Spencer Dillon and Matt Skorina deep on the Redline. Photo: Courtesy Spencer Dillon
We speak with Jed Porter and Spencer Dillon to learn more about their respective experiences on the mythical Sierra Redline Traverse.
There are some foundational values here at The High Route. Right at the top of the list is inspiring backcountry travelers to dream big adventures, and when the time is right, go out and have that adventure. Adventure has gradients, and this might seem like a tangent, but it’s worthwhile—there was a 94-year-old at the climbing gym this afternoon. He’s a regular. And it certainly looked like he was owning his adventure pulling plastic.
So, there is time to learn, get fit, and push the comfort zone just enough to make something happen. This is all in the spirit of today’s podcast, where we speak with some fine folks about their experiences on the Redline Traverse in California’s Sierra. IFMGA guide Jed Porter completed the Redline in 2017, primarily solo. Spencer Dillon, a law student at the University of Utah, and his partner Matt Skorina maximized the gift of a deep Sierra snowpack to complete their iteration of the Redline in the spring of 2023.
For much of his 16 days on the Redline, Jed Porter quested out for a solo mission.
As far as high Sierra ski traverses go, the Redline is mythical. The route was first completed in the early 80s by Allan Bard, Tom Carter, and Chris Cox. Several others assisted the endeavor along the way, but Bard, Carter, and Cox had the vision and the moxy to see it through. Traversing south to north, the Redline begins near Whitney Portal outside Lone Pine, California, and terminates at Mammoth. The intent was to stay as high as possible and ski excellent lines. But all this was in the 80s—a time when even military use of GPS was a decade off.
In his Redline trip report, Porter wrote, “Carter and Bard, in the November 1983 issue of Powder magazine, map out the line with the poetry of vision rather than the prose of prescription.” That is to say, a point by point, pass to pass, couloir to couloir rendering of the original route isn’t, as far as we can tell, publically available. And we’re sticking with an originalist interpretation, following Bard’s and Carter’s and Cox’s lead; the route description in this podcast will remain vague.
Jed Porter, all the way back in 2017, laid down an impressive version of the Redline that placed primacy on couloir skiing. Large pack. Skimo setup. No problem.
As noted, the intent is to inspire others to go have an adventure. The high Sierra is a vast expanse—the perfect place, when the snow conditions, the fitness, the gear, and a partnership align, to make a go of it.
We chat all things Redline with Porter and Dillon from snow to gear to visioning and style.
You can learn more about Jed Porter here, and find his Redline Traverse gear list here. You can read Spencer Dillon’s story about his trip here, on the Skimo Co blog. One last note. A handful of others have Redline trip reports posted on the web. It’s worth some time exploring digitally to see what is out there—and huge props to the small group of folks who have completed the Redline.
Spencer Dillon taking some down time on the Redline.
Thanks for listening.
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The theme music for The High Route Podcast comes from Storms in the Hill Country and the album The Self Transforming (Thank you, Jens Langsjoen). You can find a link to the album here—there are so many good songs on this album. And if you think you’ve spotted a UFO in the past or visited the 7th dimension, “Beautiful Alien” is a good tune to start with.
