Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Glissading the Chute 6/15/08

All, My fiancee, Carrie, and I did a one day summit on June 15th. (We got engaged at the summit if you want to check the register at the top for the 15th.) Had beautiful weather and used the day pass to its full potential spending 22 hours on the mountain. We summited in two days last year and knew we had to keep a slow pace all the way in order not to burn out. Packs that were too heavy also slowed us as we didn't know how the weather would be higher up and brought too many clothes. Turned out we were in just shirts on the top.
Water was everywhere. About the first 25 switch backs had water deep enough to filter running down the trail.
We did hit some places we used our ice ax as support to get over snow/ice and rocks but nothing too bad.
The highlight was glissading down about 900 feet of the Chute on the main route to by-pass the 99 switch backs. I'm sure we were one of the last for the season to do this as the snow was melting quickly. We stopped about 3/4ths of the way down because the mountains shadow was re-freezing the snow/ice on the lower portion. That was pretty tough on the backside so we put on the crampons and hiked back to the main trail. But what a thrill.
We started in the dark and finished in the dark and it was one of our best trips ever.
I'm also a photographer for the Orange County Register and did a full story and photos on the website.
You can see it here: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/trail-feet-down-2074073-snow-control
Thanks for reading and enjoy the mountain.
Paul.

Congrats Paul, thanks for the mountain update. Did you do the switchbacks going up in boots only or did you use crampons?

Thanks
Al

Awsome , I went up the mountaineers route on the 20th and I glissaded the chute and what a rush , my first time , scary and fun at the same time.

Nice article!

I especially liked the line:

"The problem is that there is a difference between looking do-able and being do-able."

Perfect!

Hi Paul,
Congratulations. Glad you had a fun time. Nice article too. I read with interest your paper's Outdoor section, and enjoyed the recent Mt. Whitney series. Did your fellow Orange County Register staffer Sean Price get himself and his girlfriend back up to Whitney to try again? It would make a good story. Jim.

Links to stories below.

MT. WHITNEY IN WINTER Safety outweighs exhilaration A trek up frozen Mt. Whitney, even with proper equipment, might have to be cut short. Dec. 29, 2005 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

PREPPING FOR WHITNEY Experts at local retailers REI and Adventure 16 hold their annual clinics to help you get there and back. Jan. 15, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

So you want to climb Mt. Whitney? For those who are willing to scale the mountain, an expert has a simple answer: prepare. Jan. 30, 2006 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

FIRST STEP Reporter Shawn Price outlines the steps necessary to obtain the permit needed to climb North America?s second-highest peak. Feb. 26, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Climbing Mt. Whitney: Part 2 Quest for Mt. Whitney Climbers hoping to scale the highest peak in the continental United States during open season must ?win? a permit. April 2, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Climbing Mt. Whitney, Part 3: Start sweating with a little stair work. Training for the top April 9, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Whitney wisdoms Register readers get involved and offer their own experiences about climbing Mt. Whitney. April 16, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Ultralight delight New lightweight gear can make your backpacking adventures enticing. April 23, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Climbing Mt. Whitney: Part 5 HARDING TRUCK TRAIL Steps in the right direction A grueling hike is good training toward the feat to climb Mt. Whitney. April 30, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Climbing Mt. Whitney, Part 6 San Jacinto serenity This hike has grand vistas and offers altitude acclimation for the Mt. Whitney climb. May 7, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Climbing Mount Whitney, Part 7 Baden-Powell is no pushover At 9,399 feet it is the second-highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains. May 21, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Climbing Mt. Whitney, Part 8 Bounding up Baldy There are many routes to reach the 1 0,064-foot summit at Mount Baldy in the San Gabriel mountains. May 28, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Climbing Mount Whitney, Part 9 Twin peaks training Mount San Gorgonio and San Bernardino Peak are worthy adversaries to hikers, but the real prize ? Mount Whitney ? still looms. June 4, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Climbing Mount Whitney, Part 10 Know the symptoms of altitude sickness Eating well and drinking enough water are critical to climbing high peaks. June 11, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Summertime hiking The season is right for well-hydrated hikers on the right trail. June 25, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Climbing Mount Whitney, Part 11 Reaching for the inner summit A tough decision near the peak of Mount Whitney must be made by the Register reporter. June 18, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr



Mount Whitney?s Mountaineer?s Route Part 1 High and mighty Mount Whitney?s Mountaineer?s Route offers solitude, refuge and spectacular climbing. June 28, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Mount Whitney?s Mountaineer?s Route Part 2 Gettin? in tune Climbing Mount Whitney?s Mountaineer?s Route is a journey in risk management and a way to get in touch with the natural world. July 5, 2007 http://epaper.ocregister.com/Repository/...nglish-skin-ocr

Al, we were just in our boots n the switchbacks going up. We didn't use the crampons until we were down the chute and had to get back to the trail.

Jim, Actually, I haven't talked to Shawn since that trip. I know he's still hiking though. I did a series of stories of training hikes from last years Whitney trip also. They ran in another Register owned paper in San Clemente, CA called the San Clemente Sun Post News. If you go to the original link above and look just below the photo there is "Related Links" and there you'll find stories on Baldy, Baden-Powell, Jacinto and San Gorgonio with lots of photos.

Thanks, Paul.