Ashes and Snow—An Interview with SierraDescent’s Andy Lewicky

Admittedly, I associate LA with sunburns (I’m fair-skinned) and Jeff Spicoli and tasty waves. Other committed backcountry tourists living in and around LA find it a suitable place to get their snow-sliding fix.

On January 10, I received an email from a LA-based reader. This was a few days after the apocalyptic wildfires began raging in and around Los Angeles. He informed me that a long-time backcountry skier and writer, Andy Lewicky, and his family had lost their home.  

Lewicky has documented the SoCal backcountry scene on his site, SierraDescents, since 2005. Reading the site, you’ll find that not far from LA there’s tons of ski-exploration to be. Lewicky doesn’t focus on turning lemons into lemonade as those of us residing in more snow-friendly places might assume; he illustrates through his words and photography that places like LA, blessed with close-proximity vertical relief, can offer snow-sliding excellence. In other words, lemons grow on trees there, and the lemonade abounds.

If you enjoy reading about backcountry skiing, you have likely come across SierraDescents. It remains a treasure trove. Go read it.

On January 9, Lewicky published “Pacific Palisades.”

In that post, he writes:

“Of course we knew about the wildfires. But truth be told, we thought the full might of the City of Angels, called to duty, would hold the line. Not everywhere, of course. But south of Sunset—or, worst-case scenario, the heart of the Palisades, the Village itself?

“We thought it would be safe. At the very least, we thought there’d be a hell of a fight.”

A few days after learning about these events, I emailed Lewicky to get his thoughts on his current situation and the beauty he has found in the SoCal touring community over the years.