We went to Whitney last weekend, entry on Saturday 11 and exit on Sunday 12.
We reached trail camp on Saturday afternoon. The trail was 95% snow free, and we had just a little bit of rain on the way. However, on Saturday around 8pm, a snowstorm reached us, coming from the trailhead. It was quite scary to be in such an exposed area with the lightenings. We were planning to start around 3AM as many other backpackers, but the first window of lightening-free weather was around 7am. We took this opportunity to climb down, as most other backpackers at trail camp.
It seems to be a common pattern to have lightening at night. Be prepared for it and be safe. We were very surprised how the conditions can change from spring to winter in a few hours. In the evening, we had dinner on a grassy area by a charming lake at trail camp. Next morning, everything is covered with snow and the lake is frozen.
People who took exclusively the chute were advising to take the switchbacks. People who took exclusively the switchbacks were advising to take the chute. Yes, this is confusing. However, people who climbed up the chute and climbed down the switchback, were saying this was the a good option. However, this was before the 20cm snow fall. After the snow fall, glissading down might be easier with the snow decelerating your descent.
Be safe on the mountain, and thanks to everyone for sharing their trip, this helped us a lot!
