Thanks everyone for these updates, they're incredibly helpful in planning! My boyfriend and I plan to hike Whitney, via the main whitney trail, this coming weekend, forcasts show showers all week, but clear and sunny both saturday and sunday. From the video it looks like mostly loosely packed snow. I was wondering if anyone felt the need to put on crampons or even bring them? We're both pretty avid summer hikers, but winter hiking is new to us, and we want to be prepared for whatever comes. we had planned on renting plastic boots and crampons, but since the dry winter would we be okay with hiking boots (with gaiters), poles, and an ice axe? thanks again for these posts!!
While you won't know if you'll need crampons until you're there, you don't want to be in a position where you should have them but don't, especially with changing conditions like the mountain has seen over the past few days (it is still Spring after all and snow is always a real possibility). So, If I were you I would pack them. It's only a pound or two that can make the differences between summiting and not, or worse. My two cents. Poles and an axe should be standard equipment this time of year. If you're not familiar with crampon use and snow travel, I'd suggest testing them out and practicing on some more mellow snow slopes in the area before taking them on Whitney for the first time.
