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

On 8/23 Z posted, "The conditions are great now on the MR." I saw the opportunity and went up the MR yesterday 8/26. On the Final 400 above the Notch, I took the rock band on the right. The conditions were just as advertised. Thanks! The weather was awesome, too.

I can add only one comment. The beginning of the "easy walk-off" still requires traversing steep snow with a 1500' runout. During a snack break at the Notch, I tested the snow on the beginning of the traverse and it seemed nearly bulletproof.

The angle of the sun and a feeling in the air suggested Fall is approaching. Only two others were seen during an enjoyable ascent from Whitney Portal.

Jim

The hidden water/moisture areas that were just mud a week or two ago will now be stone-hard ice. And maybe not. So far though the water above 11k is showing ice already. Be prepared and keep a sharp eye out for ice. On the north fork the transition from the south side "trail" onto the slabs can be solid ice early morning in September/October.

Hello, does anyone have recent trip reports up MR to share, esp w/ regards to approaching UBSL.

Thank you kindly.

Has anyone been up either main trail or north fork after the most recent storm? The webcams show lots of new snow. Curious about the drifts. Thanks

Update on conditions: No idea, we went to Mt. Silliman instead.

But it looks like plenty of snow but if I had to guess we need a little melt-freeze consolidation. Might be a spring storm or two still left?

Talked with a climber today that did a solo trip up the mountaineers route, soft snow , wind and tracks covered on the way back down , also another solo trip last week 15 hours mountaineers route down main trail again soft snow and slow travel . Both of these trips were by very experienced climbers .

Any update on current MR route conditions post earthquake?

Just did the MR route yesterday 6 July, MT down. Did it in running shoes, stayed on the left side in the chute to avoid the snow, loose rock and sand was tough, but the 3 other folks going up in the snow with crampons were post holing. Choose your poison. Final 400 o.k., Went up the left side just a bit, then went too far right, had to come down about 100 feet vertical. My recommendation (your mileage may vary), Start left, at the last place you can cross to the right safely, before the hard snow/ice, go to the right, stay close to snow on the rock and work your way up.
The main trail had a few places with rock, but a nice walk talking to the folks suffering but happy....

We went up on 7/11 and had a great time. Camped at Upper Boy Scout. I enjoyed the slab walk. Played around in the snow at Iceberg a bit but transferred to rock for most of the chute. Snow was in great shape, I only broke through once or twice the whole day. Easy to kick steps and just wet enough you would not slide too far. Towards the top of the snow it got bumpy and less fun than below, and the scramble after that was fine- we went mostly along the right. The loose stuff towards the top was the worst part of the whole route. The traverse looked a bit sketchy to me- lots of thin snow and rock transitions and the drop was steep. The final 400 climb was fun. Recommendation about crossing just below the snow was perfect. Hardest move was the first one to get on it. Before the trip I was worried about the downclimb, but it was no problem. Lots of big blocks. On the way down we found a rampish path skiers right and stayed on rock.

Ran into Doug at the store and he was super helpful, glad I got to meet him. Great mountain, great people.

Went up the MR and down the Main Trail yesterday (August 11). Some observations:

(1) Only one spot was left to park at 4 AM in upper lot at Portal.

(2) Creeks were running very low.

(2) Below the E Ledges there seemed to be a continued effort to make the passage across the creek in the Tunnel (of willows) to be the consensus path.

(3) In the Chute (above Iceberg Lake) going up to the Notch (14,000'), there was absolutely no snow if one went up the Ramp initially, and then progressed in any manner thereafter.

(4) The Final 400 (first chute on the left above the Notch) was nearly completely dry. There was one small patch of snow near the top.

(5) No snow/ice were encountered on the descent.

(6) The Spring at SB 22-25 still flooded the trail (excellent water source).

Discussion with Doug Sr, a cold Sierra Nevada, and a generous double cheeseburger were enjoyed at the conclusion of the outing.

Still much summer left to be enjoyed!

Jim

Easy terrain with occasional powedery snow until the Ebersbacher ledges. The ledges had powdery snow on them so more caution needed especially one step up to another ledge that was very sketchy.

After the ledges it was the normal trail to Lower Boy Scout Lake with intermittent snow. The route to the slabs was powdery snow over boulders and scree. From the normal entrance to the slabs was solid, thick ice all the way across. Avoid

The route from Upper Boy Scout Lake to Iceberg Lake was mostly dry with some areas of more powdery snow. The waterfall coming off Iceberg Lake was solid ice.

Iceberg Lake was frozen but the camping area around the lake was mostly dry. The main chute was about 50/50 dry/snow with only a few tracks. Since all of the snow so far had been powdery where crampons and axe would be useless, we headed up the far left side chute past the towers to the "catwalk". This section had more of the powdery snow. Once the catwalk met up with the main chute it was a mix of mostly loose talus/scree and some sections of the not-so-great snow.

The notch was completely dry and looking up the final 400 from there everything also looked dry. The lower middle section of the final 400 was completely dry, no snow or ice. The left side blocks that lead to the headwall had snow starting from about half way up the final 400 with some ice just at the last section where you climb the headwall making that route not so great. The boulder route on the right side was dry though and passable. The "staircase route" was in sunshine and looked dry.

The summit was very dry with snow patches here and there. Warm sun with a chilly breeze. We decided to take the main trail down to avoid the extensive ice and bad snow conditions in the chute and north fork. The trail between the summit and Trail Crest had plenty of snow but in much better condition than the north fork. From Trail Crest virtually to the Portal was all snow but with a nice boot track. The snow was many times better on the main trail than the north fork. The switchbacks were 95% snow-covered but with a good boot track. The chute next to the switchbacks was maybe 50-75% covered but way too many exposed rocks so we took the switchbacks as were other climbers.

The amount of snow on the main trail was exceptional and in pretty good shape. Kind of surprising the north fork had such lousy snow. All of this is likely going to change dramatically as storm systems move in soon. Well hopefully soon anyway.

Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmTLgLnX

Update guide trips going up and down now so a track is in , other groups are also going giving reports of post holing and snow bridges starting to show. Lower Boysscout Lake is opening for water.
Locked gate 1 mile from trail head and limited parking Do Not block the gate. Tickets can be given if you drive past the lower gate where the road sign says Road closed . County Road crew working on the road now to get things opened up.

Thanks for this information.

I wanted to take the MR this year but didn't make plans early enough to get a partner. So I am planning to go up via the Main Trail this Sunday (4/18), stay the night at Trail Camp, and summit on Monday (4/19). Anyone else going up these days? David

David,

I have an outing in Butte County planned this weekend, but hope to be heading to Mt Whitney in the next couple of weeks. It would be greatly appreciated if you could make a few comments on current Mt Whitney conditions after you return from your outing.

Thanks.

Jim

Anyone been up the MR in the last few days? Are the final 400 and/or "easy walk off" sections mostly free of ice and snow? thanks

Just did the MR route 6/17. Running shoes just fine all the way, the chute sucked,like always, very little snow in the final 400.

Ascended Mt Whitney by the MR two days ago (July 27), benefitting from a short break in the monsoonal weather. It was chilly with a strong breeze, clear skies, and exceptional views from the Summit in all directions. It felt like a nice autumn day, but without the Fall Colors. Wore all layers, a heavy balaclava, and gloves for the entire ascent.

Due to the recent rain, the flow in NFLPC had increased. But crossing the creek below the E Ledges (at the Willows and below the Waterfall) was still easy.

Not trusting the clear skies, between Lower Boy Scout Lake and Iceberg Lake I identified several inviting caves, in case the weather deteriorated.

There was no snow anywhere on the route. The scramble from Iceberg Lake to the Notch was assisted by damp dirt which seemed to help prevent sliding backwards. The final 400 had some melting ice at the base.

Returned to Whitney Portal in time to enjoy a double cheeseburger and to say hello to Doug Sr. Some clouds were moving in when I left the Portal.

Jim

PS: As I approached Iceberg Lake, on the other side of Pinnacle Ridge on the Main Trail at 12,600', responding to a call for help, a Cal Guard Chinook helicopter (with 3 Inyo SAR members) loaded three hikers (no jackets or snacks?) and took them to Bishop Airport.

Thanks Jim for another detailed loop report.
We are in the beast of the season ,lost hikers,keys in Cedar Grove car here,very lite rain but still enough to soak people without gear and many have what they thought was rain gear was for mall walking with misters on.
Rock fall on the Portal Road as the bears ,deer and wind and rain loosen the slopes.County road crew doing a great job keeping the road clear but late night early morning one can find rocks on the road.Warning signs Rocks cleared 8AM to 4PM
Now the first a small bear was in a truck and when the owner came back to the truck the bear came out and tapped the guy in the face ,slight scratch on his nose,I have posted about the bear activity ,these bears are hungry ,little food in the high country and recall about a moth ago someone left food out,these bears are not going to leave a free lunch now they are breaking into cars and doing the watch Mikey run as people are at the bear box/car/campsite .The bear moves close the people run now the food is unprotected the bear grabs
a few items and leaves or sits there eating . Have someone posted at the vehicle or box and make noise if the bear approaches.If the bear charges move away from the food .If the bear gets food they will be back ,many times.So a week ago say a bear got food from you site you don't know that ,the bear knows it was a food source and will return.
Same with a car parked in any of the lots if you see glass on the pavement it marks the location of a break in.
Packs left out or sit outside the bathroom are targets also.
Bears very active at 1-4 AM so have you pack ready stay clear of the bear boxes as much as you can and have lights shining on the box and area.Get up the first few hundred feet of the trail and you should be out of the area the bears are searching for food.

I am looking to hike the Mountaineer's Route this weekend, starting Saturday early morning, camping near Iceberg Lake and then summit early Sunday, and start descending.

I've been keeping an eye on the weather report, and it seems we'll be missing the worst of the coming snow storm, which currently will peak on Monday.

I wanted to ask of anyone here knows how the snow/ice conditions currently are in the chute between Iceberg Lake and the summit. Is there little snow (micro-spikes would be sufficient), or are crampons recommended for some sections?

Also, does anyone have an idea of how windy it can get at Iceberg Lake, compared to the summit? I'm hoping we'll be shielded from the high gusts enough by the mountain, but was looking for an informed opinion

Thanks in advance.

If doing mountaineers route: DO NOT USE MICROSPIKES! Crampons + Ice Axe are absolutely required, as well as the requisite knowledge and experience to use them.

Anyways good luck, fair weather to you sir!