Eastern Sierra Ice Report – December 23, 2014

Happy Holidays ice climbers!

It is warm. Too warm. In Lee Vining Canyon the ice is in, but only really at Chouinard Falls. There are 3 or 4 decent climbable lines there and with high temps today up there reaching the mid-50’s the ice is dropping. Yesterday, our guide Viren Perumal reported the Main Wall was actively shedding ice throughout the day and his photos show a significant loss of ice around the thin edges since last week. Any ice that is thinly pasted on the rock should be considered unstable. That said, the thickest ice lines are still holding and accepting screws. The good news is that by the time you read this report, a cold front will start to bring winter back for a bit. This should lead to good things for ice conditions. June Lake ice will need a serious shot of cold to be recommended for climbing. Lundy Canyon might be a good call in the coming days for some with a more adventurous spirit, but by X-mas Day the walk in may have significant new snow on the ground. We’ll see if the weather forecast verifies this time.

This holiday season we should celebrate the gift of giving… each other some space. There is not much solid ice around for all the people that may want to go climb it in the next week or so, so just remember to love thy neighbors, be kind, share, and be safe out there.

All the best this yuletide season, from Sierra Mountain Guides