth Traverse ;)

I have to get Secor credit for taking on such a formidable task as putting together and continually updating that guide. Plus, what fun would it be to have every alpine route spelled out like a Supertopo guide?

Thank you for all of the feedback. I'm not really looking for specific route beta. More just to see what's been done, and what there is left to . Like opening new lines or freeing old aid lines. Again thanks for the constructive feedback. I'm looking forward to returning to the sierra.

Yes their is still soooo many routes left especially on the east side . The reason i believe is the high sierra has such massive winters ive been in mammoth were the lakes dont even thaw out till july . Leaves only a few months to really get back to the good remote granite. As far as books ..... The farther out you go.. The less those matter.