Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Whitney Main Trail Conditions 2012 (Out-of-Date)

I can attest to the ice on the cables section now.

I summitted on 9/29 and it was all ice no running water at 8:30 am when I ascended. It was 33 degrees at Trail camp when I woke up. We had frost under our ground cloth while my friend after we got our of bed. I slept out under the stars and 9/29 full moon. It was SOOOOO bright. Whitney at the full moon was beautiful.

...kind of sad seeing that picture. Are we in for an even drier winter/spring this time around???

Shreve at Daily Coyote tweeted that Charlie has the thickest fur & most tummy fat ever, and the cats too.

Shreve is thinking ice-age winter...

My cats are carrying lots of insulation, too.

I have heard from at least 3 different people claiming this winter/spring will be "the one"...I'll believe it when I see it.

Hey all,
any new reports on the trail conditions? Obviously it has snowed and I've been following the weather this last week, the temps are really dropping. 50's -40's in the day and 20's at night. We're hiking the whitney trail, starting on October 24th, summiting on the 25th, and coming down the 26th. Should we be prepared to carry crampons and axes? or are these early storms just dustings? Any info would be great thanks!

Chris D
"This spring I'll be climbing Mt Whitney to raise money for troubled and at-risk teens. Please check out my Summit for Someone link: http://www.summitforsomeone.org/donate?page=4&climber=8522
Any help and contributions will be greatly appreciated!"

It started to snow at about 5am on Thursday October 11th and hadn't stopped when I left trail camp at 4pm that night. I would estimate that I saw about 6 inches of snow or a little more on the ground. It started to accumulate very fast toward 4 PM. I used micro spikes to take the main trail to the summit and that worked well.

I'm planing on doing MR on 11/25. Assuming the weather improves, the last snow melts, plenty of sunshine and dry, how early on the trial should I expect ice problems? I know the route (did twice last summer) and gonna have microspikes.
Many thanks

First time on this and thank you to whomever started this - it's fantastic. My hubby, Ron and his son Jeff are hiking Whitney for the first time and reaching the summit this morning and back down today. They made it to trail camp yesterday about 4:45pm. Weather reports show it looks pretty good up there and just wanted to know if anyone recently came down. Hope this is the right venue for asking. Thank you - hope to join him the next time around.

Marc74, The MR (Mountaineers Route) conditions will depend on what the weather has been like between now and then.

You are assuming much with the weather. Usually between now and late November, the weather brings more snow and cold. I would not take microspikes -- full-on crampons would be wiser. The stream that comes down the slabs above Lower Boy Scout Lake creates a very slick layer of ice on the granite slabs, so sharp crampons would be best.

You don't give any idea of your winter climbing experience, but it doesn't sound very strong. Climbing in icy conditions is completely different from summer.

Here are two posts to read:
    So, you want to climb the Mountaineer's Route in winter?
    SAR on the MR: 2/25/12

And a thread where you can read a spectrum of advice:
    Mountaineer's Route: Tackling the final 400' in January

Welcome to the forum Gaby. I am sure by now you have from your hikers. Looking at the set of webcam pictures today, it looks like they had fantastic weather.

Best of luck going with Ron next time!

I'm going up the main trail on 10/19, weather conditions look good for then which is great. cCould anyone who has been up in the last few days let me know how the trail conditions are like near the top? Were crampons / microspikes and ice axes needed?

Thanks

ejdking,
Richard P went up Oct 12 right after the storm, and posted the pictures below (link).   All the pictures from his trip are here.

By the time you go, there will be a well-packed boot track on the trail. Depending on weather between now and then, much of the snow will be melted (highs predicted in the 40 F range). Due to the warming/freezing cycles, the consolidated snow will be icy to slushy, depending on the time of day and temperature. I think these are perfect conditions for microspikes and hiking poles (with snow baskets).

Snow near Trail Crest:




At the cables:

Hi Everyone!

I hiked the main trail with a friend on 10/14 as a day hike. Started at 2am, summited at 10am, then it took us 6 hours to get back down the trail. What a gorgeous day to experience Whitney for the first time!

There were some small patches of snow/ice here and there until about Trail Camp. From Trail Camp on, there was at least 6 inches of snow. On the way up, didn't hit any slick spots until Trail Crest, which was very slick in some places. On the way down, there were slick spots from Trail Crest down to Trailside Meadow. I guess the snow had had time to melt a little and refreeze.

I passed a couple of people wearing crampons, but most people (myself included) were just using hiking shoes/boots and trekking poles. I think if it had been any slicker, I would not have felt safe without crampons/microspikes.

Here are some pics from the 99 Switchbacks, Cables and Trail Crest:







Hope this helps and good luck!

Hi everyone! My name is Jacob and I'm a new member here, though I've been lurking on the site for a couple months now. I just wanted to thank Lauren K and Steve C for their very recent updates. I'm from Portland, OR and am down in SoCal for a work conference, and was fortunate enough to manage to mix some pleasure into my trip, hence an upcoming Whitney attempt.

My party and I are heading up toward Whitney tomorrow, and hope to summit on Thursday. I'll take photos and try and get them up pretty quick because I know how important these trip reports/trail conditions have been for me, particularly since I don't live in the area.

We've got overnight permits, but are currently debating whether or not to do it all in one fell swoop, or to sleep at Trail Camp (or below) on Wednesday night. Taking the "camp low, hike high" philosophy in mind, along with the night-time temps and recent trip photos, we're definitely on the fence... any thoughts/recommendations?

Thanks,
Jacob

Welcome, Jacob!

Since you are already away from home, maybe the equipment you have on hand would dictate whether it is an overnight or day hike. People certainly do the hike both ways. The day hike is easier to prepare for, equipment-wise. But it requires you to be in pretty decent hiking condition.

Hi Steve,

My party and I chatted about it last night and we've decided to over-night at Outpost Camp and then push for the summit on Thursday AM. Originally, we were thinking of sleeping at Trail Camp, but we decided that lower down means warmer and better sleep, so that was a big plus. We've also all got different ability levels, and levels of conditioning and experience, so we decided that cutting almost four miles and 2k of elevation was a decent idea for the whole party's sake. Plus, we have some gear (I had already brought some down with me), and we're renting other stuff from REI this morning so we'll all be properly equipped for the overnight. Per someone's recent experience, we're definitely taking micro-spikes and poles.

Leaving to go grocery shopping in a bit, then off to REI and hoping to pick-up the permits around (or a little after) 3pm today. We might be doing a little hiking in the dark, we'll see. Then get up about 3-4AM and start for the summit, hoping to arrive there around 10AM. Alright, I need to finish packing up some stuff. I hope to have a successful summit story to share later, but regardless of whether or not we make the top, I'm simply excited to get out and see the Sierras!

- Jacob

Does anyone know if LPL is frozen over yet? I'm thinking of heading up to try a little fishing before it becomes a giant ice cube. Probably won't be able to go until weekend after next.

Also thinking of spending the night there....I have a +15 bag. I may have to go out and get the 4 season tent before I go.

tdtz,

Lone Pine Lake is nowhere close to frozen. Temps there are still comfy. Last week, there was ice about 10 feet out at the pond at Trail Camp. You had to walk around and explore in order to find a safe place to grab water.

Brent N

Hi all, My name is James and I have been checking out this website for a month or two, finding it very informational, this is my first post.

A buddy and myself are planning to do an overnight hike to the summit for the first time this coming weekend, I have done alot of hiking/backpacking, but usually not this late in the season where ice/snow is present. Does anyone have a trail condition update? Also, is it be recommended to have microspikes and/or trekking poles? I have never used the trekking poles so I am not sure if it will help with slick /icy conditions.

THanks

Brent,
thanks for the info. I probably won't be able to go up for 10 days or so, so it is good to hear that it isn't even close.
TD