Golden State Guiding is pleased to announce GSG Lead Sierra Alpine Guide, Josh Reinig, will be facilitating multiple Intro to Ice Climbing courses once again in June Lake! Josh was the second Guide we ever brought into the GSG Guide Family and he’s been a key contributor to our success up on the Eastside, in the beautiful Range of Light. Josh has been climbing for over 25 years all throughout California and has been a big contributor to our community at large. Whether he’s establishing new routes, being an active administrator on Mountain Project, or simply mentoring countless numbers of up and coming climbers, Josh is always there for his community and family. Josh and his wife, Melissa Reinig (GSG’s Lead Customer Service Rep), are also owners of the Mount Whitney Climbing Ranch, a soon to be destination for all climbers and outdoor enthusiasts. We can’t thank Josh enough for his continued dedication to our service and being a main part of the GSG Family, thanks for all you do Josh.
BBQ's x BELAY's x BEER's Joshua Tree is Back!
GSG has booked out a weekend this December in Joshua Tree National Park for our 6th annual BBQ's x BELAY's x BEER's event and we want you to come out and climb and camp with us! The weekend consist’s of 2 nights camping in Joshua Tree National Park, 2 days of guided climbing in the park, and one meal and refreshments (Saturday night) provided by Golden State Guiding, and our sponsors Traeger Grills, Pure Project and Rove Adventure Brewery. We'll have a contest Saturday evening around dinner time where we'll be giving away prizes from our generous partners Fixe Hardware, Shelta Hats, American Alpine Club, Vertical Hold and Mesa Rim Climbing Gyms. Don't miss this great opportunity to climb with GSG's, AMGA certified guides and experience Joshua Tree in a very special way. Click the button below to learn more and to register for BBQ”s x BELAY’s x BEER’s today!
Weston Backcountry // Sierra Splitboarding Program
Golden State Guiding and our good friends over at Weston Backcountry are excited to announce that registration is officially open for our 2022/23 Sierra Splitboard Program in the Mammoth Lakes area!
With the support of Weston Backcountry, Golden State Guiding will be rolling out our highly anticipated Sierra Splitboard Program in the Mammoth Lakes area for the 2022/2023 snow season! The programming will be multifaceted and will cover a wide variety of topics including familiarizing yourself with your splitboard setup and how to properly transition from tour to ride mode, learning how to set an efficient skin track, kick turn techniques, hands on use of avalanche equipment and how to properly use it, trip planning software reviews, basic backcountry etiquette, and much more. The overall goal of our Sierra Splitboard Program will be to introduce snowboarders to a new medium in their sport, to familiarize them with the current equipment in the market, give them entry level tools to access the backcountry, and most importantly, lay a foundation for good practices in the future to make the best decisions possible when traveling in avalanche terrain. Click the button below to learn more and to register for our Weston Sierra Splitboard Program this winter in Mammoth Lakes!
Intro to Backcountry Skiing & Splitboarding Courses Announced!
Golden State Guiding is excited to announce our Intro to Backcountry Skiing and Splitboarding programs for the 2022/23 snow season are here!
GSG will be facilitating two Intro to Backcountry Skiing and Splitboarding courses in January and February in Mammoth Lakes, California for our community of backcountry enthusiasts! Our Intro to Backcountry Skiing and Splitboarding courses are 6 hours in length and take place in the front country of Mammoth Lakes. Our IBC program is the perfect course for the new backcountry traveler looking to learn the basics and entry level skills to begin getting out into the backcountry with their friends. Our IBC courses consists of multiple intro topics including how to properly use your backcountry ski and splitboard equipment. We’ll review beacon and partner safety checks, fundamental touring techniques and best practices for putting in a skin track, mapping software and resources to help plan your own personal tours in the backcountry, and much more, all with our professionally trained ski and splitboard guides. Click the button below to learn more and to register for one of our IBC courses this season!
Bama Dayz Rock Climbing Event is Back!
Golden State Guiding is excited to announce our Bama Dayz event in the Alabama Hills is back this October 13th - 16th and it’s bigger and better than ever! Come join us in the Eastern Sierra for an unforgettable weekend full of climbing, camping, camaraderie, and fun. The event will include 3 days of climbing in the historic Alabama Hills and 3 nights of camping at the Mount Whitney Climbing Ranch! Click the button below to learn more and to register for this special event!
5 Years of Family
5 YEAR’S OF FAMILY… May 1st marked Golden State Guiding’s 5 year anniversary. 5 years of community building, facilitating incredible outings for our guests, elevating standards in our industry, but most importantly, 5 years of building an incredible Guide and Ambassador Family. We call it a Family for a reason, our team is just that. We can’t thank our Family enough for all the work they’ve put in over the past 5 years. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, our Guides and Ambassadors are the backbone of our service, we wouldn’t be here today without their continued support and dedication towards our service. A big shout out is owed to all the incredible individuals who have helped us get to this point. From starting out with private guiding in San Diego to now servicing all throughout California, from SoCal up to Mount Shasta, it’s hard to believe we’ve come this far in just a short amount of time. The ride has been nothing short of incredible and we look forward to continuing to support our community of climbers and and backcountry skiers and splitboards for many more years to come. Cheers to the past 5 years and thank you all for believing in GSG and supporting the cause. 📷 @kylieclarke_photography
Climb to Farm Event
Climb to Farm is back on the calendar! Golden State Guiding has once again partnered up with our good friends at Patagonia, Enjoy the Farm, 1% for the Planet, Pure Brewing, Juneshine Co.,and Fixe Hardware for a fun weekend of rock climbing, camping, farm-to-table cuisine, up-cycling, sustainable farming, and of course, community! Click the button below to learn more about Climb to Farm and to register for this very special weekend!
Sunshine and Stoked at the Inaugural Ladies Weekend Out Splitboard Event in Mammoth Lakes, CA
Words AND PHOTOS by Rachel Lightner (@rachellightner)
To view the entire Ladies Weekend Out Splitboard Event in Mammoth Lakes, click here
Golden State Guides ran their first Ladies Weekend Out splitboard event in Mammoth Lakes, CA on March 12th and 13th. Six participants, along with myself and GSG guides Tailer Grey and Jessica Olsen, took to the backcountry to dial in splitboard skills and hangout with a group of awesome ladies. I had the pleasure of tagging along for the event and capturing some of the moments over the two-day course, from the high vibes to the parking lot apres beers.
Day one began at the Visitor Center in Mammoth Lakes, where the ladies were introduced to their gear provided by GSG. This included all of their avalanche safety gear: beacon, shovel, probe, as well as touring gear, including bindings, skins and Weston Backcountry splitboards. Several of the ladies were really excited about the partnership with Weston Splitboards and were looking forward to giving them a try, including participant Carman Cheung. “I was already looking into demoing a Weston board and then my friend sent me the class and was like well you could demo a board, take a class, have a guide and learn to splitboard. And there’s beer!”, said Cheung. “So it was the whole package. I signed up as soon as I saw it.”
After some binding adjustments and demonstrating how to pack all of the new gear into packs, we did a round of introductions. We learned everyone’s favorite snack and the fact that every participant had come up from somewhere in southern California for the event, so the comradery was instant. The ladies were stoked to get onto snow, so we headed to the Mammoth Rock trailhead and began our day.
We started off with our first transition, learning how to turn our complete board into touring mode, which can be one of the hardest parts of learning how to splitboard. Tailer walked everyone through her methodical steps on how to take the board apart and keep your gear organized, ensuring that all the ladies felt confident with each step along the way.
After everyone transitioned to split mode, we went over the basic functions of our beacons and how to do a beacon check. Once we were all checked and beeping, we were ready to begin walking. Tailer gave some pointers on how to best walk with skins on and we hit the trail. Some slips and falls happened, always followed by laughter and words of encouragement. It was all of the ladies' first time split boarding, so it was a comfortable and supportive space to learn in. “Being in an all women's group is awesome.” said participant Lindsey Walkemeyer. “It takes away so much of the intimidation or trying to prove anything, it was super supportive and the women in this group were down to encourage each other and ask good questions and pick up the slack where we needed it and just work together. I don't know if that would've been exactly the same if it wasn’t an all women's group.”
We walked to an open knoll and Tailer talked through kick turns and downhill travel with skins on, which we put into practice by skiing down the hill, then climbing back up and working on kick turns. After taking a few cycles through these motions, we began our ascent to Mammoth Rock.
The sun was glistening through the pines, conversations were flowing, and the ladies were beginning to piece together the details of touring. When we arrived at the top of our run, Tailer walked through transitions again then the ladies put it into practice, this time nailing it down even faster than the first time around. Everyone was getting more familiar and comfortable with their gear. We posed for pictures in front of Mammoth Rock, gave high fives, and got stoked for our first downhill riding.
We took it in sections, weaving through some low angle trees and gullies, until we arrived back at our trailhead. We then practiced more transitions by cruising up to a small knoll and riding down twice. This was a valuable decision on Tailer’s part, because dialing in your transition can be one of the hardest parts to learn, so doing this multiple times on the first day is really helpful for your progression. We finished off the day in the parking lot with some ice cold beers provided by Pure Brewing and shared some highlights and thoughts on what we were looking forward to the next day.
The following morning, we met at the trailhead for the Sherwins and we had an unexpected visitor, Miss Gale force winds. We were nearly blowing over huddled behind our vehicles, as Tailer shouted over the sound of the wind to give the ladies a few options for the day. As a group, we decided to shelter inside and wait out the wind a little bit. There was still a lot of meaningful information that could be taught indoors, so we headed to Black Velvet Coffee and got cozied up with a hot beverage in their upstairs nook.
Tailer went over her online resources she uses when planning a trip to the backcountry, including maps, avalanche information, and weather reports. The ladies got familiar with Gaia and Caltopo on their phones, learning how to plan out their routes and how to look over the avalanche center’s online resources. Tailer then exploded her backpack and showed everyone what she typically brings on a tour, along with helpful tips for packing everyone efficiently. The skies had cleared a bit and the wind died down, so we decided to go out for a short tour to put all of our new skills into practice.
Although the wind was still blustering, the ladies were excited to get out for a walk. We found some protection in the trees and walked up the base of the Sherwins, practicing skinning, kicksteps, and even boot packing on the way up. Upon reaching the top of our tour, we transitioned and celebrated with smiles, cheers, and clanking our poles together.
We rode through some trees and gullies, hooting and hollering the whole way down, until we arrived back at our cars. We wrapped up the weekend by sharing some takeaways from the course, and Lindsey commented that, “it's really important to find women who enjoy doing similar things and to partner with them. It's also important to learn how to do things the right way from the beginning and finding the right people to teach you to do that is huge. Having a fantastic attitude and having a good time no matter what circumstances come up, because it's all about being outside in the first place and having a good adventure.”
All the ladies left stoked to continue their pursuits as split boarders, complete with confidence in their abilities and a new group of awesome lady friends. We look forward to seeing how all these ladies take their skills and adventure in the future, and we hope to see you at the next Ladies Weekend Out splitboard event!
Red Rock Roundup
Golden State Guiding is excited to announce registration is officially open for our 3rd Red Rock Roundup event in beautiful Red Rock Canyon, just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada!
Come join us for an unforgettable 3 days of climbing in beautiful Red Rock Canyon, conveniently located just 30 minutes outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Red Rock plays host to some of the worlds best sandstone sport climbing crags, big wall routes and bouldering in the Western United States. Whether you’re new to climbing, an avid sport or trad climber, or simply looking to get out for a long weekend and meet fun, likeminded people, then this event is for you!
Throughout the weekend you’ll have the pleasure of climbing world class sandstone in a beautiful landscape, the option to choose from 4 different climbing packages, and you’ll get to enjoy 3 nights under the stars in Red Rock Campground just 10 minutes from many of the popular climbing venues.
Click the button below to learn more about Red Rock Roundup and to register for this awesome weekend!
Climb With Us Video
We couldn’t be more pleased to share this special video edit, Climb With Us, produced by the talented Brooked Raines! We’ll let the video speak for itself, enjoy!
Ladies Weekend Out San Diego is Back!
Our Ladies Weekend Out event is back this February in beautiful San Diego! Golden State Guiding and our good friends T êra Kaia, Fixe Hardware, Saint Archer Brewery, and Bivouac Ciderworks are throwing another awesome Ladies Weekend Out event in San Diego, running February 11th to the 13th! Fifteen lucky ladies will have the opportunity to climb some of San Diego’s most coveted rock climbing crags with our AMGA certified guides. Both days will be packed with fun climbing for all abilities, technical clinics introducing you to outdoor climbing, camaraderie, community and fun for all! Click the button below to learn more and to register for LWOSD!
BBQ's x BELAY's x BEER's Photo Gallery
Let the photo dump begin! Still in disbelief that we we just ran our 5th BBQ’s x BELAY’s x BEER’s event in Joshua Tree National Park! Such an incredible weekend with a stellar group of guests, perfect sending temps, and good friends. Big thanks to everyone who came out for the weekend and to those who made it possible. Click the button below to see the full photo gallery courtesy of the talented @brookeraines_! 2022 is just around the corner and we have a lot lined up and already on the schedule so stay tuned!
Ladies Weekend Out Joshua Tree Photo Gallery
10 out of 10 for our a Ladies Weekend Out Joshua Tree event this weekend! Huge thanks to all the Ladies who came out to enjoy these beautiful sending temps with us, it was truly another special weekend for all involved! As always, none of this would have been possible without our incredible Guide team. Big shout out is owed to GSG Lead Guide @jessielyse for her organization and execution of the weekend, awesome job Jo! And big thanks to @paloma_farkas @brieoutside @jacey_alice_denny, Adela and Mija for showing our guests such a great time, you all crushed it! And lastly, thanks to Joshua Tree Climbing Ranger Bernadette Regan (@jtreebee) for dropping in and spreading some park knowledge, to photographer @brookeraines_ for capturing all the moments, and to our generous partners @terakaia @terakaiabishop @fixehardware @fixe.climb @wildcountry_official @saintarcherbrew and @bivouaccider for supplying us with the goods for the event! Click the button below to see the full Ladies Weekend Out Photo Gallery!
1% for the Planet member // 3 Year Anniversary!
We can’t believe that this October marks our 3 year anniversary as a 1% for the Planet member!
3 years ago we took a pledge to support the places we recreate in by becoming a 1% for the Planet member and donating 1% of our annual gross profit to the organizations of our choice underneath the 1% umbrella. It was a decision we made at the inception of Golden State Guiding and one we felt we needed to do to not only support these organizations and our environment, but to raise the standards in our industry. Through this commitment organizations such as the Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center, Yosemite Conservancy, Protect Our Winters, and Friends of Joshua Tree have been the beneficiaries of our 1% contribution. These organizations play vital roles in supporting the areas we recreate in and help to keep us safe while enjoying what we all love to do! Big thanks to our community for your continued support towards our guide service. It’s because of you we’re able to support these awesome organizations!
Weston Sierra Splitboard Program // Mammoth Lakes
With the support of Weston Backcountry, Golden State Guiding will be rolling out our highly anticipated Sierra Splitboard Program in the Mammoth Lakes area for the 2021/2022 snow season! The programming will be multifaceted and will cover a wide variety of topics in the field and also in a classroom setting. The overall goal of our Sierra Splitboard Program will be to introduce snowboarders and splitboarders to a new medium in their sport, to familiarize them with the current equipment in the market, to give them entry level tools to access the backcountry, and most importantly, lay a foundation for good practices in the future to make the best decisions possible when traveling in avalanche terrain. Click the button below to learn more about Weston Sierra Splitboard Program and register today!
BBQ's x BELAY's x BEER's Joshua Tree
BBQ's x BELAY's x BEER's, what else could a climber ask for? The climbing season in Joshua Tree season is just about to kick off and what better way to experience this beautiful landscape with over 5000+ rock climbs then to spend a full weekend with Golden State Guiding! GSG has booked out a weekend this December in Joshua Tree National Park for our 5th annual BBQ's x BELAY's x BEER's event and we want you to come out and climb and camp with us! The weekend consist’s of 2 nights camping just outside of Joshua Tree National Park, 2 days of guided climbing in the park, and 1 meal and refreshments (Saturday night) provided by Golden State Guiding, and our sponsors Traeger Grills and Saint Archer Brewery. Click the button below to learn more and to register for our 5th annual BBQ’s x BELAY’s x BEER’s event in Joshua Tree National Park!
Climb to Farm Recap
We tend to say this a lot, but we’re still on a huge high from this past weekend and our inaugural Climb to Farm event! Such an incredible weekend filled with fun climbing, great people, delicious farm to table cuisine, and much more! Huge thanks to everyone who came out and attended our first Climb to Farm event, it blew away all expectations! And the bonus is 10% of all proceeds were donated to our good friends over at Friends of Joshua Tree!
As always a special thanks is owed to GSG Lead Guide @gregasaurus_flex and Apprentice @correiak, you guys slayed it as usual. Big shout out to @troy_yasuda over at @patagoniacardiff for organizing the farm portion of the event. Very special thanks to @enjoy_the_farm owner Ed Lewis for his very generous hospitality and tour of his sustainable fruit farm and also a massive thanks to the very talented chef @feedthesoil for some of the best vegetarian meals many of us had ever eaten! Also, big thanks to @brookeraines_ for capturing all the moments this past weekend, well done Brooke! And last but not least, thanks to all of our partners @purebrewing @juneshineco @1percentftp @joshuatreefriends @outdoorwomxn @fixehardware @fixe.climb @wildcountry_official for contributing to this special weekend, your support means a lot! Click the button below to view the full photo gallery from the event!
Ladies Weekend Out Joshua Tree
Golden State Guiding and our good friends T êra Kaia, Fixe Hardware, Saint Archer Brewery, and Bivouac Cider are at it again and throwing another awesome Ladies Weekend Out event in Joshua Tree National Park this October 14th - 17th! Fifteen lucky ladies will have the opportunity to climb at some of Joshua Tree’s most coveted rock climbing crags with our AMGA certified guides. All 3 days will be packed with fun climbing for all abilities, technical clinics introducing you to outdoor climbing, camaraderie, community and fun for all! Click the button below to learn more and to register for Ladies Weekend Out Joshua Tree this October!
GSG x Fixe Hardware Partnership!
Golden State Guiding is beyond stoked to announce our new partnership with industry gear leader @fixehardware!
Having dependable gear in the field for our team is a must and Fixe Hardware not only provides an assortment of the best Roca ropes, and Friends and Alien protection, they also supply the community with the most dependable bolt hardware in the market and much more!
Big shout out to Fixe Hardware for teaming up with us and their support, means a lot🤙🏻 Go to: Fixehardware.com to learn more about what this awesome brand provides for our community and support the cause!
Climb to Farm Rock Climbing Event
Climb to Farm is back on the calendar! Golden State Guiding has once again partnered up with our good friends at Patagonia, Enjoy the Farm, and 1% for the Planet for a fun weekend of rock climbing, camping, farm-to-table cuisine, up-cycling, sustainable farming, and of course, community! Click the button below to learn more about this special rock climbing event happening in San Diego this September!
