Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Approximate angle of the slope below Trail Crest?

Hi all,
I was just curious if anyone had an approximation of the slope angle below Trail Crest? As in, if the switchbacks are iced-up and the best way to Trail Crest is straight up the gulley.
Thanks
Mark

I'm guessing here, but maybe about 40 degrees?

As for going straight up that snowfield - you can, but doing that tends to wear me out. I try to do it with 4 or 5 wide traverses. Just seems easier in the long run.

But everyone has a different style.

Ah, a question that comes up periodically, so the answers are likely already there. This one seems a little difficult for the search function, but I have a pretty good memory and know some tricks, so was able to locate one of the threads. Check here.

Conclusion is that it is generally ~30 degrees, steepening to ~35 near the top and at some other places.