Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board How are cable conditions

I am hoping to summit Whitney on July 17. Is there any snow on the Cables section. Is is passable? I will appreciate any info.

Rtestdoc, It would be wonderful if one of our follower hikers came
foward and gave a trip report.
We are going up 7-5. I dont think the switchbacks are
quite ready.
On your trip 7-17 I think your going to be good to go,
they should be open.
weve done 7 day hikes with 7 summits.
This year is very strange weather wise.
Have a great trip

Looked at a pic with a date stamp of 7/11/08 - still lots of snow at the cables but easily passable - I would expect this year to be passable by then but marginally - Good luck -

We made it to the summit Thursday the 30th. The switchbacks are still covered with snow in a lot of areas and are not accessible. Saw one hiker attempt them and had to turn around and head back to where he started, he was not happy. The "chute" was the only way up.

If you approached the cables and can't get through, it is best to turn around and go back a bit rather drop straight down to access the chute. It's a lot safer for those with limited or no experience.

To the OP...looking at a photo from 3 years ago will not help this year. The Sierras had record amounts of snowfall this past season. I believe I read somewhere in this board that the snowfall amounts were historical records. Perhaps in another year you could look at an old photo, but definitely NOT this year. People that are trying to summit have been pretty good about posting conditions along the trail, and I have yet to read a single post about the cables being open. There has been speculation about when they might be, but only speculation. Until you read a post saying the cables are open and safely passable, I would assume the opposite for safety's sake. I am certain that when they are
"open" and someone has traversed them, we will see a post to that effect, and hopefull pics will be posted for all to see.I know its strange to be into July and have an issue like this, but as I said, this was a remarkable winter. I read yesterday in the LA Times that
Mammoth still has a 3-8 foot base, and over at Tahoe there are up to 15 feet of snow remaining and there will be skiing/boarding on July 4.

Hi Rtestdoc, Rodney posted a trip report on this forum from last weekend that will give a good idea of conditions up there; expect a little melting, but not much.

Hi guys... and gal!

5 years ago at this time there was a lot of snow also. I had a permit for a one day trip on 7/07/06. On that day we were able to pass inside the cables but with clearance of only about 1.5 feet. So this year seems similar. I have a group of six that will be going on the tenth. Obviously hoping for switchbacks considering the thinning in the chute. I will report back after our trip. Having summitted every attempt in the past, I can say that I have never experienced a summit without snow. That goes for July, September, and October. Every trip had its own wrinkle that just made the experience all the more unique. Regardless, I would absolutely carry ice ax and crampons... you never know what the mountain will throw at you. Always better to be safe. A lot of first timers are talking about glissading... I don't advise this unless you have experience doing so. This mountain claims victims every year. Respect it, be prepared for the most extreme conditions, and you will have the most fantastic time ever. Weather turns on a dime up there.

Looking forward to sharing after my trip... will report by tuesday 7/12.

I just posted a new topic with a hi-res photo I took from atop Mt. Muir this past Friday. The photo is published to SmugMug. After following the link, choose "Original Size" to see the photo in its original 2600 x 1900 pixel format. You'll get the picture, so to speak.

I went up the Chute on Sat July 2nd. Around noon after I glissaded down the Chute, I could see several groups successfully negotiating the top 2/3rds of the switchbacks... from the cables on up.

It has really gotten warm in the Sierra and in the High Sierra.... so I think you should plan on the doing the cables/switchbacks. I would bring crampons or microspikes and an ice axe just in case....