i reached the top yesterday 5/28/12. went up the chute but came down the switchbacks. the chute is pretty hairy looking but that is the only difficult spot of the switchbacks. it's a lot less hairier than it looks though.
yesterday was very busy. alot of people with very different levels of skill were going up and through these cables. i personally used my cramp ons and axe (that is not snow on the cables. it is solid ice)to get through the cables because i was so tired from going up the chute and summitting and i'm accident prone so i didn't want to chance it. but like i said, alot of people with very different levels of skills were making it through this. it CAN be done if you're very careful and are not scared of heights. i would suggest to use at the very least micro spikes and trekking poles to traverse through this. however, some folks were doing it without any gear!
btw, if anyone is still looking to go up the chute you'll have maybe a few more weeks before it's a pain to do so. it was so icy at it was and most people's foot prints are almost gone.
trail crest is excellent right now. no gear necessary. everything between whitney portal and the switchbacks is completely bare. every one is good to go without heavy gear. i do suggest bringing micro spikes for anyone going the next two weeks. just to be on the safe side with those cables on the switchbacks.
