Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board 2024

Over the last 35 years, I have 39 summits in 39 attempts. This includes at least one dayhike in every month of the year (including February and March with RichardP). I didn’t get those winter summits by going up during or right after epic storms. I waited until conditions were nearly perfect. I delayed one trip a full year because conditions weren’t right. If you go in the next two weeks, you will probably spend a lot of time wallowing in soft snow. I’ve never been an avalanche expert. Beacons and probes are useless when you’re alone. I just stay far away when there might be avalanche activity. Even if I were 30 years younger and still in my prime, I wouldn’t go for at least two weeks.

Answering specific questions, the Mountaineers’ Route is much shorter. If you are 100% comfortable with the technical difficulty, it is the best option. If you are going to spend hours route-finding and dicking around with ropes, you are better off taking the trail.

We used sleds for rather large loads on Denali. I’ve never heard of anybody using a sled in the Sierra. My guess is that it’s a bad idea, but I could be wrong. BTW, about 60 years ago, I did a backpack trip with some high school buddies. Two of them brought a metal wagon instead of backpacks. The wagon tipped over so many times that they abandoned it after about a quarter mile. They carried everything in their arms. It was hilarious!

Ditto on the MR being much shorter...but I don't/won't go up the MR until I know a guided group has put in a GOOD track...(the rest of the trips are just "playing around")...most newbies will lead you to Nowhere...and you'll usually have the frustrating task of backtracking, or you can be stupid (like I sometimes am) and...(not actually going to say what I was going to say about getting back on track...)(read my comment about playing Tarzan in the Willows...)(People have died on the way up to LBSL...sobering thoughts...)

On the Main Trail side, you can shorten the distance by several miles if you know the terrain, or are really good at reading terrain...but, there's the potential for avalanches off of Candlelight and Irvine, especially in the warmer Spring weather...

As Bob/Doug said, you're probably going to suffer horribly in The Chute (really a Bowl)...(read the link in one of the posts above...10+ hours to Trail Crest when in those days, I could probably do it in 4...there's also the possibility of some Technical Terrain on traverses on the West Side if the snow has packed in from the wind...

If you're a good/experienced climber, most of this suffering is just plain FUN...once you're sitting around with a beer in your hand...

(Not intending to insult...I respect his philosophy of climbing as much as anybody's...) BP is a perfectionist...I'd rarely go out if I tried to climb for decades without a failure...I know I've got a S/L more failures than successes...and don't regret any...I look at climbing, hiking, cycling, off-roading, etc., etc., etc., as ways to stay fit...

No offense taken, Richard.

When success is seriously in question, I don’t stay home, I climb something easier. There are four 10K peaks near Reno that I have climbed 354, 134, 529, and 396 times. That keeps me in decent shape. Conditions that lead to turning around also tend to be unpleasant and maybe dangerous. Since I usually climb alone, I stay away after storms to avoid avalanche conditions. I’m susceptible to “summit fever” (being too dumb to turn around when I should), so I try not to attempt climbs that I can’t finish. 2,628 summits and 18 failures since 1987.

It’s a tough pill to swallow when you’ve been training and planning for months and these opportunities don’t come very often. I’m a pretty cautious person and I’m not susceptible to summit fever but I do know my limited ability to read avalanche danger. I still plan on going to take a look Tuesday/Wednesday. Again thank you for your wealth of knowledge. Any suggestions on a plan B (other mountains or activities in the are would be appreciated. I’ve never been to Yosemite?

Odd, I've seen many, many people using cheap sleds to walk up the road from the closed sign/gate. If I were hauling more than 30 lbs. for a winter romp, I would consider spending the $19.99 and stashing it as you mentioned, MJ. You also have an opportunity for an exciting ride back to the car if the conditions warrant.

A couple years back, BobR put together a nice overview of avalanche potentials with maps & photos.

(Some knowledge doesn't change all that much, just the degree in which people want to argue about it...)

I don't know if it's still available...
Bob R did a map of known avalanches in the Whitney Zone...

A general rule-of-thumb (definitely NOT a guarantee - and Spring Conditions bring on other dangers of slides - so if it warms up, you need to keep this in mind) in the Sierra is Wait Three Days after a storm for snow conditions to stabilize...

Here's my list:

North Side:
-The cliffs above you on the approach to LBSL...
-The Secret Route (north facing slope) on Thor Peak at LBSL...
-If it's warm...The south facing slope to Iceberg Lake...

Main Trail Side:
-The north facing slopes of Candlelight and Irvine...(these slopes generally slide every Spring...)
-If it's warm...The slope up from Outpost Camp to Mirror Lake...(never seen it slide, but the pucker factor has been high on a few occasions on this slope...)


I've never seen the Couloir on the MR slide (rockfall off the cliffs is more of a danger in my opinion...)

I've never seen anything other than minor sloughs on The Chute on the Main Trail...


Walking Horseshoe Meadows Road (is boring) but an easier way to start acclimatization...Onion Valley Road usually has a bunch of BC Skiers making tracks up the road...and just getting up to The Portal and beyond is cool terrain...

Axe Man to the rescue...

BTW, if you're going to be up there on Wednesday, you can look for me...I don't know if I'll be in my car, or on an MC...I usually don't start too early...I'd say most of the time, I'm not heading up to The Portal before about 9:00am...just remember, I'm old-and-slow...

Thanks Richard. I’ll see you up there. I think I’ll spend Tuesday night sleeping in my car (acclimating) as far up as I can drive. Maybe stretch the legs a little on Tuesday. I just landed in Vegas. Thanks again everyone!

Just looked at the forecast...

Still windy tomorrow, but no snow in the forecast...
Wednesday has a chance of snow flurries (and it's a mountain stage of Paris Nice), so I think I'm going to Lone Pine tomorrow.

If you're going to be in the area, post a reply and I'll post an anticipated arrival time (tomorrow morning) as far up WPR as I can go...

BTW, on Yosemite, it was closed due to the storm...can't imagine that it's still closed...you'd need to check to see which passes are open...might have to drive down to 178 to cross to the west...

Please post some follow ups. I'd love to hear how things are since I was there last week. I spend a lot of time looking at Shasta and its avvy forecast, and I have a decent grip on that volcano but I know next to zilch about the snow/wind/temperature/avalanche patterns of the Whitney MR. Last week with footing that I assume would have been substantially better than you will encounter, it took me 6 hours to get from LBSL to Iceberg Lake. I train about 350 hours a year (weights, cycling, various cros training), so I'm no olympic athlete but I consider a 4 hour bike ride fun. This is just to give you some reference points for your own expectations.

There were two spots that looked like severe terrain traps: on the way to LBSL and leading up to Iceberg Lake. I'm no avvy expert, just an armchair person who has read a lot of Bruce Tremper's book but terrain traps are pretty spooky to me since such a small slope can put you into manny meters of burial easily. Also it has been windy and wind can deposit 5-10 times the snow per unit of time (lee side) as can fall directly from the sky. Well, you guys know. Have fun, post pics for the sods that are back at work.

A couple of suggestions from an East Coast flatlander:

First, as most are putting their planning hats on for the current/coming season, this is a good time to put in a plug for a book by a kitchen hand who did Whitney once or twice.



Second, there are quite a few years of archives here on the board with photos, condition reports, tall tales, and ephemera, that you can pull up and compare with current conditions (any time of year). RichardP especially has been helpful in posting road and trail pics up the mountain throughout the seasons, and all you have to do is go back a year or six and cross reference for very accurate accounts of what to expect.

An amount of snow falls, it gets blown around, it settles, it melts. Rocks shift, some go tumbling, but the terrain has remained largely unchanged for millennia. So have the reports of "current" conditions.

Again, just a couple of suggestions from a guy who should probably know better...

Yeah, Right...this from a man who isn't afraid to head into the unknown...with several FA's in the Sierra...

I feel like saying it again...the best time to do a Winter Ascent of the MR is April (days are longer...many guided groups have gone up, the snow is usually still in outstanding shape, etc.)...and if you want to experience the Whitney Version Of Burning Man (No fires, though.), head up the last weekend before the Quota Season kicks in...

The "a guy who should know better" was more about arguing the minutiae (and all things in general).

But thanks for outing me.

(Very odd after spending so much of my life in the west at 14,505 above sea level, I'm now in the east spending my days focused on 14,505+ below sea level...)

Just spent the night above Alabama hills. It doesn’t look like that much new snow . Now in town getting supplies. I’m in a white Ford explorer with Arizona plates . These mountains are gorgeous!

Thanks for the info. Were you camping or just out for the day?

I rode up towards Lone Pine and noticed a front flat tire heading up Lubken...Parked it at the intersection...

Did a 16+ mile loop cross-country up to the Turnout and then down the road back to the bike...(maybe some interesting photos tomorrow.)

There was very little new down low...

I saw a lot of cars coming down WP Rd...I'd guess they were making it up to near the Meysan Trailhead.

I'm pretty sure I saw your car at the Turnout and then passing me by as I walked HM Rd back...

I was just up for the day...I hope I feel good enough to take some gear up towards the Portal with the e-bike on Thursday. I'm half expecting to see some of my tracks from before this storm...

Here are a few photos:


You can see the WP Rd switchbacks if you zoom in...



Whitney from the desert.



WP Rd Turnout / Parking area.



Dry...found a nice boulder to sit on for lunch...

I parked a little past the first gate and walked up to the store yesterday. Gonna start hiking Wednesday morning. I’ll post what I find.

Hey John, it's your buddy from the Visitor Center Tuesday morning, then later Tuesday afternoon with the skis. How did it end up going? It looked a little sketchy once I got a mile up the MR, was just curious what your experience was like.