Yeah, it's a tough designation. The west side of the W/R Pass is broad, sandy, and gentle. The east side is divided up between ridges and chutes leading to Iceberg, or the upper UBSL drainage.
When I was up there last July I noted 4 *prominent cols splitting the pass. I will number them starting from the northernmost to the southernmost:
#1: The northernmost is Sakai Col (not very prominent), which is a notch leading to a treacherous balcony over a cliff that joins with the Rockwell Variation up Mt. Russell (the upper reaches of the UBSL drainage). If the group said they recognized going up UBSL on Monday, then spent Monday night at the Pass, ending up coming down to Iceberg, I think that they would have had to go over Sakai Col (my best guess), or they had to have traversed Russell's summit and descended the S. Face (unlikely).
#2: An unnamed col I will call Deadman's Drop. A small sharp col that marks the top of unbroken cliffs dropping into the same upper UBSL drainage. Class 5. To me it is unlikely that they used this col.
#3: Iceberg Col #1. Not bad but not recommended for an expedient descent to Iceberg. You can reach Iceberg from this col, but you have to work your way down some sandy chutes and benches, and then circumnavigate the entire lake to reach the south end that the MR passes.
#4: Iceberg Col #2: The Road More Traveled. To my memory this is the notch closest to Whitney's N. Face. This has a well-worn use path visible from Iceberg.
I think cols 3&4 are the likely route the missing hikers used to descend to Iceberg. I think it unlikely that they remembered going up the UBSL drainage, because the route over Sakai looks really intimidating while remaining class 3.
Perhaps they went up over the W/R pass by avenue of col #3 or #4, and then they descended the counterpart.
Last edited by Snacking Bear; 07/26/16 10:57 AM.
