Just got back from a day hike on Saturday, May 19th. When we got to the chute around 8:45am a lot of folks were turning back due to an imminent storm. By the time we got to the top (around 10:00am), things looked clearer so we kept going up to the summit. At the top, clouds were rolling in so we took a few quick photos and turned right back around. Shortly after we glissaded down the chute, we could hear thunder so we picked up the pace back down. Graupel started to fall which made for a pretty fun hike back to Whitney Portal! In hindsight, we probably didn't make the wisest choice continuing up the to the summit.
In terms of gear, my hiking partner had microspikes and an ice axe for the snow-covered areas and was just fine. He used trekking poles the rest of the time. I had crampons with smaller spikes (but not quite microspikes) and an ice axe, no trekking poles. Hope this helps!
