Mt Whitney Zone Forums Trip Reports Trip Report 7-19- 7-21, MWMT

Hi Ruben, yes, I remember meeting you on the switchbacks.... I'm the sculptor. It is amazing how fast things can go wrong. You guys all looked pretty good when I saw you at the cables when we were going up. I'm sorry you didn't summit, but am happy you have a good outlook on your experiences. The decision to go back was a good decision. That snow field on the 97th switchback was a bit intimidating. I know when I was on the summit, I kept thinking about it and if it had iced over yet. When I hit it on the way back, it was way different than the mushy snow on the way up. It had started to ice. I'm sure it was no wider than a foot and possibly 50 feet or more in length. Needless to say, one wrong step, slip, etc and you would fall down the entire icy slope. I think it's important for anybody going up in the next week or so to know that the last snowfield above the chute on the 97th switchback does not have a lip to make you feel better. The edge just falls off. You need to think about the danger involved and the conditions you may face on the way back before proceeding.