Overall, It was a great experience. Very comforting to have everything sorted and just focus on the…read moremovement. The weather was great. Almost too hot but better than too much snow. Our guide, Dave was EXCELLENT. Social, made great food, and paced us very well. We all had a wonderful time!

What a fantastic trip put together for us by the Sierra Mountain Center. From the start Emma was…read morefantastic and professional in the coordination efforts for our Palisade Traverse trip. My son and I had a 1:1 guide ratio and the guides, Dave Stimson and Tyler Logan, were exceptional. Exceptional in their knowledge of the route, their efficiency with rope craft and their trailside manner - despite the exhausting climb we had such a fun time. We are already planning next year's outing with SMC. You can see a video of the trip here: https://theearthbeneathyourfeet.com/Hikes/HikeDetails/5574743739453848794f31484538675743512b3472513d3d

Everything was great from booking the half day to the climbing. Clay was our instructor and was…read moregreat. He is a great guide and coach. I would recommend Ground Up for anyone who is new to climbing and wants a fun day outdoors. I took my 11 year old son and he had a blast. If we come back to Mammoth I will be booking another climbing adventure with Ground Up.

Just had an Amazing weekend in Alabama Hills, Lone Pine CA!! Ground Up programs are a great way to…read moreget outside & climb. Clay is very knowledgeable & experienced (not to mention easy going guy). He made our weekend sooo much fun & educational. I can't wait to climb w/ Ground Up(Clay) this summer in Mammoth!!!

Glacial erratic boulders for the win. We had no idea how gigantic and mind-blowing these boulders…read morewould be before heading out on an unpaved road to see the sights in Buttermilk Country in the East Sierras (so named because there was a dairy in this location many decades ago). The boulders are scattered as if a giant had thrown down his marbles and left them where they lay. Glacial activity, however, is responsible for leaving these most scenic reminders of the Ice Age. Now I had never heard of the sport of "bouldering" before visiting here (I am so old we called it climbing on rocks) but apparently it is all the rage. We came across small groups of "boulderers" who bring out chalk and crash pads to help them "send" (short for ascend) to the top. (I was going to say peak but most boulders really can't be said to have a peak, unless they split in two as you can see in the pictures.) Apparently bouldering is all the rage but this is also the perfect spot for hiking and photography. Free parking on the side of the road. Four-wheel drive suggested as the unpaved road can be rough.

If you're a boulderer, then this is definitely a place to check out. Road tripped out here w/ my…read moreman and a couple friends. It was HOT out there but all worth it. If you're bold, you can go up some high balls! Very scenic & beautiful. Bring tons of water & be ready to climb some boulders. Loved it!

The Peabody Boulders in the Buttermilk Country west of Bishop are not your average, garden-variety…read morestones. About 55 feet tall, the gigantic Grandpa and Grandma Peabody (once a single boulder) are two of the world's largest, and present challenging problems to even the most advanced climbers. Since the last boulder I scaled was "Big Rock" back in high school, we came to the Buttermilks just to look up at the remarkable rocks. Arriving early to catch the morning light, we hiked the short but steep, decomposed granite trail through the boulder field. At the top of the trail, we scrambled around on the frictiony surface of the quartz monzonite, and marveled at the views of the radiant Sierra Nevada range. The big, bad boulders of the Buttermilks get 3 stars for their extreme girth and brilliant setting. Even though I didn't do any bouldering myself, the Peabody Boulders deserve another star for their world-class climbs. Next visit, I will bring some chalk and a crash pad. Directions: From downtown Bishop, take Highway 168 (W. Line Street) approximately 7.25 miles west, turn right on Buttermilk Road, and travel approximately 3.5 miles west to boulders.

Such an awesome spot. All of their employees are soooo nice and helpful. They have really popular…read moreand reliable gear and even a clearance section with is cool. The employees are locals and familiar with a lot of cool runs/hikes. I definitely recommend this place and will visit when passing through Bishop!

I've been hiking around the Bishop and Mammoth Lakes area the past couple days and finally needed…read moreto get some hiking poles and microspikes/crampons for the Sabrina Lake to Blue Lake Trail. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the great assistance and information provided by Mike and Sarah Re: gear. (FYI - They have tons of variety for your outdoor needs AND even have a climbing wall and gym) Purchasing the Leki trekking poles and renting the Snowline microspike/crampons $6/day was FABULOUS! With my poles and the microspikes I felt like an invincible SpiderGirl walking up and down hard packed snow and ice! I LOVED the hike to Blue Lake SO much, I hiked it twice in a row!!! YUP! I'm talking 2 days SAME trail! One of my all time FAV hikes and I've hiked in Patagonia, South Island NZ, Canadian Rockies, etc. If you want some hiking fun at this time of year, drop by Sage to Summit! Buy your trekking poles and rent your microspikes! Totally worth it! I'm thinking of hiking this trail one more time it is THAT cool to hike thru packed snow and ice with those microspikes. FYI - Hike to Blue Lake is about 7.15 miles RT based on how much exploring you want to do! Luckily, I hiked in twice in a row to shoot some photos in different sections. It's a HUGE lake and unfortunately, I don't like waking up early, so still wasn't able to hike further to the middle of the lake area due to lack of daylight hours at this time of the year. Thanks Mike and Sarah! I will return to your shop and recommend you guys too! :0)

Amazing experience summiting Mount Whitney via the Mountaineers Route with Sierra Mountaineering…read moreInternational! Kurt was an exceptional guide- knowledgeable, professional, and fun to climb with. He made the entire experience feel safe and well-supported while also teaching us new skills along the way. Highly recommend SMI.

Horrific and Traumatizing Experience with SMLGuides - Guide Kurt…read more I recently participated in a guided Mt. Whitney hike with SMLGuides, and it was, without question, one of the most distressing and disappointing trail experiences of my life. What should have been an empowering and memorable climb instead became an experience marked by poor leadership, lack of professionalism, emotional distress, and equipment negligence. To begin with, the backpack I rented from Kurt was completely inappropriate--it was a men's backpack, not sized or fitted for me, and it caused immediate and ongoing issues throughout the hike. I had to stop repeatedly to make adjustments, relying on another guide, Ben, to help me manage the situation. These delays were not due to my fitness or preparedness but solely due to being provided improper gear. Supplying correctly fitted equipment is a basic responsibility of any guiding service, and this failure directly impacted my hike. What followed at the trailhead was even more troubling. After arriving with excitement and anticipation, I was subjected to an invasive and humiliating experience when Kurt went through each of my personal belongings from the rental backpack--handling and examining items that were clearly private--before abruptly tossing the bag into the van. This behavior was unnecessary, intrusive, and deeply uncomfortable, and it immediately set a tone of disrespect and intimidation. Despite my clear and repeated communication--both prior to the hike and in person--about my extensive hiking background, including summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, completing Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim, finishing the Triple Crown Hike in Virginia, and numerous Appalachian Trail hikes, Kurt continuously questioned my ability in a way that was demeaning and demoralizing. This was not constructive guidance; it was discouraging and dismissive. Rather than offering solutions, encouragement, or leadership, Kurt repeatedly suggested that I should quit. At no point did he attempt to properly address the gear issue or support me in continuing. I felt pressured, unsupported, and frankly treated as an inconvenience. It genuinely felt as though he had his own agenda and was eager to drop hikers rather than guide them. Ultimately, I turned back--not because I lacked the physical capability to summit, but because my equipment failed me and my guide failed me. The mountain did not defeat me--the leadership did. This experience stands in stark contrast to my Rim-to-Rim hike, where teammates stayed with me, encouraged me, and supported me through challenges. That is what real leadership and camaraderie look like. That is what hikers deserve--especially on a trail as demanding as Mt. Whitney. Additionally, we were informed there would be four guides, yet only three were present. There was no explanation provided. In contrast to Kurt's behavior, Ben was kind, patient, and genuinely helpful, doing his best to assist me with the oversized backpack and offering the support that was otherwise missing. I left this experience emotionally drained, shaken, and traumatized. I was forced to turn around under circumstances that could and should have been prevented with proper gear, professionalism, and support. Given that I could not complete the hike due to these failures, I am requesting a full refund. I sincerely hope SMLGuides takes this feedback seriously. No hiker should ever be made to feel disrespected, intimidated, or abandoned on a guided expedition. Future participants deserve competent leadership, properly fitted equipment, transparency, and basic human decency.

Amazing. Climb…read more Probably one of the best multi-pitch rock climbs I have ever done. We started very late and ended up going down in the dark. I don't recommend this for one main reason: The descent is not straight-forward by headlamp. I found the description from SuperTopo to be a bit confusing, so here's my description (in case you don't heed my advice and try to roll this sucker late in the day): You are going to want to down-climb the last 10-15 ft of the summit pinnacle. The section you JUST climbed up to reach the tiny summit. Down-lead this (or better yet, just leave your pro in from the ascent) and build an anchor at the base. (I know this seems like a stupidly short "pitch" to build an anchor for, but, TRUST ME. The rope drag is heinous if you try to go around the corner and then anchor-in.) Then do a running belay/simul-climb around the corner (you are now going AWAY from the face you just climbed up). Once around the corner, go slightly right (skier's right). Once you've done this, just keep going left and down, gradually, on easy 3rd class terrain (we took the rope off at this point). When it starts to look easy to go right, traverse right until you pop out on the other side of the mountain. You'll probably do some minor bush-whacking, just try to keep hopping on those big granite boulders! The SuperTopo seems to say that you hook back right a lot sooner (after going down-left), the terrain there looked like very run-out/, 5th class slab (read: skeery), so we did not do this. OK, now that we've talked about the boring part (getting down), let's talk about the FUN part: climbing up. It's 5 pitches of 5.6-5.7 on glorious granite with ample spots for pro. You can run it out with ease, knowing there is always going to be a place to get your nuts in. This is the complete opposite of "Snake Dike" on Half Dome in that regard. We did the far-left (climber's left) variation. I think it's variation "A" in the guide book. We decided to simul-climb the first two pitches, this was a good call. The beginning of pitch 1 is very easy (low-5th and even 4th class) by the time it gets more difficult, the leader will already be at the 2nd anchor and the second can be belayed up. If you're a strong climber you could even keep going and link all three of the first pitches! Every pitch is fun, with great moves and great positioning. I'd make sure you are not wearing a pack or gear sling for the start of pitch 4, as the chimney is kinda tight in the beginning. Or maybe I'm just getting fat? I lead the last two pitches by headlamp, a new experience, and shockingly more fun that scary. If you do this, I'd start either insanely early or insanely late, in order to avoid the crowds. Have fun!

Cathedral Peak is arguably the most beautiful peak in Yosemite National Park. Despite its beauty,…read moreand despite the fact that the trailhead is at the edge of Tioga Road and easy to find, there are no crowds. During my hike on this 7 mile round-trip trail, I encountered, at most, only twenty other hikers. The trail is an easy hike for adults and for little kids. There are no cliffs near this trail. This means that, unlike some of the trails leading to or from Hawkins Peak at Pinnacles National Park and unlike the fabled Kalalau Trail in Kauai, there is no danger rocks falling from above, and no need to worry about tumbling over the edge of any cliff. Once you have reached the 3 1/2 mile mark, you will be rewarded with a splendid view of Cathedral Peak, which is photogenic from any angle, and which provides a variety of photogenic rewards at different times of day. Near Cathedral Peak is a meadow with little streams, and orange-colored bedrock near one of the streams. Also in this area, is an exposed granite dome, similar to nearby Lambert Dome. My photographs show: (1) Me posing on a granite dome located next to a meadow. This meadow is just to the south of Cathedral Peak, (2) The trail marker sign next to Tioga Road, (3) The orange-colored exposed bedrock, and (4) Two photographs of a little stream that winds its way through a meadow, with Cathedral Peak in the distance.

We came here in the summer. As a family, had a great time! They have day pass as well as per…read moreactivity based tickets. We took the day pass. We did mountain coaster, tubing, bungee trampoline, rock climbing, archery, ropes challenge. Everything was fun and the staff were nice and friendly. It's highly recommended to show up at opening time itself if you want to do everything and multiple times. :) The adventure pass also allows you to use the gondola ride up mammoth mountain which is a must to do. Definitely go till the top and spend some time exploring the mountain top. You can also have lunch up there. All in all great time. Highly recommend.

With the lack of summer business they're the running the shuttles into Devil's Postpile…read more They're running one shuttle an hour for 100 people - in the morning when most people are arriving. Don't ask if they happen to have two running at once in the summe or they'll lecture you about how Disneyland is busy too. Cool, Disneyland has multiple shuttles.