Snowy Gryphon

Snowy Gryphon is an Alliance flying mount added to the game with the release of The Burning Crusade expansion. It is one of the four classic Wildhammer dwarf gryphons that embody the traditional imagery of Stormwind aviation. The model is completely white, with thick plumage and light-grey wings — visually, the mount is easy to tell apart from the standard Ebon Gryphon.

The mount is bought from ordinary flying mount vendors, available to Alliance players, and costs just 50 gold. In patch 11.0, Blizzard simplified the riding system: now all Alliance characters level 20 and above automatically gain the flying riding skill and can immediately use this gryphon. No quest chains, reputations, or raid drops — it is one of the most accessible mounts in the game, perfect as a first flying mount for an alt or as a collection piece.

• One of the cheapest flying mounts in the collection — just 50 gold from any gryphon vendor in Stormwind, Outland, or Northrend. Any alt from level 20 can grab the mount in a couple of minutes.
• +1 to your mount collection counter — the Snowy Gryphon counts toward the mount-count achievements.
• A unique pure-white model — unlike the basic Snowy, Golden, and Battle gryphons, this version has a fully albino coloration. It looks great in screenshots in snowy locations, such as Northrend or the Dragon Isles.
• A basis for upgrading to the epic version — the same model is available in the epic version Armored Snowy Gryphon, sold by Mei Francis in Dalaran. If you are already collecting gryphons, it makes sense to grab both the basic and the upgraded versions.
• Account-bound — after first learning it, the mount becomes available to all Alliance characters on the account, regardless of race and class.

The mount is sold by five NPCs — all belong to the Wildhammer clan and trade the standard set of four gryphons. You just need to fly up to any of them and buy the mount for 50 gold. Below is the list, ordered by convenience from the earliest zones to the later ones.

Tannec Stonebeak — Stormwind

The most convenient option for most players. The NPC stands at the Gryphon Roost in Stormwind's Old Town, right next to flight master Dungar Longdrink.

Pop into the capital, buy the mount, fly on — no additional flights required.

Grunda Bronzewing — Hellfire Peninsula

A gryphon vendor in Honor Hold, the first Alliance camp in Outland. A convenient choice if your character has already set off to explore Outland.

Brunn Flamebeard — Shadowmoon Valley

Stands in Wildhammer Stronghold in the southwest of Shadowmoon Valley. This is the Alliance's northwestern enclave in the late The Burning Crusade zone.

Durkan Thunderbeak — Borean Tundra

A gryphon vendor in Valiance Keep, the main Alliance base in the southwest of the Borean Tundra in Northrend.

Mei Francis — Dalaran

An exotic mount vendor from Dalaran above Crystalsong. She is found in "Wonders of Mounts" in the south of the city.

Her main value is that, besides the usual 50-gold gryphons, she also sells the epic version Armored Snowy Gryphon for 1000 gold. If you are collecting the whole set, it makes sense to stop by her specifically.

1. Log onto an Alliance character at least level 20. If you already have a flying mount, then you already have the riding skill and don't need to buy anything else.
2. Make sure you have at least 50 gold in your wallet. For a fresh character, this sum easily accumulates during the first hours of leveling.
3. Open the map and pick a convenient portal or gryphon roost. The fastest route for most characters is Tannec Stonebeak in Stormwind.
4. Walk up to the NPC, open the trade window, and find the Snowy Gryphon in the list — the icon of a snowy white gryphon.
5. Buy the item for 50 gold. It automatically becomes bound to the character.
6. Open your inventory and use the Snowy Gryphon — the mount is learned and appears in your collection (default key Shift+P).
7. From that point on, the mount is available to all Alliance characters on your account.

If your character is fresh and you have no open portals — the easiest is to start with Stormwind. You can reach the Alliance capital at any level: through the portal in the guild hall, through your race's intro quests, through Heroic dungeon mode, or through the flight master in any coastal zone of the Eastern Kingdoms.

For experienced players, it's more convenient to use portals:

• Dalaran above Crystalsong — a portal in the Hall of Valor in Ironforge, or through guild teleports. Gives direct access to Mei Francis
• Honor Hold — a portal from Stormwind to Outland, after which a standard flight to Honor Hold
• Valiance Keep — a portal from Stormwind to the Borean Tundra, the camp right by the arrival point
• Wildhammer Stronghold — a long flight across all of Outland; it usually only makes sense to drop by while farming old content in Shadowmoon Valley