My wife and I, along with another couple, successfully reached the summit of Mount Whitney on July 29, 2019. We were so happy with the accomplishment as we are all first-timers and felt lucky to get a permit the first time applying.
Had microspikes but didn't use them. The worst part was the snow crossing just before the summit. Climbing up w/o spikes but with trekking poles wasn't bad. Coming down was sketchy since the snow was slushy and slippery - would use the spikes going down if I did it over again. The 99 switchbacks only had 2 that were abbreviated by snow and they weren't too icy in the morning. Be prepared for high winds and the wind chill that comes with it.
Summited Monday 8/5 after 2 days from Cottonwood Pass. ...The snow patch below the summit was dicier than I expected, and we regretted leaving our spikes at the junction. ...Dicier than anticipated. It's not long, but there is some pucker factor for a scaredy cat like me.
