Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Sheppard's Pass Snow Report

Anyone been over the pass recently?

Interested in a snow report. We've got a permit to go over the pass on the 6th and I'm hoping we can make it with just our trekking poles.

And, as long as I'm at it .. How's the trial down he other side to Tyndal creek ??

Thanks !!!!!!!!!!

In addition to Sheperd's Pass, does anyone have any info on the snow conditions in the Mt Tyndall/Mt Williamson area? Going to be traveling up there over the weekend of the 4th? Are crampons/ice axe necessary? Thank you.

There are some recient pics here

Will be going over the Pass on Saturday to climb Tyndall. I will post back on Sunday with photos.

Excellent !!!!!!

Thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the pics Skydiveken!!! Looks wonderful up there!

Awesome, can you do me a favor. I'm leading a group up on July 3rd thru the 6th. When your on Tyndall summit can you take pics of Williamson and the bowl? We're doing Tyndall first then Big Willie. Hoping crampons are not required to get up over the pass, can't wait until your TR, Good Luck!!

i was up their with skydive. it is awsome. i have a rule. take your ice ax, crampons, and helmet, in the high sierras. if you need them you have them, if you don't have them and you need them, well your stupid.
i drove past the area again last week. tyndall's north face is completely covered in snow, and willy had some new snow at the top 500 ft.
my guess is you will need ice ax, crampons up the pass as well.
error on the side of caution.
i recommend extra training as well. this thing is an endurance event. so whatever your training is add a couple of miles or reps or sets or whatever, cause your gonna need it.
good luck people. let us know how it goes.

Just got home from climbing Tyndall...what an adventure. We did it in a day from trailhead to summit and back again. Total time is 19 hours. I would not recommend. We camped last year to climb Willie.

If you hit the the snow field at Shepherd's Pass at the right time, you should not need crampons or an ice axe. We started our accent at 9:00am where the sun had some time to soften the post holes. The hike up was great, just take your time. Also, going down, you must time it right, otherwise you will run into ice, which is no fun. My friend and I planned our timing to make sure to avoid ice at the Pass.

We met a group at Anvil Camp. Only one person got to the top of Willie. They said it was too hard to make it all the way. I took that to mean the endurance factor led them to not go all the way. He did mention there are a lot of snow fields in the bowl, and it was hard to identify the "black stain". The snow is melting fast though. They had all the proper equipment.

A few pics of the Pass...in the first photo, we used a "Z" in the snow field that starts at the rock in the center of the photo next to the edge of the snow field...notice the trail in the lower right of another photo. You will have to negotiate a couple more snow fields further up the trail. It is pretty exposed, but the post holes are good.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595238&l=662a2ba118&id=1174322345

[img]http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595237&l=7d65325814&id=1174322345[/img]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595239&l=8886177997&id=1174322345

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595241&l=d703986bfa&id=1174322345
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595242&l=f37588ca3f&id=1174322345

A couple photos of Tyndall and the bowl (the pic of the bowl is from the peak of Tyndall, so I am sorry for not getting down to the bowl. Time did not permit and frankly, I did it last year and have no desire to do it for a long time.

The route we took up Tyndall was from the North. I would recommend going further West and catching some easier routes. You will be negotiating rocks/boulders for 2,000 feet. Also, we did not go on the snow fields as we assended Tyndall. We worked our way between them. There is a false summit, so I would leave my pack at that point. I have included a photo of this position. You will have to be very careful here. You will be totally exposed! Left or Right is straight down. After getting through this area, stay on the right side of the ridge and travel the last 60 yards to the summit. Good Luck and always error on the side of caution! We had two people not even attempt to get over that false summit.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595245&l=ab83fb7fd5&id=1174322345
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595259&l=8e9a42eefb&id=1174322345
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595263&l=4a2f119160&id=1174322345
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595277&l=66176973ac&id=1174322345
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595283&l=cfc44a4503&id=1174322345
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=595285&l=a1f6b41eb6&id=1174322345

Michael:

Thanks so much for posting the report and photos. I'm planning to climb Williamson and Tyndall on July 7, and this information is the best I've seen yet. I'm hoping I can improve on my 1990 time of 19 hours.

if it was me i would still take the crampons and ice axe.
i would time it so the snow is hard and icy!

what if something goes wrong, and your timing is off. it might be nice that you had your friendly crampons and ice ax along with you.

Back in 1990, I started at 3:30 AM, summitted Williamson just after noon, scurried up and back down the North Rib on Tyndall, and was back at the car at 10:30 PM. A pair of Vasque Sundowners was all I needed.

Michael's photos show slightly more snow than what I recall from 1990, but there will be ten hot days to melt some of it before I get there. I'm expecting conditions very similar to 1990.

When I start up, all nine ice axes, including a nice pair of Cobras, will be hanging on the wall in my garage. I might bring a pair of the often-maligned instep crampons, but I really doubt that I'll need them. It's pretty hard to slip when you're walking in someone else's postholes.

I'll report on how it went as soon as I get back to Reno.

I'll do it in my runners.
but at least your smart enough to take your instep crampons.