Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Main Trail and Trail Crest conditions next weekend

I am considering a weekend snow camping trip to Whitney this coming weekend, May 1-2. I have day hiked Whitney via the Main Trail the last 7 years in summer but not in winter. I have all the gear (-40 bag, 4 season tent, crampons, PLB, know how to use ice axe, excellent condition, etc) and have climbed Rainier with a guide. That said, my question is two fold, (a) should my camping goal be Trail Camp via the Main Trail or should I consider the lower MR and camp at Iceberg Lake? How hard is the trail to follow? are the streams passable? I would presume there is a relatively easy to follow winter trail.

The second question is what is the condition of the slope to the right of the switchbacks and leading to Trail Crest? My goal would be to summit via this slope and over from Trail Crest to the summit. What should I expect? How difficult is the Main Trail likely to be this weekend given reasonably good weather. I have reviewed recent MR trip reports, especially Richard P's great pics. The upper MR is not for me and I guess my question is how reasonable a plan it is to try the Main Trail this weekend. I would be solo so hoping for a route with a few climbers on it too. Looking forward to hearing from everyone, thanks in advance!

Hi Not much traffic on the main canyon yet , we should get high winds over the crest the next several days and about a hint of snow so the slopes will be icy with some fresh snow.Don't expect to find any tracks past Lone Pine Lake and if you do make sure they are not leading to the ski runs.

Winter conditions make the trip shorter than the trail but the unknown snow /ice surface travel can be very slow if you do not do it often, I would use your summer time and a factor of at least 3 and this should give you a hint of where to camp and the days needed unless you plan a day trip.

Watch for rock fall below Thor, heading to Lone Pine Lake, past Lone Pine Lake to Trailcamp if we get sunny days by the end of the week.

Short answer no trail ,you should not be near the streams other than the normal summer crossings and don't expect to follow someone else unless they have been up several times in the winter.
Thanks Doug

Thanks Doug! When does the traffic pick up on the Main Trail? I remember past trip reports with pictures of climbers hiking straight up the slope to the right of the switchbacks and discussions about the wisdom of glissading down. I thought that would be happening by now. Perhaps it is too early?