Mountains
SPS
2022
NATHAN
247/ 247
-
TRAVIS
247/ 247
-
27/11/2022 10:49:20 am, Dan

Thank you all for following Nathan and Travis' SPS FKT efforts. We'll leave this site up forever, but we won't be updating it any longer. You can reach us at team@sps2022.com or follow Nathan and Travis on Instagram.

Travis, Nathan, Dan, Jason, Ashly (L-R)
Travis, Nathan, Dan, Jason, Ashly (L-R)
8/09/2022 9:15:00 pm, Dan

Travis still feels deeply fatigued from the SPS FKT and could tell as early as the start of the JMT on the Mount Whitney summit that this effort wouldn't be to his standard. While disappointed, he understands that he must listen to his body and continue to recover.

7/09/2022 8:35:00 pm, Travis

I have dreamed of hiking the John Muir Trail since high school when I first heard about it. The trail is considered one of the most beautiful routes in the whole world. Nüümü Poyo is the original name of the trail by the indigenous people who used it as a trade route long before John Muir came to the Sierra.

It has been nearly three weeks since I finished the SPS list and I still haven't fully processed the adventure. Since my legs are strong and the weather is good, I figured running the JMT would be an excellent way to tour the Sierra one last time this season.

During the project I hiked about 70% of the JMT to access the peaks in the High Sierra but have yet to piece it all together as a continuous journey. My main goal is to reconnect with all of my mountain friends that stand alongside the trail and feel their presence again.

My secondary goal is to go fast. The overall unsupported FKT is 72 hours and 47 minutes set recently by a fellow I really admire, Jeff Garmire, running north to south. Although many talented mountain athletes have run the JMT, there has yet to be a sub 3 day unsupported effort.

I have never done a multi-day adventure like this, and I've never even run more than 50 miles in one push. Chances are I will fail, but if there is one thing the SPS list taught me, it's to try. As the legend Peter Croft said, "better the magnificent failure than the mediocre success."

Whether I finish the JMT or not, I am sure it will be magnificent! I'm starting at noon at Whitney Portal on Wednesday, September 7.

Go to the full size, interactive tracker.

3/09/2022 9:20:00 pm, Dan
Travis' and Peter Carey's pictures from the stellar Bear Creek Spire to Mount Mills linkup… (read more)
30/08/2022 10:30:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from another rainy day on a couple peaks above the Rae Lakes… (read more)
29/08/2022 9:30:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a stormy day on the peaks above Center Basin… (read more)
27/08/2022 10:40:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from his north-to-south solo of the Evolution Traverse… (read more)
26/08/2022 10:20:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from the far southern end of the Ritter Range… (read more)
25/08/2022 9:35:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a 4-peak loop from a camp on the JMT… (read more)
23/08/2022 10:20:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a 5-peak linkup on the Kings Kern Divide… (read more)
22/08/2022 10:45:00 pm, Dan

We apologize for falling a bit behind on updates. There are about 7 more days of photos and at least one more story to publish. We should be able to publish regularly again starting tomorrow. Thank you!

21/08/2022 9:00:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a race ahead of thunderstorms on two east side giants… (read more)
19/08/2022 10:35:00 pm, Travis
I sat for a few more minutes and made my peace with the ending of this odyssey… (read more)
18/08/2022 11:40:00 pm, Travis
Emotions flooded through me like water flowing through the glacier… (read more)
16/08/2022 10:05:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a couple of peaks above the vast Humphreys Basin… (read more)
15/08/2022 10:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' photos from the last day of their two week backcountry odyssey. (read more)
14/08/2022 9:50:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from Emerson's Waterfall Route with Jason Hardrath and Goethe under moody skies… (read more)
13/08/2022 5:40:00 pm, Dan

Travis finished the list today on San Joaquin Mountain!

Nathan enjoyed having the FKT for just over a month before Travis claimed it with a time of 117 days, 8 hours, and 34 minutes, more than three weeks faster than Nathan! He averaged more than two summits per day over the course of his effort.

April 17, about to begin
April 17, about to begin
August 11, Clyde Minaret summit
August 11, Clyde Minaret summit

More to come… check back soon!

13/08/2022 8:15:00 am
Travis climbed San Joaquin Mountain
12/08/2022 9:30:00 pm, Dan

Update: After yesterday's big Ritter Range linkup, today is Travis' last day!

He's climbing San Joaquin Mountain starting from the Minaret Summit trailhead around 9am. He'll be going at a casual pace with his family and would be thrilled to have additional company. Come on out if you can!

Follow along on the live tracker.

12/08/2022 9:20:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a short day to a pair of peaks from Lake Sabrina… (read more)
12/08/2022 10:15:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Davis
12/08/2022 8:35:00 am
Travis climbed Banner Peak
12/08/2022 7:20:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Ritter
12/08/2022 4:15:00 am
Travis climbed Clyde Minaret
11/08/2022 9:50:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a big linkup coming from South Lake… (read more)
11/08/2022 6:00:00 am
Travis climbed Iron Mountain
10/08/2022 10:21:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from three peaks along the Bishop skyline… (read more)
10/08/2022 10:20:00 pm, Dan

Update: Congratulations to Nathan for finishing the Glacier Point Infinity Loop. His inReach died around hour 28. His watch made it about 46 hours, and he finished in 54 hours and 49 minutes. Distance came in aroud 107 miles.

Update: unfortunately it looks like his tracker died somewhere around halfway.

Nathan is attempting the first ever Glacier Peak Infinity Loop. This loop will circumnavigate Washington's Glacier Peak and ascend it twice. Nathan estimates is will be approximately 120 miles and 40,000' of climbing.

Follow along on Nathan's live tracker.

10/08/2022 6:00:00 am
Travis climbed Diamond Peak
10/08/2022 4:45:00 am
Travis climbed Black Mountain
9/08/2022 10:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' photos from two pairs of peaks with a camp move between… (read more)
9/08/2022 8:25:00 am
Travis climbed Center Peak
9/08/2022 6:15:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Keith
9/08/2022 3:25:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Bradley
8/08/2022 10:21:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from the amazing geology around Mount Baldwin… (read more)
8/08/2022 9:55:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Stanford (S)
8/08/2022 7:35:00 am
Travis climbed Deerhorn Mountain
8/08/2022 5:45:00 am
Travis climbed West Vidette
8/08/2022 3:15:00 am
Travis climbed East Vidette
7/08/2022 9:20:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' photos from three peaks along the Cirque Crest… (read more)
7/08/2022 8:45:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a couple of days out of Rock Creek… (read more)
7/08/2022 9:00:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Jordan
7/08/2022 7:40:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Genevra
7/08/2022 6:30:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Ericsson
7/08/2022 4:50:00 am
Travis climbed Caltech Peak
7/08/2022 3:35:00 am
Travis climbed Junction Peak
5/08/2022 11:29:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' photos from the Taboose Pass area with Nathan's family… (read more)
5/08/2022 6:25:00 am
Travis climbed Birch Mountain
5/08/2022 4:00:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Tinemaha
4/08/2022 9:56:00 pm, Dan

The 2022 Sierra Challenge runs from August 5th through 14th and we're happy to host a few participant's live tracks:

Send us an email at team@sps2022.com if you'd like your tracker added to this list.

We'd like to extend our sincere thanks to Bob Burd for his dedication to running the Sierra Challenge for the last 20 years and for his website, an incredible resource for Sierra Nevada explorers.

4/08/2022 9:55:00 pm, Dan

Update: watch the video of this event.

The Eastern Sierra Chapter of the American Alpine Club is hosting Nathan on Wednesday, August 3 at 7pm for "tales of epic ski descents, massive peak link ups, and more" at Mammoth Brewing Company in Mammoth Lakes, CA.

More information here.

4/08/2022 6:20:00 am
Travis climbed Pilot Knob
4/08/2022 3:05:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Humphreys
3/08/2022 10:40:00 pm, Dan
Travis teams up with Nathan for an actual rock climb with a rope… (read more)
3/08/2022 11:05:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Goethe
3/08/2022 5:45:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Emerson
2/08/2022 11:10:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' photos from a short 3-peak ridge traverse above Upper Basin… (read more)
1/08/2022 10:15:00 pm, Dan
Nathan's photos from moving camp along the JMT, climbing a remote peak, and bypassing Mather Pass… (read more)
1/08/2022 9:50:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a smoky 3-peak linkup up and over Italy Pass… (read more)
1/08/2022 4:30:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Thompson
1/08/2022 3:25:00 am
Travis climbed Point Powell
31/07/2022 9:50:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' photos from three peaks along the notorious Black Divide… (read more)
31/07/2022 10:30:00 am
Travis climbed Cloudripper
31/07/2022 7:50:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Goode
31/07/2022 5:15:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Gilbert
31/07/2022 4:10:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Johnson
30/07/2022 9:30:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a 3-peak linkup out of McGee Creek… (read more)
30/07/2022 8:45:00 am
Travis climbed Basin Mountain
30/07/2022 8:15:00 am
Travis climbed Four Gables
30/07/2022 5:50:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Tom
29/07/2022 10:15:00 pm, Dan
Nathan's photos from moving camp along the JMT and a climb up Giraud Peak… (read more)
29/07/2022 9:55:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Mills
29/07/2022 8:00:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Abbot
29/07/2022 6:15:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Dade
29/07/2022 4:50:00 am
Travis climbed Bear Creek Spire
28/07/2022 9:40:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a two peaks near Mammoth Lakes… (read more)
28/07/2022 5:45:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Baldwin
27/07/2022 7:53:53 pm, Dan
Nathan's pictures from his solo journey northbound along the ultra-classic Evolution Traverse… (read more)
27/07/2022 5:50:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Morgan (N)
27/07/2022 4:35:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Stanford (N)
26/07/2022 6:50:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Morgan (S)
25/07/2022 10:50:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a linkup of 3 easy peaks above Tioga Pass… (read more)
25/07/2022 11:20:00 am
Travis climbed Royce Peak
25/07/2022 10:15:00 am
Travis climbed Merriam Peak
24/07/2022 11:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from a 3 peak linkup west of the Evolutions… (read more)
24/07/2022 10:55:00 pm, Dan

Jason Hardrath is continuing on after finishing the Norman's 13 FKT and attempting to break the self-powered California 14er FKT held by Ryan Tetz in 8d 8h 39m.

Note: these times are based on inReach locations and are preliminary. We'll update with more accurate times when we receive them.

  • 90h05m (7:05pm): Start climb of White Mountain
  • 82h45m: Arrive at base of West Ridge of White Mountain
  • 80h00m: Start riding from South Lake
  • 74h24m: South Lake Trailhead (Norman's 13 FKT finished)

Unfortunately we are unable to provide tracking since our map data only includes the Sierra Nevada. You can follow on the Garmin site.

24/07/2022 10:40:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Gabb
24/07/2022 8:25:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Hilgard
24/07/2022 6:20:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Julius Caesar
23/07/2022 11:05:00 pm, Dan

Note: these times are based on inReach locations and are preliminary. We'll update with more accurate times when we receive them.

Congratulations to Jason Hardrath on setting the new Norman's 13 FKT in 74 hours and 24 minutes, nearly 9 hours faster than the previous FKT.

  • 74h24m: South Lake Trailhead
  • 72h00m: Bishop Pass
  • 68h50m: summit of Thunderbolt Peak
  • 67h10m: summit of Starlight Peak
  • 66h20m: summit of North Palisade
  • 65h10m: summit of Polemonium Peak
  • 64h30m: summit of Mount Sill
  • 58h15m: summit of Middle Palisade
  • 54h00m: Mather Pass
  • 53h10m: start from camp
  • 50h50m: camp near at lake under Split Mountain
  • 49h00m: summit of Split Mountain
  • 41h35m: Pinchot Pass
  • 34h30m: Glen Pass
  • 30h00m: Forester Pass
  • 27h40m: start from camp
  • 23h15m: camp near Shepherd Pass
  • 22h12m: summit of Mount Tyndall
  • 18h31m: summit of Mount Williamson
  • 11h27m: summit of Mount Russell
  • 9h10m: summit of Mount Whitney
  • 8h25m: summit of Mount Muir
  • 3h20m: summit of Mount Langley
  • 0h00m: started on time at 1:00am
23/07/2022 11:00:00 pm, Travis
Travis' pictures from a pair of outings and three peaks east of Yosemite… (read more)
22/07/2022 11:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their 16 hour, 5 peak linkup around the periphery of Ionian Basin… (read more)
22/07/2022 10:50:00 am
Travis climbed Red and White Mountain
22/07/2022 8:35:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Izaak Walton
22/07/2022 5:45:00 am
Travis climbed Red Slate Mountain
21/07/2022 8:50:00 pm, Jason

We're excited to guest track another Sierra FKT: Jason Hardrath and Chris Gorney are attempting the “Norman's 13.” They plan to start around 1am on Wednesday, July 20th (updated).

From the FKT site description: “The route is the brain-child of Andy Gohlich. The idea is a continuous link up of the thirteen 14ers in the Sierra Nevada Range, similar to Nolan's 14 in Colorado's Sawatch Range.”

According to the first finisher, Ryan Tetz, this route is 107.5 miles and has 40,000+ vertical feet of climbing over mixed terrain: 60 miles on the JMT, miles-long stretches of talus, and 5th class technical cruxes in the Palisades.

They are aiming to finish in 71-76 hours. The current record is 83 hours and 18 minutes by Matt Zupan.

They are staged with caches in position and Ashly and Nathan will join them for portions. This will be the first "supported" style attempt of Norman's.

If everything goes well they will roll straight into CA 14ers by bike FKT attempt by riding from South Lake trailhead to White Mountain and then to Mount Shasta.

Watch their progress on the full size, interactive tracker. Note: they are borrowing Nathan's inReach.

21/07/2022 8:45:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from the peaks of the northern Yosemite backcountry… (read more)
21/07/2022 10:40:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Morrison
21/07/2022 5:45:00 am
Travis climbed Bloody Mountain
20/07/2022 8:10:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from his whirlwind 4-peak linkup above Horse Creek… (read more)
20/07/2022 8:05:00 am
Travis climbed Koip Peak
20/07/2022 5:05:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Gibbs
20/07/2022 3:55:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Dana
19/07/2022 10:30:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with Nathan's story!) I pushed hard up the final climb, unleashing a shout of victory and relief into the darkness… (read more)
19/07/2022 10:15:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Warren
19/07/2022 5:45:00 am
Travis climbed Excelsior Mountain
19/07/2022 3:20:00 am
Travis climbed Dunderberg Peak
18/07/2022 11:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan's pictures from the first day of their long backcountry trip… (read more)
18/07/2022 10:05:00 am
Travis climbed Twin Peaks
18/07/2022 8:50:00 am
Travis climbed Virginia Peak
18/07/2022 6:50:00 am
Travis climbed Whorl Mountain
18/07/2022 5:00:00 am
Travis climbed Matterhorn Peak
17/07/2022 10:15:00 pm, Jason

Congratulations to Ashly Winchester for setting the new women's unsupported southbound JMT FKT: 5 days, 20 hours, and 4 minutes from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney, and 6 days, 4 hours, and 20 minutes to Whitney Portal.

We were excited to be able to show her progress on our live tracker and thank her again for her support to the SPS 2022 effort.

17/07/2022 6:40:00 am
Travis climbed Tower Peak
16/07/2022 11:00:00 pm, Jason

Ashly has shown incredible consistency over the last couple of days as she made her way from LeConte Canyon to Guitar Lake. The Tracker breaks up the track if more than three hours elapses between inReach pings. Over the course of 44 hours and 70 miles¹ she never stopped for more than an hour or so.

¹ - the 55.67 mile figure shown in the image is a very rough estimate based on distances between inReach pings.

Watch her progress on the full size, interactive tracker.

16/07/2022 8:30:00 am
Travis climbed Pettit Peak
16/07/2022 7:25:00 am
Travis climbed Volunteer Peak
16/07/2022 4:30:00 am
Travis climbed Piute Mountain
15/07/2022 11:45:00 pm, Jason

Around 3:30am, after about 24.5 hours on the move, 113.5 hours and 173 miles into her effort, Ashly took what appeared to be a 30 minute break (catnap?) at the Rae Lakes on the climb up to Glen Pass.

Ashly has approximately 38 miles to the summit of Mount Whitney and an additional 11 to Whitney Portal and is still tracking ahead of record pace.

Watch her progress on the full size, interactive tracker.

Note: Ashly's long, continuous effort has revealed an issue with the tracker crashing on mobile devices. We've attempted to fix this, so if you were having trouble, please try again. Thank you.

15/07/2022 3:55:00 am
Travis climbed Stanislaus Peak
14/07/2022 9:54:32 pm, Dan

Travis has been working through his remaining peaks in the north. Over the last three days he's ticked Mokelumne, Highland and Leavitt, and Black Hawk and Disaster. Today he's planning on finishing his last far northern peak, Stanislaus, before heading into the northern Yosemite backcountry for Piute, Volunteer, Pettit, and Tower.

After that he's planning to finish his remaining Yosemite area peaks over three days:

  1. Matterhorn, Whorl, Virginia, and Twin
  2. Dunderberg, Excelsior, and Warren
  3. Dana, Gibbs, and Koip

Follow along on the live tracker.

14/07/2022 9:45:00 pm, Jason

Around midnight, after more than 23 hours on the move, 86 hours and 135 miles into her effort, Ashly made camp in Le Conte Canyon.

88 miles to go. She is averaging ~38.5 miles per 24 hours which is still on record pace.

"This hurts. Alot. I'm digging deeper than I ever have."

Watch her progress on the full size, interactive tracker. Note: she is borrowing Nathan's inReach.

14/07/2022 11:55:00 am
Travis climbed Disaster Peak
14/07/2022 6:10:00 am
Travis climbed Black Hawk Mountain
13/07/2022 10:00:00 pm, Jason

At 9:35pm, approximately 60 hours into her effort, Ashly sent a message of "100", indicating she had crossed the 100 mile mark.

100 miles down, 123 miles to go. She is averaging ~40 miles per 24 hours placing her about 12 miles ahead of record pace going into the night.

Earlier today she said, "today may have actually felt a little better than yesterday, I hope tomorrow is even better".

Watch her progress on the full size, interactive tracker. Note: she is borrowing Nathan's inReach.

13/07/2022 12:05:00 pm
Travis climbed Leavitt Peak
13/07/2022 9:40:00 am, Jason

As of 48 hours, Ashly has travelled 80.5 miles and climbed 21,000' vertical. After bouts of nausea and dealing with heat blisters, she had a sleep around 11:30pm at mile 70 of her journey.

After her rest she reported, "better this morning after dumping half a ramen packet in my mouth and guzzling some water."

Her split through 48 hours shows a significant slowing of her average pace from 45mi/day to 40mi/day, probably due to her longer sleep.

"Yesterday was rough with the heat blisters and electrolyte issues", she wrote. However, her spirits appear high as she closed with: "Today is a new day. I'm on the JMT. ALL HEART!"

Watch her progress on the full size, interactive tracker. Note: she is borrowing Nathan's inReach.

13/07/2022 5:14:00 am
Travis climbed Highland Peak
12/07/2022 10:00:00 pm, Jason

At 10pm, 36 hours into her effort, Ashly has covered approximately 67.4 miles with 17,370' vertical. Her 45mi/day pace puts her about 16.5 miles ahead of record pace.

In a message she describes having "some foot pain", "taping her feet", and that she is "struggling now".

In 2021, she had a permit and better training lead up - without catching Covid or injury - but got shut down by the California statewide fire closure mere days before she was to start.

Watch her progress on the full size, interactive tracker. Note: she is borrowing Nathan's inReach.

12/07/2022 9:25:00 am, Jason

Ashly surpassed 45 miles and 12,600' gain at the 24hr mark for her JMT FKT attempt putting her approximately 11 miles ahead of record pace.

A general message sent out on tracker says "feeling good all things considered. Feet hurt. Soaking them in cold creek. Not sure I will be able to do 45 miles again. ALL HEART."

"ALL HEART" is written on her forearm as she hikes - acknowledging not everything has been right for the training and lead up for this dream effort - two bouts with Covid, injuries, last minute permit - but she is going to focus on the deep love and meaning she finds on this trail to sustain her through the lows.

"ALL HEART"

Watch her progress on the full size, interactive tracker. Note: she is borrowing Nathan's inReach.

12/07/2022 6:50:00 am
Travis climbed Mokelumne Peak
11/07/2022 9:40:00 am, Nathan

Well, it’s done! After 138 days and 247 summits, I have completed the SPS list.

It has been an incredible and formative experience. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to fully express myself and my love for the mountains in a creative way. I was able to experience many of the best routes in the Sierra. Along the way, I have met many wonderful humans and have explored some wild, rugged, and beautiful terrain. I felt humbled and empowered, terrified and fearless, exhausted and elated.

I would encourage you to find what you love, what truly sets your soul afire, and do everything you can to do it as often as possible. Challenge yourself to do things that seem impossible. Regardless of the outcome, you will emerge as a new person, with expanded horizons and a new relationship with the universe.

Nathan adds from Instagram: "Headed back into the mountains for a week of decompression. Stay tuned for trip reports, photos and stoke when I return!"

10/07/2022 11:35:00 pm, Dan

Ron Bartell (SPS finisher #21 in 1982) writes to inform us that Nathan is not the youngest finisher of the SPS List. That honor belongs to Frannie Hoover, age 20, in 1983. Her brother, Nathan, finished at age 22 years 4 months in 1981.

Assuming there are no others, that would make Nathan the third youngest at 22 years 9 months.

Thanks to Ron for pointing this out and we are happy to hear any other comments or corrections at team@sps2022.com.

10/07/2022 11:34:00 pm, Dan

We've just received Nathan and Travis' pictures from their last couple of weeks (approximately 45 peaks worth) and will be working through posting them over the next few days.

Nathan took a rest day and is heading back into the Sierra for some relaxation by the side of a lake. And some mountain climbing.

Travis also took a rest day and is heading north today to resume his effort south of Lake Tahoe.

We're calling Nathan's time as 138 days, 14 hours, and 1 minute from Feb 20, 9:57am at the Mount Rose trailhead to Jul 9, 12:58am at the South Lake trailhead. He has submitted his time to the Fastest Known Time website.

Sunset on Thunderbolt Peak from Mount Winchell
Sunset on Thunderbolt Peak from Mount Winchell
10/07/2022 11:33:00 pm, Dan

The nüümü poyo (also known as the John Muir Trail) is a 213-mile trail that travels through the heart of the Sierra. The route was traditionally used by the indigenous people of the area as a trade route. Today, it is one of the most popular backpacking routes in the world.

Starting on the morning of July 10th, Ashly Winchester is attempting to set the women's solo and unsupported Fastest Known Time on this iconic trail.

We thank Ashly for her support to Nathan and Travis' effort (including a resupply delivery into Dusy Basin) and are excited to have her FKT attempt tracked here.

Go to the full size, interactive tracker. Note: she is borrowing Nathan's inReach.

Update: Ashly started at 10:04am.

9/07/2022 8:25:00 pm, Dan

After nearly 21 hours on the move and 7 peaks climbed today, Nathan has done it!

First to finish the list in a single season, youngest ever finisher (22), and, of course, fastest (for now!): approximately 138 days and 14 hours!

Based on the inReach, the clock stopped at roughly 12:58am on July 9, 2022. We'll refine that when we get the GPS watch data.

Correction: Nathan is not the youngest finisher.

Matterhorn Peak (Mar 11, 2022)
Matterhorn Peak (Mar 11, 2022)
Clyde Minaret (Apr 6, 2022)
Clyde Minaret (Apr 6, 2022)
Mount Jordan (Apr 27, 2022)
Mount Jordan (Apr 27, 2022)
Bear Creek Spire (Jun 21, 2022)
Bear Creek Spire (Jun 21, 2022)

More to come… check back soon!

9/07/2022 5:15:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Agassiz
9/07/2022 1:10:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Winchell
9/07/2022 11:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Thunderbolt Peak
9/07/2022 9:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed North Palisade
9/07/2022 7:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Sill
9/07/2022 6:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Gayley
9/07/2022 3:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Temple Crag
8/07/2022 10:11:00 am, Dan

After completing the southern Palisade Traverse, Nathan has now climbed 240 peaks, leaving just the 7 northern Palisade peaks to go. Even after their epic day yesterday, he and Travis intend to climb the remaining peaks in a single push tomorrow, Friday, July 8: Temple Crag, Gayley, Sill, North Palisade, Thunderbolt, Winchell, and Agassiz.

Nathan hopes to arrive on top of Agassiz somewhere around 7-9pm. Nathan would be stoked for company on the ascent (SE face) or summit of Agassiz. They'll be descending via Bishop Pass and South Lake at which time Nathan will officially stop his clock at approximately 138.5 days.

Keep up by watching the live tracker.

8/07/2022 10:10:00 am, Dan
A few pictures from Nathan and Travis' Southern Palisade Traverse… (read more)
8/07/2022 2:00:00 am, Dan

Update

They are on the move again and heading for the Birch Lake Trailhead.

Original Post

Nathan and Travis completed their traverse from Palisade Crest to The Thumb but found that their planned descent via Southfork Pass didn't go, at least in the dark. After being on the move for around 20 hours, they've decided to wait until morning and then head out via Birch Lake.

We are in contact via Travis' inReach. You can keep up-to-date by watching the live tracker.

7/07/2022 5:00:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed The Thumb
7/07/2022 2:30:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Disappointment Peak
7/07/2022 1:25:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Middle Palisade
7/07/2022 10:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Norman Clyde Peak
7/07/2022 4:35:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Palisade Crest
6/07/2022 10:00:00 pm, Dan

Nathan has now climbed 235 peaks, leaving just 12 to go. He and Travis intend to climb the remaining peaks in two days:

  • Wed, July 6. A five-peak, north-to-south traverse of the southern Palisades: Palisade Crest, Norman Clyde, Middle Palisade, Disappointment, and Thumb.
  • Thurs, July 7. A seven-peak south-to-north traverse of the northern Palisades: Temple Crag, Gayley, Sill, North Palisade, Thunderbolt, Winchell, and Agassiz.

If all goes to plan on Thursday, Nathan hopes to arrive on top of Agassiz somewhere around 7-9pm. Nathan would be stoked for company on the ascent (SE face) or summit of Agassiz. They'll be descending via Bishop Pass and South Lake at which time Nathan will officially stop his clock at approximately 137.5 days.

Keep up by watching the live tracker.

6/07/2022 9:35:00 pm, Dan
A few pictures from Nathan and Travis' recent backcountry trip… (read more)
6/07/2022 9:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Baxter
6/07/2022 6:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Colosseum Mountain
6/07/2022 2:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Perkins
5/07/2022 9:20:00 pm, Dan
Nathan's pictures from the Direct North Buttess (5.10b) on Merriam Peak and Royce Peak… (read more)
5/07/2022 3:05:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Pinchot
5/07/2022 2:15:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Wynne
5/07/2022 12:15:00 pm, Travis
Travis' long-delayed photos from his springtime ascent of University Peak… (read more)
5/07/2022 8:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Pyramid Peak (S)
5/07/2022 5:35:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Arrow Peak
4/07/2022 9:40:00 pm, Dan

Nathan and Travis have just entered the backcountry for a 13-day, 12-night, 41-peak (see edits) 12 day, 11 night, 36 peak odyssey. Assuming everything goes to plan, this is their itinerary:

  • ✓ June 24, (1) Enter and Mount Lamarck
  • ✓ June 25, (5) Goddard, Reinstein, Scylla, Charybdis, Black Giant
  • ✓ June 26, (3) Hermit, Emerald, McGee
  • ✓ June 27, (6) Evolution Traverse: Huxley, Fiske, Wallace, Haeckel, Darwin, Mendel. Note: Nathan and Travis are soloing in opposite directions. After this day, we'll remove the dual trackers.
  • ✓ June 28, (1) Giraud. Resupply received from Ashly Winchester in Dusy Basin, thank you!
  • ✓ June 29, (3) Devils Crags, Wheel, McDuffie
  • ✓ June 30, (1) Observation
  • ✓ July 1, (3) Split, Prater, Bolton Brown
  • ✓ July 2, (3) Cardinal, Striped, Goodale
  • ✓ July 3, (3) Ruskin, Marion, State
  • ✓ July 4, (4) Arrow, Pyramid, Pinchot, Wynne
  • ✓ July 5, (3) Perkins, Colosseum, Baxter and exit

On July 6, as a dayhike, they'll do a 5-peak southern Palisade traverse: Thumb, Disappointment, Middle Palisade, Norman Clyde, Palisade Crest.

For Nathan's finish on July 7, 137 days after starting, they'll do a seven peak northern Palisade traverse: Temple Crag, Gayley, Sill, North Palisade, Thunderbolt, Winchell, and Agassiz. They'll exit via Bishop Pass and South Lake before stopping Nathan's clock.

Nathan would be stoked for company on the ascent (SE face) or summit of Mount Agassiz. As we get closer, we'll update the site with more specific plans.

We'll be watching the live tracker and communicating via inReach and a couple of resupplies so we'll update the plans as needed.

Edits

  1. Swapped Goddard+4 with Hermit+2. They indicated before the trip that ideally they wouldn't do the two biggest days (Goddard and Evolution) back-to-back, so there's a good chance that Hermit+2 will be tomorrow and Evolution the day after.
  2. Swapped Hermit+2 and Evolution traverse. They sent a message confirming Hermit+2 happening before Evolution Traverse.
  3. Dual trackers have been removed.
  4. Thanks to Ashly for resupply!
  5. Southern Palisade traverse to be done as day hike after this trip. Swapped Cardinal+2 and Ruskin+2 days.
4/07/2022 9:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan's pictures from his 4-peak linkup above Little Lakes Valley… (read more)
4/07/2022 10:15:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed State Peak
4/07/2022 6:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Marion Peak
4/07/2022 3:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Ruskin
3/07/2022 9:30:00 pm, Dan

Congratulations to the team for setting the FKT in 84h 47m 07s.

Jason Hardrath, Vitaliy Musiyenko, and Ryan Tetz have teamed up to become the second team to complete "Convoluted Bliss" - a 69 mile route with 27,220 ft of elevation gain and 40 miles of technical ridge travel.

Prior to Vitaliy's "Goliath", Convoluted Bliss was the longest completed alpine ridge traverse by distance in the United States (longer than WURL in Utah). It traverses around the entire Merced Lake Drainage in southeastern Yosemite, climbing a total of 51 peaks. It was first climbed over 8 days in August 2017. While small sections of the route require low 5th class scrambling, most of it involves class 2 boulder hopping.

Detailed route information by the first ascent team can be found on the Peaks for Freaks page.

Jason, Vitaliy, and Ryan have teamed up to not only to be the second team to complete it, but to climb all 51 peaks of this traverse in under 5 days.

These guys have been very supportive of Nathan and Travis's SPS FKT effort and we're excited to share our live tracking tech while they're on route.

Go to the full-size, interactive, Convoluted Bliss live tracker. The tracker has been disabled.

3/07/2022 9:25:00 pm, Dan
Nathan's pictures from his climb of the remote Tower Peak in northern Yosemite… (read more)
3/07/2022 1:15:00 pm, Nathan
The plank narrows to a foot wide and drops on three sides … it's a mindbending experience looking down into the abyss… (read more)
3/07/2022 12:05:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Goodale Mountain
3/07/2022 10:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Striped Mountain
3/07/2022 3:35:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Cardinal Mountain
2/07/2022 6:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Bolton Brown
2/07/2022 4:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Prater
2/07/2022 3:35:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Split Mountain
1/07/2022 8:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Observation Peak
30/06/2022 11:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount McDuffie
30/06/2022 9:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Wheel Mountain
30/06/2022 7:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Devils Crags
29/06/2022 10:30:00 pm, Dan
Nathan's pictures from a 3-peak linkup deep in the Northern Yosemite backcountry… (read more)
29/06/2022 12:15:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Giraud Peak
28/06/2022 1:40:00 pm
Travis climbed Mount Huxley
28/06/2022 12:30:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Mendel
28/06/2022 11:10:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Fiske
28/06/2022 11:00:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Darwin
28/06/2022 9:30:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Wallace
28/06/2022 8:45:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Haeckel
28/06/2022 6:55:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Haeckel
28/06/2022 6:10:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Wallace
28/06/2022 5:20:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Darwin
28/06/2022 4:20:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Fiske
28/06/2022 3:50:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Mendel
28/06/2022 1:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Huxley
27/06/2022 10:45:00 pm, Dan
Nathan's pictures from four separate day trips around Sonora Pass… (read more)
27/06/2022 4:50:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' midnight summit photo from the top of Cathedral Peak… (read more)
27/06/2022 11:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Emerald Peak
27/06/2022 8:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount McGee
27/06/2022 5:25:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed The Hermit
26/06/2022 9:50:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from a 4-peak link-up deep in Sequoia National Park… (read more)
26/06/2022 3:50:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Black Giant
26/06/2022 2:05:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Charybdis
26/06/2022 11:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Scylla
26/06/2022 7:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Reinstein
26/06/2022 4:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Goddard
25/06/2022 9:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Lamarck
24/06/2022 7:20:00 am
Nathan climbed Royce Peak
24/06/2022 6:20:00 am
Nathan climbed Merriam Peak
23/06/2022 10:15:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from a couple of easy fifth class routes on North Peak and Mount Conness… (read more)
23/06/2022 4:30:00 am
Travis climbed Round Top
22/06/2022 10:20:00 pm, Dan

Congratulations to Travis for passing the halfway mark (124/247) on his ascent of Dicks Peaks.

In 65 days, Travis has covered just over 1000 miles and ascended 390,000 vertical feet.

Compared to Nathan at his halfway mark, he's traveled about 55 miles more and ascended about 25,000 vertical feet less. He's 17 days ahead of Nathan's time.

Nathan, meanwhile, has reached 197/247 summits, leaving just 50 peaks remaining!

Nathan is resting today while Travis continues bagging peaks in the north. They will be meeting in Bishop in a few days to start a huge backpacking trip.

Onward!

22/06/2022 10:05:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from day four of their Yosemite backpack… (read more)
22/06/2022 12:40:00 pm
Travis climbed Freel Peak
22/06/2022 11:25:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Mills
22/06/2022 9:45:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Abbot
22/06/2022 7:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Dade
22/06/2022 6:40:00 am
Travis climbed Dicks Peak
22/06/2022 5:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Bear Creek Spire
22/06/2022 4:50:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Tallac
21/06/2022 10:20:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from day three of their Yosemite backpack… (read more)
21/06/2022 1:20:00 pm
Travis climbed Pyramid Peak (N)
21/06/2022 8:20:00 am
Nathan climbed Tower Peak
21/06/2022 8:00:00 am
Travis climbed Granite Chief
21/06/2022 6:00:00 am
Travis climbed Tinker Knob
20/06/2022 9:40:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their Yosemite 5-peak linkup on a moody weather day… (read more)
20/06/2022 11:20:00 am
Nathan climbed Pettit Peak
20/06/2022 11:15:00 am
Travis climbed Castle Peak
20/06/2022 9:40:00 am
Nathan climbed Volunteer Peak
20/06/2022 6:30:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Lola
20/06/2022 5:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Piute Mountain
19/06/2022 9:25:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from the first day of their Yosemite backpack… (read more)
19/06/2022 1:35:00 pm
Travis climbed English Mountain
19/06/2022 9:10:00 am
Travis climbed Sierra Buttes
19/06/2022 5:50:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Elwell
19/06/2022 5:45:00 am
Nathan climbed Stanislaus Peak
18/06/2022 2:15:00 pm
Nathan climbed Disaster Peak
18/06/2022 11:45:00 am
Travis climbed Adams Peak
18/06/2022 7:45:00 am
Nathan climbed Black Hawk Mountain
18/06/2022 6:45:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Rose
17/06/2022 10:30:00 pm, Dan

Travis is heading to the far north to climb peaks that Nathan did in February and March while Nathan finishes off a few easy peaks around Sonora Pass. We've added a second live tracker for while they are apart.

The mini-trackers are on the main landing page and full screen trackers are also available: Nathan's tracker and Travis' tracker.

17/06/2022 10:25:00 pm, Travis
Nathan and Travis' pictures from Half Dome via Snake Dike and Clouds Rest… (read more)
17/06/2022 11:05:00 am
Nathan climbed Leavitt Peak
16/06/2022 7:05:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Cathedral Peak
16/06/2022 7:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their ascent of Silver Peak from Lake Edison… (read more)
16/06/2022 12:45:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Conness
16/06/2022 8:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed North Peak
15/06/2022 10:05:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their trip to the remote White Divide in the western Sierra… (read more)
15/06/2022 11:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Starr King
15/06/2022 5:35:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Clark
15/06/2022 3:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Gray Peak
14/06/2022 10:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from a few peaks while leaving the Kaweah area… (read more)
14/06/2022 1:40:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Red Peak
14/06/2022 11:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Merced Peak
14/06/2022 5:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Foerster Peak
13/06/2022 10:45:00 pm, Travis
(Updated with Travis' story!) The entire ledge itself liquefied into a massive wave of falling rocks and cascaded down the gulley… (read more)
13/06/2022 12:30:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Electra Peak
13/06/2022 10:35:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Rodgers Peak
13/06/2022 8:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Lyell
13/06/2022 7:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Maclure
13/06/2022 4:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Florence
12/06/2022 11:40:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from a couple of peaks before heading over Farewell Gap… (read more)
12/06/2022 8:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Vogelsang Peak
11/06/2022 8:15:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their ascent of Recess Peak from Lake Edison… (read more)
11/06/2022 9:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Clouds Rest
11/06/2022 6:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Half Dome
10/06/2022 10:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their ascent of the northwest slopes of Mount Henry… (read more)
9/06/2022 10:30:00 pm, Dan

Nathan Day 110, Travis Day 54

Nathan and Travis have a rest day today as they drive to Yosemite. They'll be in the park for the next week where they hope to climb 16 peaks in 7 days. Say "Hello" if you see them out there!

9/06/2022 10:10:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their longest distance day so far (36+ mi) out to Coyote Peak and Angora Mountain… (read more)
9/06/2022 6:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Henry
8/06/2022 7:30:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their ascent of Spanish Mountain on their approach to the remote White Divide… (read more)
8/06/2022 1:15:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Hooper
8/06/2022 9:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Seven Gables
8/06/2022 7:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Gemini
8/06/2022 4:45:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Senger
7/06/2022 9:45:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their quick ascent of Three Sisters from Courtright Reservoir… (read more)
7/06/2022 7:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Silver Peak
6/06/2022 9:30:00 pm, Travis
My legs were being lacerated by the icy snow and I was leaving a trail of blood droplets… (read more)
6/06/2022 8:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Recess Peak
5/06/2022 7:45:00 pm, Travis
(Updated with Travis' story!) No amount of fatigue would stand in my way, today was Whaleback day! (read more)
5/06/2022 5:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Three Sisters
3/06/2022 9:55:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from the first day of the Kaweahs backpack… (read more)
3/06/2022 12:35:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Finger Peak
3/06/2022 9:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Tunemah Peak
3/06/2022 3:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Tehipite Dome
2/06/2022 4:55:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with Nathan's story) The true length of one’s life cannot be measured by the number of hours, days, and years since birth, but rather by the combined length of the truly memorable moments one experiences… (read more)
2/06/2022 4:15:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from a double peak linkup with 10,000' of vertical… (read more)
2/06/2022 10:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Spanish Mountain
31/05/2022 9:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Angora Mountain
31/05/2022 7:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Coyote Peak
30/05/2022 10:15:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Florence Peak
30/05/2022 7:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Vandever Mountain
29/05/2022 10:10:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their ascent of Goat Mountain… (read more)
29/05/2022 11:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Needham Mountain
29/05/2022 10:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Sawtooth Peak (N)
29/05/2022 4:15:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Lippincott Mountain
28/05/2022 9:30:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from North Maggie and Moses Mountain… (read more)
28/05/2022 12:30:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Eagle Scout Peak
28/05/2022 10:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Stewart
28/05/2022 8:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Lion Rock
28/05/2022 5:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Triple Divide Peak
27/05/2022 10:15:00 pm, Travis
"Nathan!" I screamed, hoping he would hear me from where he was sleeping in the woods… (read more)
27/05/2022 1:00:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Kaweah
27/05/2022 9:45:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Red Kaweah
27/05/2022 6:15:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Black Kaweah
26/05/2022 4:40:00 pm, Travis
Nathan and I are creatures of the alpine … we both felt we were returning home… (read more)
26/05/2022 11:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Eisen
25/05/2022 10:35:00 pm, Travis
Homers Nose has the reputation of being the "bushwhack" among the SPS peaks … I was a bit skeptical… (read more)
24/05/2022 10:15:00 pm, Dan

Nathan Day 92, Travis Day 36

Nathan and Travis are taking a well deserved rest day as they transit toward Mineral King. We hope to get a bunch of pictures and stories from their Great Western Divide trip and will post them as soon as possible.

24/05/2022 10:05:00 pm, Nathan
Travis' pictures from a three peak Dome Land Wilderness adventure… (read more)
23/05/2022 9:00:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis put together another huge effort along and over the Great Western Divide… (read more)
23/05/2022 2:35:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Picket Guard Peak
23/05/2022 11:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Kern Point
23/05/2022 7:15:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Milestone Mountain
23/05/2022 5:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Midway Mountain
22/05/2022 12:10:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Glacier Ridge
22/05/2022 8:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Whaleback
21/05/2022 10:25:00 pm, Dan
A short look at Nathan and Travis' epic on the north end of the Great Western Divide… (read more)
21/05/2022 4:40:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Table Mountain
21/05/2022 1:15:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Thunder Mountain
21/05/2022 9:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed South Guard
21/05/2022 8:25:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Brewer
21/05/2022 6:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed North Guard
19/05/2022 10:10:00 pm, Dan

Nathan and Travis climbed Kennedy Mountain and Mount Harrington on Tuesday, May 17 and Goat Mountain on Wednesday. Unfortunately, they haven't connected to the internet to provide any pictures or data.

Today, Thursday, May 18, they are scheduled to head deep into Kings Canyon National Park to visit the Great Western Divide and arguably the most remote peaks on the list: Picket Guard Peak and Kern Point.

While they're out for the next few days, we'll post the remaining pictures that they've provided so far.

19/05/2022 8:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Goat Mountain
18/05/2022 9:45:00 pm, Dan
Pictures from a point-to-point adventure on three Southern Sierra peaks… (read more)
18/05/2022 10:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Harrington
18/05/2022 10:05:00 am
Travis climbed Kennedy Mountain
18/05/2022 6:45:00 am
Nathan climbed Kennedy Mountain
18/05/2022 6:30:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Harrington
17/05/2022 9:25:00 pm, Dan
Pictures from the last day of Nathan and Travis' southern High Sierra backpack… (read more)
17/05/2022 10:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Silliman
16/05/2022 9:10:00 pm, Dan
Travis' pictures from a quick trip up the southernmost peak on the list… (read more)
16/05/2022 8:50:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Alta Peak
15/05/2022 8:50:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from another bike-and-hike in the Southern Sierra… (read more)
15/05/2022 9:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Homers Nose
14/05/2022 10:33:29 pm, Dan
Congratulations to Nathan for passing the halfway mark (124 / 247) during their ascent of the North Ridge of Moses Mountain… (read more)
14/05/2022 10:30:00 pm, Dan
Pictures from the first day of Nathan and Travis' backpack out of Horseshoe Meadow… (read more)
14/05/2022 11:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Moses Mountain
14/05/2022 7:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed North Maggie Mountain
13/05/2022 10:37:14 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from their bike-and-hike out to Kern Peak… (read more)
12/05/2022 9:35:00 pm, Dan
Nathan and Travis' pictures from three southern desert peaks near the PCT… (read more)
12/05/2022 1:05:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Sirretta Peak
12/05/2022 10:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Taylor Dome
12/05/2022 7:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Rockhouse Peak
11/05/2022 9:40:00 pm, Travis
(Updated with Travis' story!) I still felt bad about leaving Nathan but I was also quite enjoying my solitude… (read more)
11/05/2022 6:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Owens Peak
10/05/2022 9:45:00 pm, Nathan
We were tired, the face looked shady and cold, and the easy scrambling route seemed to be the better option. As we rounded the base of the peak, however, the climb came into view… (read more)
10/05/2022 10:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Smith Mountain
10/05/2022 7:25:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Crag Peak
9/05/2022 10:10:00 pm, Dan
Pictures from a stunning day on three tricky peaks deep in the Sierra… (read more)
9/05/2022 9:15:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Kern Peak
8/05/2022 11:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Sawtooth Peak (S)
8/05/2022 8:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Spanish Needle
8/05/2022 5:25:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Lamont Peak
7/05/2022 10:05:00 pm, Nathan
All around, the crests of the highest ridges burst with color, while purple clouds boiled up into the valleys below… (read more)
6/05/2022 9:10:00 pm, Nathan
I awoke the next morning with a surprising burst of energy – I was ready for more, and as stoked as ever… (read more)
6/05/2022 8:30:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with Nathan's story!) We started towards the day's peaks day, deeper into the wilderness, but within minutes we were having the tough conversation about bailing… (read more)
6/05/2022 7:45:00 pm, Travis
(Updated with Travis' story!) It was a tough call, I hate bailing, and especially if it means leaving a partner alone… (read more)
6/05/2022 11:25:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Olancha Peak
6/05/2022 7:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Cartago Peak
6/05/2022 4:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Muah Mountain
5/05/2022 7:10:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with Nathan's story!) I caught myself slipping into thoughts of bailing, salvaging what we could from the slushy mess… (read more)
4/05/2022 8:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Cirque Peak
4/05/2022 6:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Langley
3/05/2022 9:45:00 pm, Travis
Ok, here goes. There were no good footholds so I just smeared my trail runners into the granite and traversed my hands along the seam… (read more)
3/05/2022 12:45:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount McAdie
3/05/2022 9:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Hitchcock
3/05/2022 7:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Chamberlin
3/05/2022 6:25:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Newcomb
3/05/2022 5:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Pickering
3/05/2022 3:45:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Joe Devel Peak
2/05/2022 10:45:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Guyot
30/04/2022 9:40:00 pm, Dan
Nathan notches his 100th peak, Travis has a monstrous car-to-car effort, and they post 35 ascents between them… (read more)
30/04/2022 2:00:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Tyndall
30/04/2022 2:00:00 pm
Travis climbed Mount Tyndall
30/04/2022 10:05:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Barnard
30/04/2022 10:05:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Barnard
30/04/2022 8:55:00 am
Nathan climbed Trojan Peak
30/04/2022 8:55:00 am
Travis climbed Trojan Peak
30/04/2022 6:25:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Williamson
30/04/2022 6:25:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Williamson
29/04/2022 10:00:00 pm, Travis
We arrived at the summit just as the sun dropped below the western Sierra skyline. The surrounding peaks were alight in beautiful fiery sunset rays… (read more)
29/04/2022 12:55:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Ericsson
29/04/2022 9:40:00 am
Nathan climbed Deerhorn Mountain
29/04/2022 6:20:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Stanford (S)
28/04/2022 10:00:00 pm, Nathan
The position was incredible, the steep face dropping away below us for thousands of feet as we climbed high on one of the proudest walls in the country… (read more)
28/04/2022 2:40:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Genevra
28/04/2022 1:15:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Jordan
28/04/2022 8:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Caltech Peak
28/04/2022 6:55:00 am
Nathan climbed Junction Peak
28/04/2022 5:55:00 am
Travis climbed University Peak
27/04/2022 1:15:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Keith
27/04/2022 9:10:00 am
Nathan climbed Center Peak
27/04/2022 7:15:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Bradley
27/04/2022 7:00:00 am
Travis climbed Kearsarge Peak
27/04/2022 4:50:00 am
Travis climbed Independence Peak
26/04/2022 1:00:00 pm
Nathan climbed West Vidette
26/04/2022 9:15:00 am
Nathan climbed East Vidette
26/04/2022 8:50:00 am
Travis climbed Dragon Peak
26/04/2022 7:55:00 am
Travis climbed Mount Gould
25/04/2022 11:10:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Clarence King
25/04/2022 9:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Cotter
25/04/2022 7:28:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Gardiner
24/04/2022 9:25:00 pm, Nathan
I hate bailing. When I set out for an objective, I get it done. That is the mentality that has gotten me through countless challenging goals, from hard sport climbing projects to ultramarathons… (read more)
24/04/2022 12:20:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Bago
24/04/2022 8:40:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Rixford
23/04/2022 5:55:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated) The top half was icy and rocky, requiring careful down climbing and side slipping, the bottom was the polar opposite, excellent, deep powder between steep walls. The stuff of a ski mountaineer's dream… (read more)
22/04/2022 10:45:00 pm, Travis
(Updated) We sat in an uncomfortable silence weighing our options. We decided on the count of three to give a thumbs up for climbing or thumbs down for bailing. One… Two… Three… (read more)
22/04/2022 3:55:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated) I tagged the summit in a total whiteout, blindly returning to the pass. I hunkered down on the leeward side of a boulder and took stock of my situation… (read more)
21/04/2022 8:15:00 pm, Dan
Assorted preview photos from Nathan and Travis' 13 ascents in the Whitney area in the last few days… (read more)
21/04/2022 2:50:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Irvine
21/04/2022 1:20:00 pm
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Mallory
21/04/2022 11:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Corcoran
21/04/2022 10:15:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount LeConte
21/04/2022 7:20:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Lone Pine Peak
20/04/2022 10:35:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Hale
20/04/2022 9:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Young
20/04/2022 7:00:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Muir
20/04/2022 6:05:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Whitney
19/04/2022 11:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Carillon
19/04/2022 10:30:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Tunnabora Peak
19/04/2022 8:35:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Mount Russell
18/04/2022 10:00:00 pm, Travis
I had reached my first official summit and it tasted like a breath of fresh mountain air… (read more)
18/04/2022 6:55:00 am
Nathan and Travis climbed Thor Peak
16/04/2022 11:15:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Hilgard
16/04/2022 5:55:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Gabb
15/04/2022 3:31:33 pm, Nathan

As I prepare to transition to foot travel, ending the first phase of the SPS project, I am happy to say that I have a very successful and enjoyable two months of ski mountaineering to look back on. The snow conditions have varied wildly, from knee deep powder to glazed blue ice to horribly deep, 3D sastrugi. Temperatures have displayed similar extremes, ranging from stiflingly hot as the Sierra sun beats down, bright white snow turning the world into a convection oven, to bitter cold with howling winds threatening to blow me right off the ridge tops.

I’ve seen painfully beautiful sunrises, the soaring granite walls of the Eastern Sierra escarpment exploding into an awe inspiring display of alpenglow. This beauty is rivaled only by the flaming beams of sunset, shadows of peaks stretching long across the valley, the classic “Sierra Wave” lenticular clouds reflecting the setting sun’s final rays. I have enjoyed the blissful solitude and quiet of the mountains in winter, reveling in the simple joy of moving through a clean, unblemished landscape, leaving behind the sweeping curves of ski tracks in soft snow.

Now, the season is changing. Creeks are swollen with spring runoff, patches of alpine meadows seeing the sun for the first time in half a year. The Sierra are waking up, and with each new day I see more wildlife, hear birds chirping with growing vigor. The morning breeze sometimes carries a pleasant hint of warmth. Thus begins a wondrous period of growth and life in the mountains. I am eager to continue my journey, now with Travis, drawing strength from the challenge of the mountains and from the beauty of springtime.

The current plan is for Nathan to hang up the skis after he returns from his current ski tour. Then, on Monday, April 18, Travis will start his clock and the two of them will do the bulk of the list together.

Now and in the coming days, you'll notice some changes to the website to accommodate Nathan and Travis having separate timers, stats, etc.

15/04/2022 10:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Julius Caesar
14/04/2022 9:35:00 pm, Nathan
We leapfrogged down the line, slashing turns, racing sluff, letting out shouts of stoke and elation, and finally ripped out the bottom and onto the waiting apron… (read more)
14/04/2022 9:30:00 pm, Dan

Day 53, Rest day

Nathan took the day off today to do some planning with Travis (more news on that coming shortly!) and prepare for a multiday trip into the Mount Royce region.

13/04/2022 9:20:00 pm, Nathan
I suppose, after so many great descents in a row, I had to be reminded that ski mountaineering is supposed to suck… (read more)
13/04/2022 1:40:00 pm
Nathan climbed Point Powell
13/04/2022 12:15:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Thompson
12/04/2022 7:25:00 pm, Nathan
What ensued was the most difficult and engaging snow climbing I’ve ever encountered. The snow was deep and loose, and as steep as 60° in sections… (read more)
12/04/2022 10:25:00 am, Dan

Day 51, Rest/weather day

Nathan will be taking today off to sit out some poor weather.

Now's a good time to catch up on the Clyde Minaret trip report or to learn a little more about the 3D mapping on this site.

Check back soon for more trip reports.

11/04/2022 4:15:00 pm, Nathan
The route is long, committing, and sustained. As I climbed towards the face, my eyes traced the line of the route, connecting cracks and dihedrals… (read more)
11/04/2022 11:20:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Goode
11/04/2022 8:27:20 am, Dan
Read more about the new live tracker and other 3D mapping on this site… (read more)
11/04/2022 7:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Johnson
11/04/2022 6:00:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Gilbert
10/04/2022 11:35:00 pm, Nathan
The rock was far too big to step past. The line was very steep here, close to 50°, and safely taking off my skis to downclimb past it would be nearly impossible… (read more)
10/04/2022 9:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Cloudripper
9/04/2022 1:10:00 pm, Dan

Day 48, Rest day

Nathan will be taking today off after his Ritter Range ski tour.

The Iron Mountain trip report is now up!

Update: The McGee Creek ski tour trip report is now up!

We'll be working through the rest of the Ritter Range trip reports and photos from this tour over the next couple of days.

9/04/2022 1:05:00 pm, Dan
The views were expansive, the air crystal clear, and I eagerly gazed north towards the soaring teeth of the peaks to come. (read more)
8/04/2022 10:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Ritter
8/04/2022 7:10:00 am
Nathan climbed Banner Peak
8/04/2022 5:00:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Davis
7/04/2022 8:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Clyde Minaret
6/04/2022 10:20:00 am
Nathan climbed Iron Mountain
5/04/2022 9:05:00 pm, Nathan
I was … disappointed that I had committed to the ascent in the first place. It was a poor decision, one made with pride rather than good judgement… (read more)
5/04/2022 11:55:00 am
Nathan climbed Red and White Mountain
5/04/2022 7:55:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Izaak Walton
5/04/2022 5:22:00 am
Nathan climbed Red Slate Mountain
4/04/2022 10:55:00 am, Nathan
The final few hundred feet are 45° and 10-15' wide, and held a firm, chalky surface with a few inches of powder plastered on top – steep skiing bliss... (read more)
4/04/2022 10:00:00 am, Dan

Day 43, Rest day

Nathan will be taking today off. Assuming conditions are good, he's looking at a three peak linkup tomorrow.

Now would be a great time to read the Bloody Mountain trip report. The Mount Baldwin report will be coming up soon as well.

3/04/2022 9:45:00 pm, Nathan
The crux of the climb, a surprisingly trick 5.7 downclimb move, required me to dangle at full extension by one hand... (read more)
3/04/2022 6:00:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Baldwin
2/04/2022 11:50:00 pm, Nathan
The climbing was tricky, requiring lots of digging fresh snow out of cracks and brushing it off ledges to find secure jams and holds... (read more)
2/04/2022 8:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Bloody Mountain
1/04/2022 11:00:00 pm, Nathan
I found myself in the shadow of Goethe’s towering north face, an immense wall lined with snow, ice, and incredible dikes of multicolored rock... (read more)
1/04/2022 8:22:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Humphreys
31/03/2022 9:20:00 pm, Nathan
The ridge wound up and over multiple impossibly thin, airy towers, providing fun climbing and great photo-ops... (read more)
31/03/2022 6:25:00 am
Nathan climbed Basin Mountain
30/03/2022 9:30:00 pm, Nathan
Climbing in the clouds is a wonderful treat. It adds another layer of life, movement, and majesty to these incredible landscapes... (read more)
30/03/2022 9:55:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Tom
28/03/2022 10:00:00 pm, Dan

Day 37, Rest/weather day

Nathan will be taking the day off to rest and wait out a short storm after his big day climbing Pilot Knob and Mount Goethe.

Now's the perfect time to read his new report from Diamond Peak and Black Mountain. And we'll try to post reports from Emerson, Pilot Knob, and Goethe ASAP.

Prompted by watch and inReach battery failures at the end of his ski out today, we added a brief section to the About page to explain how we calculate the "Latest Stats". Bear with us as Nathan tunes his gear and settings to ensure battery longevity.

28/03/2022 12:55:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Goethe
28/03/2022 7:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Pilot Knob
27/03/2022 10:00:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Emerson
26/03/2022 4:50:00 pm, Nathan
I am usually very serene in the mountains. Not today, though. Together, the mountain and I raged... (read more)
26/03/2022 5:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Tinemaha
25/03/2022 8:00:00 pm, Nathan
My assessment was confirmed: it was indeed “skiable”. Sort of. It would definitely be the least skiable line I had ever skied. (read more)
25/03/2022 12:35:00 pm
Nathan climbed Black Mountain
25/03/2022 9:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Diamond Peak
24/03/2022 8:20:00 pm, Nathan
I transformed back from nimble, light, man who waltzes across the sky to slow, sluggish, awkward, bumbling brute... (read more)
24/03/2022 8:00:00 am, Dan

Day 32, Rest day

After knocking off several ski descents in the Onion Valley area, Nathan is taking a rest day. We'll get his report from Dragon Peak and Mount Gould up later today. If you haven't already, be sure to check out his reports from the last couple of days: Kearsarge Peak and Independence Peak and University Peak.

23/03/2022 9:00:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Gould
23/03/2022 7:45:00 am
Nathan climbed Dragon Peak
22/03/2022 9:40:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with Nathan's story) The feeling of skiing aggressively and confidently in such technical terrain is pure ecstasy... (read more)
22/03/2022 12:45:00 pm
Nathan climbed University Peak
22/03/2022 6:15:00 am
Nathan climbed Independence Peak
21/03/2022 5:30:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with more pictures.) I had an excellent and horrible idea -- at the top of a 5,000' uninterrupted descent, all fairly moderate with no flat sections. Why not try to ski it without stopping? (read more)
20/03/2022 8:20:00 pm
Nathan climbed Kearsarge Peak
20/03/2022 10:25:00 am, Dan

Day 28, Rest day

As Nathan takes a rest day, you can catch up on yesterday's ski descent of Birch Mountain or read about Travis' recent Grand Canyon FKT.

20/03/2022 9:55:00 am, Nathan
My eyes traced the sharp, undulating ridgeline, and I felt chills of excitement and anticipation, knowing that I would be attempting to traverse it in just a few short months... (read more)
20/03/2022 9:55:00 am, Travis
This route involved a little bit of every movement I enjoy: steep trail descents, boulder hopping, prickly pear dodging, technical rock climbing, and a mega uphill... (read more)
19/03/2022 8:20:00 am
Nathan climbed Birch Mountain
18/03/2022 10:40:00 am, Nathan
As my frustrations reached a tipping point, I emerged out of the steep, narrow canyon and into a glorious, open, alpine basin filled with snow... (read more)
18/03/2022 10:33:00 am
Nathan climbed Four Gables
17/03/2022 1:15:00 pm, Nathan
I was treated to another glorious Sierra sunrise, the morning rays illuminating countless striking granite buttresses and incredible looking couloirs... (read more)
17/03/2022 9:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Morgan (N)
17/03/2022 6:40:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Stanford (N)
16/03/2022 6:20:00 pm, Nathan
I found myself actually enjoying the wintery weather quite a bit, my world reduced to the simplicity of the rock and snow immediately around me... (read more)
16/03/2022 12:00:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Morgan (S)
15/03/2022 8:50:00 pm, Nathan
I gingerly removed my skis on an insecure perch at the border of snow and loose talus, then hobbled down the awkward terrain to the glorious apron waiting below. (read more)
15/03/2022 6:10:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Morrison
14/03/2022 11:30:00 am, Dan

Day 22, Rest and weather

After starting up toward Bloody Mountain, Nathan thought it would be better to take the rest given 100+ mph winds forecast in the Sierra.

Nathan's trip report from Dunderberg and Excelsior is up now and we'll try to get the Matterhorn one up as well today. And the Matterhorn trip report is now up.

13/03/2022 10:00:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with Nathan's report) The snow was firm and tricky on top, but with each turn it got softer and better, until I was ripping fast turns through perfect corn... (read more)
13/03/2022 1:10:00 pm
Nathan climbed Excelsior Mountain
13/03/2022 7:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Dunderberg Peak
12/03/2022 8:40:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with Nathan's report) I danced my way to the summit, burning with the energy of the moment. On the summit, I shouted with a burst of pure mountain joy... (read more)
12/03/2022 3:00:00 pm
Nathan climbed Matterhorn Peak
12/03/2022 12:15:00 pm
Nathan climbed Whorl Mountain
12/03/2022 8:55:00 am
Nathan climbed Virginia Peak
12/03/2022 6:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Twin Peaks
11/03/2022 1:15:00 pm, Nathan

Hello friends! I am currently 19 days and 21 peaks into the SPS 2022 effort. So far, it has been a wonderful success, with some excellent days in the mountains and even some great powder skiing!

I began the effort in the Lake Tahoe area. My little sister Elsa joined me for the first two peaks, Mt. Rose and Castle Peak. She was my very first rock climbing partner and is one of my favorite adventure buddies, and we had a great time enjoying the stormy weather together. After Elsa left, I went on a tour around the region, with successful summits of all the SPS peaks from Highland Peak north. Highlights included skiing powder on Dicks Peak that was so good I took a couple “bonus laps”, a lovely summit siesta on Freel Peak as I waited for the snow to soften for better skiing conditions, and dropping in on a rarely skied descent on the west face of Highland.

After finishing the Tahoe area peaks, I headed down to the Eastside, one of my favorite places on earth. It is home to massive lines that rise thousands of feet straight up from the desert to high alpine summits. I hoped to start with a big linkup near Bridgeport and simply work my way south. Unfortunately, a storm with significant wind, creating potentially dangerous wind slabs, forced a change of plans. I picked some more moderate routes that avoided the potential instabilities, and successfully skied off the summits of Warren, Koip, and San Joaquin. After a very dry January and February, snow conditions in the Sierra are very challenging, with lots of bare aspects, exposed rocks, wind-sculpted snow, and very firm surface conditions. However, I was still able to make ski descents of the Dana Couloir and Coke Chute, after a big day summiting both Dana and Gibbs. I’ve been enjoying some extra rest and recovery due to very high winds forecasted in the area today, but am excited to be back at it bright and early tomorrow morning with a big linkup in the Sawtooth Range!

Edit: this post and many before had days misnumbered due to not accounting for a rest day. They have been corrected. The timer in the upper right has the correct running time.

11/03/2022 8:40:00 am, Dan

The forecast changed for the worse (up to 90mph ridgetop gusts) so Nathan will be taking Thu, March 10 off. Nathan's looking forward to his big day tomorrow.

10/03/2022 7:50:00 am, Dan

Nathan will be taking Wed, March 9 as a rest day.

Update: we couldn't get the schedule to work out for the IG Live so we'll try again soon. Be sure to watch the live map tomorrow, Nathan's looking at a big day...

We hope to have Nathan do an Instagram Live with Jason Hardrath in the next couple of hours. We'll update with the exact time once scheduled.

If you haven't already, be sure to read about Nathan's recent mini-epic on Koip or challenging Mount Dana ski descents.

9/03/2022 4:30:00 pm, Nathan
The powder was a little heavy, a bit wind affected ... but they were some of the most satisfying turns I’ve ever had... (read more)
9/03/2022 10:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Dana
9/03/2022 8:22:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Gibbs
8/03/2022 1:21:15 pm, Nathan
I opted to drop in on a line called Red Chute, and found wonderful, soft conditions in the steep couloir... (read more)
8/03/2022 9:40:00 am
Nathan climbed San Joaquin Mountain
7/03/2022 6:55:00 pm, Nathan
The further I traversed, the bigger the cliff below me got. However, I was convinced that I was through the worst of the crux -- I’d have to downclimb it anyway, so I might as well get a summit out of my efforts... (read more)
7/03/2022 12:20:00 pm
Nathan climbed Koip Peak
6/03/2022 3:30:00 pm, Nathan
The skiing was challenging, with patches of deep, punchy, wind-affected new snow scattered among uneven, wind-sculpted sheets of ice. The horribly flat light didn’t help the situation. I gingerly picked my way downhill... (read more)
6/03/2022 10:35:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Warren
4/03/2022 4:41:00 pm, Dan

Update: The writeup for Mokelumne Peak is below.

Update: The writeup for Highland Peak is below.

Nathan will be taking Fri, March 4 off for some well-deserved rest as a storm blows through the Sierra. Check back soon, though, as he promises to get us up-to-date with writeups for his ascents of Mokelumne Peak and Highland Peak.

4/03/2022 4:40:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with Nathan's story) The next few minutes involved a whacky dance of swinging from tree to tree, gingerly sidestepping across rocks, and contorting to keep myself from getting tangled in the mess. Ski mountaineering at its finest! (read more)
4/03/2022 10:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Highland Peak
3/03/2022 8:40:00 pm, Nathan
(Updated with Nathan's story) It felt amazing to get a good run in nice conditions on a peak that certainly doesn’t get skied often... (read more)
3/03/2022 8:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Mokelumne Peak
2/03/2022 3:55:00 pm, Nathan
Another day, another pre-dawn wake up call, and another rad peak to ski: Freel, the tallest point in the Tahoe area... (read more)
2/03/2022 12:18:00 pm
Nathan climbed Round Top
2/03/2022 6:45:00 am
Nathan climbed Freel Peak
1/03/2022 10:10:00 am, Nathan
Truly a classic ski mountaineering adventure -- hours of carrying heavy gear for 10 somewhat decent turns in a spectacular setting... (read more)
1/03/2022 7:54:00 am
Nathan climbed Pyramid Peak (N)
28/02/2022 4:40:00 pm, Nathan
Ever since I started planning, the Dicks to Tallac ski tour stuck out to me as one that was sure to be a classic. With the recent storm and soft snow, I knew that it would be a day to remember. (read more)
28/02/2022 1:00:00 pm
Nathan climbed Mount Tallac
28/02/2022 7:40:00 am
Nathan climbed Dicks Peak
27/02/2022 4:20:00 pm, Nathan
Another dark wake up call and a morning cold enough that my eggs were frozen and had to be scooped out of their shells... (read more)
27/02/2022 10:45:00 am
Nathan climbed Tinker Knob
27/02/2022 7:40:00 am
Nathan climbed Granite Chief
26/02/2022 10:15:00 am, Dan

Nathan will be taking a rest day today. The last couple of days have been pretty demanding in the soft snow and he wants to keep a long-term sustainable pace until at least June. Hope for better skinning conditions tomorrow.

Be sure to read his write up from yesterday's trip up Lola and English.

25/02/2022 5:32:45 pm, Nathan and Dan
(Edited to add Nathan's story) My alarm went off at 4am, jarringly starting my day in my frigid van. Despite the chilly temps, I was energetic and ready to get going -- there was more pow to ski and peaks to climb... (read more)
25/02/2022 1:25:00 pm
Nathan climbed English Mountain
25/02/2022 7:10:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Lola
24/02/2022 7:38:00 pm, Nathan
The morning dawned clear and cold, perfect conditions for some bluebird pow-skiing peakbagging... (read more)
24/02/2022 1:05:00 pm
Nathan climbed Sierra Buttes
24/02/2022 6:47:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Elwell
23/02/2022 11:18:00 pm, Dan

We've made several changes to the website to address a number of usability issues around mobile and tablet usage. In particular, the 3D maps and activities now have pinch-zoom and rotate and several controls that were too big or improperly positioned have been fixed.

Please let us know if you run into any issues or if you have any suggestions: team@sps2022.com.

23/02/2022 3:43:57 pm, Nathan
The blackened, bare trees and the fresh white snow was a thing of tragic beauty... (read more)
23/02/2022 11:30:00 am
Nathan climbed Adams Peak
22/02/2022 3:22:17 pm, Nathan
Stuck in a three hour traffic jam before a positively alpine Castle Peak experience. (read more)
22/02/2022 10:50:00 am
Nathan climbed Castle Peak
21/02/2022 3:57:00 pm, Nathan and Dan
(Edited to add Nathan's notes) Nathan's first summit and some data problems... (read more)
21/02/2022 11:10:00 am
Nathan climbed Mount Rose
17/02/2022 7:53:54 pm, Dan

Travis and Nathan went for a training outing up Laurel Mountain and skied down the Pinner Couloir.

15/02/2022 8:25:30 pm, Dan

Travis took a quick walk around Convict Lake to test a variety of the tech they'll be using on their adventure. Specifically:

  • Garmin inReach integration. We'll be tracking their inReach every 10 minutes the whole time (batteries permitting).
  • Coros Vertix 2 GPS data and Strava integration.
  • Photo download and georegistration.

View the activity here.