Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Palisades beta, west side?

Have any of you Whitney climbers been to the Palisades recently? I will be going over Bishop pass and into the Palisade basin for some attempts on the Palisades 14er's begining Sept 10 and was wonder if snow is lingering in the chutes or if they are basically dry. Don't want to lug those crampons and ice ax if not necessary!

I just finished two back to back trips into the Palisades. Large patches of snow are lingering below the chutes between SW Chute #1 and the U Notch. The snow is firm in the mornings and softens up by mid day. The biggest issue related to the snow patches is they will make you lose and gain elevation as you traverse to Starlight and (especially) North Palisade. Bringing crampons and an ice axe would help with these patches but then you'll be walking on a lot of rock in between the snow. This leaves you with the choice of taking them on and off (which is time consuming) or leaving them on for the rock sections (which makes for a lot of awkward walking).

I wouldn't recommend an ice axe or crampons and would instead allow extra time if you're headed to North Palisade. The one exception is Starlight. If you're planning on doing the class 5 chute you may find them useful for the short approach section. You can then leave them at the base to pick up upon your return. Careful route planning can help you eliminate the need for the crampons though even on this one.

Here are pictures from a couple climbs you might find helpful:

Thunderbolt Peak September 1-2, 2011

Starlight Peak August 8-10, 2011

Be safe and have a great time up there. If you have any specific questions feel free to get in touch!

Thanks Kurt!
I recognize the guy in red on Starlight from photos of you guys on the N.Pal, Polemonium, Sill traverse. Your photo on the LeConte ledge was intrumental to us finding the ledge last summer on N.Pal. Speaking of which, how does the ascent from the "Moore Variation" compare to the LeConte? Is the Moore entrance hard to find?

The LeConte route gets climbed more than the the Moore Variation does. You should be able to find the route OK if you calibrate your altimeter carefully. Bring a topo map and make sure you have your altimeter calibrated when you enter the chute. If you aren't sure you can always continue up the chute and do the Clyde or or Chimney route.