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What are usually the conditions of climbing Whitney mid October? I see openings for a same day climb permits and i was wondering if it will be too cold and if here will be snow. As a Brazilian i cannot tolerate cold weather and i have no experience with crampons. Can anyone let me know?
Thank you in advance
"Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn."
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snow is 50-50.. crampons are probably not going to be necessary but they might be... last year mid sept there was a small section of ice by the spring i crawled across, but it was only a few feet long.. i would guess there are often some small snowfalls by mid october, but it might not be very much...and yes it will be cold. It is always cold higher up, especially at night. In september we have seen 30s and lower way up high, and with the short days you would have to hike in the dark and the cold at least some of the time.. thing is going up hill like that, you might not feel as cold as you think but then you also have to watch out for ice.. and coming down it might get pretty chilly...it is a never ending cycle of difficulties for sure!
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Thank you Thorn. I think I will just stick with my 8/31 day permit.
"Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn."
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ooo that is a good date... late august weather should be good and lower chance of thunderstorms than july or early august. my first trip up was august 11 and weather was perfect.. you still need to be ready for some relatively cold weather and possibly wind but good chance it stays above freezing
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You always need to be prepared for cold weather or snow on Whitney. We have been snowed-on at the summit several times...in mid-late July. Never underestimate the whims of Mother Nature!
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Last summer I camped on August 31 just above Timberline Lake on the final night of a High Sierra Trail hike. The night had rain, hail, snow, and high winds.The following day hiking up Mt Whitney and then out to Whitney Portal included hiking through 6 miles of fresh snow.
No matter what the time of year, the Mountain does not hesitate to make your hike "interesting."
Have a great adventure.
Jim
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Oh man...I don't think I can handle the snow. My first Whitney summit was 2 years ago 9/15. We had a day permit and did the whole round trip in 17 hours. The 2 nights before our hiking day people were returning from the trail camp because of the intense wind and thunderstorm. Our hiking day was perfect weather. Beautiful full moon guided us at 3 am, sunny all day. The summit was a bit windy but nothing crazy... the moon guided us down again. I guess we got lucky  The reason I'm trying to replace my 8/31 day permit is because due to the holiday i can't find a camping spot at the portal which for me is crucial for acclimatizing. I will keep trying. Thank you
"Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn."
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as far as acclimatizing, if you show up early you have a very good chance of scoring a walk in campsite.. i was afraid to try it but last year i had no choice and found more than half were free well after 3pm!! those sites are only good for one night so people use them, get up and go up the mtn, you just need to look at the tags and see what date they are for (i found most people did not remove their tags from previous night.
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Some background info - it would be unusual not to find ice on a section of the switchbacks - and not just a few feet - because by mid-September sections of the the 99 switchbacks remain in shade until spring. So, while some areas where ice might build up during the night will thaw and melt during the day, not all areas do.
When I lived in the Whitney area I tried to climb the mountain a couple of times a year (sometimes more) and the last would be in mid-September - much less crowded, those who who were there tended to be experienced, and it was overall a more relaxed hike. But, it was much colder than in July and early August, and you need to carry warm, windproof clothing. That's good advice even in summer, but most don't bother with the extra weight.
When asked for advice last year by friends from New England who are experienced winter hikers when was a good time to climb to Whitney, I told them early September but all bets were off past the 15th. They didn't heed my advice (IIRC they tried on the 20th), and some turned back when they encountered ice on the switchbacks as they haven't brought crampons or microspikes. Those who've done the peak in September know that where the ice first occurs in a rather tricky section when one would not want to fall.
Last edited by KevinR; 04/06/18 11:42 PM.
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true and last year was extra weird.. i went up sept 18, it was cold, but not too bad.. there was a little ice by the spring, not too bad- BUT thing is - i had gotten lucky- it was a warm spell, first weeks of sept were Super Cold..people going up a week earlier saw faR lower temps and way more ice... definitely starts cooling off in Sept, and you really never know what you will run into any time of year.
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as far as acclimatizing, if you show up early you have a very good chance of scoring a walk in campsite.. i was afraid to try it but last year i had no choice and found more than half were free well after 3pm!! those sites are only good for one night so people use them, get up and go up the mtn, you just need to look at the tags and see what date they are for (i found most people did not remove their tags from previous night. that is good to know, however i was truly looking forward for a site 2-3 days prior to climb and at least 2 days after. It was so nice to spend extra time at the beautiful site relaxing, recovering fishing and eating delicious trouts and sleeping with the creek sound. oh well i will keep trying. thank you for the info
Last edited by borboleta; 04/09/18 07:58 PM.
"Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn."
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Some background info - it would be unusual not to find ice on a section of the switchbacks - and not just a few feet - because by mid-September sections of the the 99 switchbacks remain in shade until spring. So, while some areas where ice might build up during the night will thaw and melt during the day, not all areas do.
When I lived in the Whitney area I tried to climb the mountain a couple of times a year (sometimes more) and the last would be in mid-September - much less crowded, those who who were there tended to be experienced, and it was overall a more relaxed hike. But, it was much colder than in July and early August, and you need to carry warm, windproof clothing. That's good advice even in summer, but most don't bother with the extra weight.
When asked for advice last year by friends from New England who are experienced winter hikers when was a good time to climb to Whitney, I told them early September but all bets were off past the 15th. They didn't heed my advice (IIRC they tried on the 20th), and some turned back when they encountered ice on the switchbacks as they haven't brought crampons or microspikes. Those who've done the peak in September know that where the ice first occurs in a rather tricky section when one would not want to fall. yes when we submitted whitney 9/15/17 there was ice in a small portion of the switchbacks where a fall would definitely be fatal. going up on 3 am was very very cold and i was praying for the sun to rise and warm us up. however as we climbed up the workout definitely warmed us up. back at the campground around 8 pm it was freezing. But i was able to sip some champagne to celebrate the conquering, warmed up some stew, hot showers and I even did the dishes. ha! It was definetely very very cold
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As far as a camping spot to acclimatize, you might consider Horseshoe Meadow campground. It's @ 10,000 ', so gives you some great altitude. And, I think it would be much less crowded than Whitney Portal. Sounds like you're planning on being in the area a couple days prior to your climb, so check it out. Last time we were there, we found a number of sites to choose from.
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As far as a camping spot to acclimatize, you might consider Horseshoe Meadow campground. It's @ 10,000 ', so gives you some great altitude. And, I think it would be much less crowded than Whitney Portal. Sounds like you're planning on being in the area a couple days prior to your climb, so check it out. Last time we were there, we found a number of sites to choose from. thank you for the info. how far is horseshoe meadow form Whitney trail heard? do you happen to know? thank you in advance
"Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn."
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As far as a camping spot to acclimatize, you might consider Horseshoe Meadow campground. It's @ 10,000 ', so gives you some great altitude. And, I think it would be much less crowded than Whitney Portal. Sounds like you're planning on being in the area a couple days prior to your climb, so check it out. Last time we were there, we found a number of sites to choose from. thank you for the info. how far is horseshoe meadow form Whitney trail heard? do you happen to know? thank you in advance 
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As far as a camping spot to acclimatize, you might consider Horseshoe Meadow campground. It's @ 10,000 ', so gives you some great altitude. And, I think it would be much less crowded than Whitney Portal. Sounds like you're planning on being in the area a couple days prior to your climb, so check it out. Last time we were there, we found a number of sites to choose from. thank you for the info. how far is horseshoe meadow form Whitney trail heard? do you happen to know? thank you in advance thank you
"Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn."
Instagram: @_helena_borboleta
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