> Does that section get shoveled?
...only if some sucker takes it upon him/herself to go up and do it. I did it twice in the last three years, not sure if I can manage this year. Had a total ankle replacement in December, so we will have to wait and see. Currently can't go that far.
But if the cables are not clear enough, you can always go up "the chute" (not really a chute, but the wide-open snow slope west of the switchbacks.) To go up that route, you should have an ice axe and crampons. (And know how to use them.) Many people do it, and most of the time it can be ok.
What you may see on G.E. may be an old switchback that went over that way. But in the spring before the cables are passable, people head west and then up. There will be lots of tracks to follow that way.
