A good pair of alpine sandals are not a bad way to go once you already have blisters. Or you can always bring them with as a backup. After trying to break in my new pair of Scarpa Charmoz boots the week before the first photo, I was left with matching poker chip sized blisters on my heels. So I ended up just wearing flippy floppies car to car (except for the slope next to the switchbacks... wore my boots and crampons going up that at least). I think they worked out great and have worn them many more times in the the summer alpine. However there are three important things to consider...

- The unweathered sand up in high in the Sierras is quite abrasive compared to dune, beach and wash sand. If your sandals stay wet and get any grit between the tops of you feet and the strap, it will grind away at your skin like a 20 grit cat tongue! straps that don't absorb water are best.

- When postholing up to your crotch in sandals, it's great to have a long ice axe to retrieve them after you pull out from the snow. They tend to get yanked off and get stuck way down in there. Better yet its best to tie leashes to your ankles with some thin dynema cord so there is no way you can lose them!

- Glissading (much like rappelling) in flips requires you to clinch your toes real good to keep them from coming off. Glissading in board shorts requires clinching too but at least you don't have to worry about loosing em.


7-10-2019 Going up the donkey trail
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[Linked Image]


7-17-2019 Heading up the north fork to climb the east buttress. I wore climbing shoes on route and boots coming down mr chute to Iceberg lake but sandals again for everything else.
[Linked Image]
[Linked Image]