Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mountaineer's Route Conditions

Go to mountain forecast for Mt. Whitney and on the left select 11,000ft elevation forecast, that should give you a rough estimate of conditions at the Iceberg Lake elevation level.

https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Mount-Whitney/forecasts/4418

Climbed MR on 17 Oct, descended normal route. Some snow in willows, none on E-Ledges, thin layer of snow between lower and upper boyscout lake. Icy 2nd gully (sketch) up to Iceberg Lake, but should have gone for 3rd gully apparently. Some snow in gully above Iceberg, mostly avoidable but some preferable as it hugged left wall. No snow final 400. No microspikes/crampons used when I went, but route seemed one storm away from no-mans land until full winter conditions.

Any beta on MR conditions? Looking to do a climb just prior to permit season. Haven't seen any condition reports, and last week's storm dump is an x factor

Talked with a group yesterday snow starts about upper BSL and deep fresh snow in the chute slow going but they made it, winds about everyday now so drifts moving around. 0 degrees about a week a go so we are in the hot /cold cycle and wind some snow. Watch the web cam Thor was covered again but has melted this week so keep an eye out for this next storm Thursday/Friday.

Main trail area sucking folks in /dry to above outpost and they are not geared up for the cold or ice. Rescue Sunday/Monday .

Thank you for the information, Doug Sr.

I've been eyeing the weather forecast for the past week in preparation for my second ascent up the MR early next week.

Anyone have any updates on the Whitney area after the storm last night?
Also, does anyone have updates on the road status to the portal? Is it open?

First last night we had a few drops in the Portal but strong winds and overnight snow up at the upper elevations again strong winds so drifting.
Road closed sign still at the bottom of the canyon, no word when it will open but should be soon .

Campground pushed opening till May 2 just in case the road was not opened by 25 April ( no safe way to turn a truck /trailer around at the current closed location.)

Look at the web cam . You can see coverage on Thor that was dropped last night and if you enlarge the image just north got more snow.

Drifts will be the problem above upper BSL and the chute

45 degrees at the portal late afternoon , much colder at the upper elevation called for - with wind chill overnight.

Thanks for the updates!

Thanks Doug Sr!

Please check PM.

Saw on rec.gov site that the portal campground is FCFS. I had a reservation for today but I know the road is still not open. Still allowed finish the campground if I hike in to my site?

Use* the campground I meant. Thanks for any information

Missed this Campground is closed. Lone Pine Campground is open also all sites at the Whitney Portal is reservation only
Walk in sites at the trail head are one night when the area is open. This should be May 2 also .since they are fee sites by the same company Vista

Went with a buddy and summited Whitney via North Fork (MR) for the 2nd time on 4/26-4/28. Hopefully this info will help anyone doing some research:


Was forced to camp at Lone Pine Campground the first night(4/25) because Whitney Portal opening was pushed to 5/2/2022. (Wasn't the best for acclimation purposes) I would highly advise camping at Whitney Portal Campground prior to jumping in if possible.

DAY 1:

The next morning, drove up to the upper gate and parked alongside the road (Upper gate was closed). Soon the gate will open for the regular season.

From the Trailhead to Lower Boy Scout Lake(LBSL) theres pretty much no snow at all. Be wary going up from the main trail to the EB ledges, as there are ice shelves melting and falling off the south side walls straight onto the trail. EB ledges are always sketchy, but very much doable and there is no snow.(To my understanding, and what I've been told, the EB ledges get a lot of sun all the time so there isn't really ever snow on them.)

Snow starts after LBSL. It sits in pockets, so you are able to navigate around most of it, if you wanted to, all the way up to Upper Boy Scout Lake (UBSL). Between LBSL and UBSL are the Slabs, which have snow on them that's melting pretty quickly during the day, but freezes at night, so watch out for black ice at night and early mornings in this area. Otherwise, the rest of the trail up to UBSL is clear.

UBSL is frozen, but there is a stream flowing out of it which is a good place to load up on water if you're planning on camping at Iceberg Lake for the night. Adding the extra weight sucks at this altitude, but you will thank yourself for bringing all that water instead of having to waste a bunch of fuel melting snow. If you're okay with making the extra hike to the snow chute in the morning and want to avoid freezing temperatures at this time, UBSL is a great place to camp. (I am stubborn and like to start at the base of the snow chute, so I'm willing to go the extra distance for Iceberg).

From UBSL to Iceberg, I would say about 40% of the trail is snow, but its easily walkable w/o microspikes/crampons. The real pain is altitude here, especially if you load up with water weight. The final wall going up to Iceberg Lake has patches of ice, but there are a few dry class 3 routes that will get you up there.

Iceberg Lake is completely frozen and there's a lot of blanketed snow everywhere. There are plenty of spots to camp if you're okay with the tent sitting on snow, but we only found two gravel camping spots. I tried to pick my way into Iceberg Lake to see if there's any chance of grabbing water, but after going about a foot deep, I stopped wasting my time and energy. I was thankful that I grabbed a bunch of water from UBSL prior to coming here.

Temperatures got to below freezing overnight; our water in our tent started to freeze. If you have a low-temp rated sleeping bag, and put on a bunch of layers, its manageable. Focus on keeping your core temperature high throughout the night and the sun will warm you well in the morning. We boiled some water for MRE's and some tea before we crashed for the night. The real suck is acclimating to the ~12800ft of elevation, so bring plenty of ibuprofen.

DAY 2:

Woke up at about 9am, took our time and had some breakfast, warmed up in the sun. We started the snow chute at noon. A bunch of people mentioned that it's better to go earlier for good snow quality, but we didn't have any issues. I wouldn't start later than noon, though. The great part of having snow everywhere is that you could walk straight out of your campsite with crampons. We took our day packs with water, snacks, and a jacket, along with our ice axes, and left everything else unnecessary at our campsite and made our way up.

DO NOT ATTEMPT THE SNOW CHUTE WITHOUT CRAMPONS AND AN ICE AXE.
^^^I feel this NEEDS to be said, because without these things, one wrong slip will send you off to your doom.^^^ WITH these items, you'll have a great time.

The snow chute takes you about 75% the way up to the notch, but the snow peters out and the rest is class 2/3 rock climbing.

Once you get to the notch, if you don't have a rope, your options are pretty much a class 3 scramble 400 ft up the side to the left, or going straight across the class 2 traverse. They're both doable, but at this time, I would highly advise going up and down the class 3 and taking your time. You can avoid most snow patches and it's a pretty clean climb to the top (with nature providing some pretty awesome holds). The traverse, however, is SUPER sketch right now and you'll have to reattach your crampons and climb sideways along a snow patch while looking down at a steep drop-off the whole time. One wrong move and things will slide, especially depending on the snow quality and the time of day. So pick wisely.

The summit is great, you get to realize your sense of achievement and look at all the snow capped mountains all around.

Going down is pretty quick and simple. We took our time going down the last 400ft class 3 climb, and glissaded half of the snow chute. Be careful if you choose to glissade and watch for rocks/ice that will slam into your butt(not fun). If you don't know how to self-arrest with an ice axe, don't bother. Just walk down.

We packed up at Iceberg Lake and trudged our way down. We made the call to camp at LBSL for the night because it was dark, we started straying off trail a couple times, and the winds picked up which made the EB ledges intimidating. So instead of risking it, we camped another night and popped out the next morning.


All in all, the whole MR is very doable. Make solid decisions regarding the essentials (food, water, shelter, equipment), and be mindful of the altitude. Don't let people discourage you; we had a couple groups spreading their fears, which is good to be reminded about being careful and maintaining a proper level of caution, but don't let fear get to you. It's all very manageable; just know who you are and what your limits are. Listen to your body, and if at any point you're feeling like you're "pushing it", stop for a second and recalibrate. If you know you can't do something, it's better to be safe than dead. This trail needs to be taken in stride and at your own pace.

Hopefully my evaluation of the MR this time around will help some of you out there! Best of luck and enjoy every second of this beautiful, epic place!!

Hey Thanks for the report.Some good details about the route .We are in the transition season now so conditions can change quickly .

Upper gate still locked close about 200 cars up and down the road today , gate may open next week sometime. Parking will be a challange this coming week. Expect to walk up to a mile before the gate. With luck you may find a spot , also if you have a motorhome don' t drive past the campground you will not be able to turn around near the gate!!!

Any update(s) on current conditions (as of 5/14) would be greatly appreciated. Planning on a day-hike this Wednesday, 5/18. Looks like quite a bit of snow has melted in May.

Above Iceberg Lake, is the preferred route the left gulley or the main chute? What equipment is recommended?

Thanks!

Saw some recent trip reports saying they could avoid the snow in the chute above iceberg lake and scramble up the right side. Is that accurate? What about the snowfield above iceberg?

I'm heading up there next week (mid June) and would prefer to scramble the chute as well so I don't have to drag an axe and crampons with me.
Sound reasonable?

I'm climbing Whitney on July 4, camping overnight at UBSL. Planning to bring microspikes. Can anyone confirm that ice axe/crampons no longer useful at this point in the season? Thanks in advance for any info you have.

Phillip,

I was on Mt Whitney yesterday 6/20 via the Main Trail. Looking down from the summit plateau I noticed: The final 400 from the Notch has essentially no snow and appears dry. There are a few snow patches around Iceberg Lake whose perimeter has entirely thawed. I talked to a hiker who did the MR and was told the Chute from Iceberg Lake to the Notch was ascended without snow travel.

Note that tomorrow and Thursday there is a 50% chance of snowfall on Mt Whitney. So while traction equipment might not be needed on the MR today, it possibly might be on July 4. (I have hiked through many miles of fresh snow on Mt Whitney in July and August.} Recheck the MR conditions/weather forecast a few days before July 4.

Jim

Jim

Went up the MR and descended the Main Trail yesterday (August 22). Enjoying the awesome weather were campers at LBSL, UBSL, and Iceberg Lake and parties on the East Face, East Buttress, Mountaineer's Route, and Russell.

Water flow in the North Fork seemed normal for this time of year, resulting in easy crossings. Going up the scree in the chute from Iceberg Lake to the Notch (14,000') seemed more tolerable than usual, possibly because of residual dampness remaining from the recent rains/hail/snow. From the Notch, both the Final 400 (first chute on the left) and Traverse had no snow or apparent ice.

The first water source on the descent, the Spring at SB 22, still had reasonable flow. It was somewhat unusual to see numerous tents pitched at the outlet of Consultation Lake. Perhaps Consultation is slowly gaining in popularity (and justifiably so when you consider the alternative nearby).

Just below Lone Pine Lake, the middle log in the 11 log crossing had drifted away, evidence of the recent rains and temporarily rising creek.

Jim

I went up the MR yesterday. There was quite a bit of ice in the final 400 given the lower temps. I ended up going to the left, then traversing to the right about halfway up, and then climbed straight up on the right side to the summit plateau.

I guess based on recent reports on the [url=www.mountwhitneyforum.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=104980#Post104980]trail conditions[/url] [s][/s] that the mountaineer's route is a no-go at this point?