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

Went up early morning on the 22nd at around 3-4 and saw two hikers sleeping in the open past the first snow bridge. Both were in sleeping bags set up against some rocks. No tents. Temps dipped below 40 that night. Both Were wearing what looked like an orange and blue jacket. Anybody got a clue on what happened or their status?

Mostintrigued'

Yesterday (June 22) I came down the Main Trail from the Summit. While wandering (ie lost) off trail in some snow about a quarter mile west of Lone Pine Lake in the early evening, I came across a green sleeping bag under some trees. I kept my distance and could not tell if anyone was home.

My guess was that some of the numerous Trail Crew working for a few miles above the Portal are staying overnight on the Mountain.

Two days ago I slept in bag without a tent and it was 29F. The key is to have a good bag and to know how to use it. Good weather also helps!

Jim

Jim F,
How was the main trail coming down? I have permit starting on the 28th and was planning on trying to take the main trail up to the summit if possible. Conditions getting any better?
Thanks

LSUTiger,

Later tonight I will post a conditions update on the Main Trial based on my experience June 21-22. It will be under the thread Whitney-2023.

Jim

I went up the N Fork of Lone Pine Creek today to check it out. The first creek crossing (approx 9,150') was surging and there were a bunch of broken trees in a strange matrix. I really wasn't in the mood to get soaked, and I thought the next one (near the E Ledges) would be worse. I thought for a moment I'd try the Class 3(?) shortcut straight to the ledges but I didn't want to waste time. I went back to my car and hiked Muah Mountain as an alternative.

Anybody have updates on the snow bridges in the first canyon? Have they all collapsed yet?

My partner and I summitted on Jun 24 via East Buttress. On the hike in on the 23rd we didn't see any suitable bridges left so I would imagine there are none remaining by now. The first crossing was mostly melted with some sketchy connection over birch that we decided against. The only bridge I would have crossed was above the canyon, just before Lower Boy Scout, but there were also rock crossings there. We stayed to the north bank of the North Fork and bushwacked to the e-ledges, 3rd class scrambling over smaller ledges here and there. Somebody had placed cairns by the time we descended two days later. The conditions that Sunday were pretty different upon leaving since it was pretty hot all three days. We had stiff boots, crampons, and axes and used them on all the high angle spots.

A small crescent of Iceberg lake was starting to thaw, but I'd caution staying clear. It was impossible to tell where the actual shore is. Water access up there was a trickle from melting snow during the day, but frozen solid after dark. The upper section of the North Fork (between the Boy Scout lakes) was starting to show here and there with vigorous flow over rock.

Thank you artbarnfunkel! Appreciate your update!

Sounds like the upper section between the Boy Scout Lakes is the main thing to be extra careful about now as the melt continues.

Does anyone have updated mountaineer’s route conditions? Wondering if we still need crampons and ice axe to descend. Any info would be appreciated. Planning to be there in a couple weeks.
Thanks

Two weeks a whole new route, very little ice now , can downclimb on the rock.the last 400' and the chute is about half melted out look at the web cam and you can see most of the north fork area.

Went up the MR on 7/24 & 7/25. Camped at Iceberg Lake, summited Whitney via snow chute & final 400, then all the way back down to Portal.

MAIN POINTS:
-Bring extra, extra socks! Boots will get wet, I promise. Unavoidable.
-Snow starts to soften 8:30am and gets slushy just before noon. Temps are above freezing up there at night. Doable, but anticipate taking longer and exerting extra effort kicking your crampons in deep with almost every step.
-Exercise extreme caution with water crossings. They are raging and will sweep you away.


------------THE HIKE------------------------

FIRST CANYON: No snow whatsoever. 2 Choices. Bushwhacking or Fording!

On the way up I bushwhacked off-trail alongside the right wall of the canyon, then took my chances fording on the way down(DO NOT RECOMMEND.)

On trail, there are 2 major fords crossing the raging 'creek'.

1 - First crossing is VERY dangerous and deep water(mid-thigh/hip level), as it is rushing down in massive quantities from all the melt! Many obstacles in the way. I had to cross the dead trees leaning on each other, hanging over the waterfall a bit downriver (30ft drop into raging waters[was less than enthused about this]). If you successfully ford this, good for you, be safe!

2 - Right before the E-ledges. Ankle deep water. About 50ft wide. Very manageable. Watch your step!

At this time I RECOMMEND bushwhacking & hugging the right wall of the canyon. There will come a point halfway up to the E-ledges where you will have to climb up the wall a bit and scale a class 3 walk over to some remaining bushwhacking until you reach the beginning of the E-ledges. Very doable. I RECOMMEND TAKING THIS ROUTE BOTH WAYS. (It's annoying, but safer!!!)


E-LEDGES: Clear. Take your time.


LOWER BOY SCOUT LAKE(LBSL): No snow. ***TIP: Just as you're getting over the saddle to this area, take the crossing over the debris at the outlet of the lake. The melt has raised the water level and the typical stepping-stone crossing is submerged.


LBSL --> UBSL: Talus/scree field clear. Some snow pockets. After the next saddle, you reach the slabs. Just before the slabs there is another raging water crossing. Another death trap if you misstep. I bushwhacked through the dense foliage further up to a point where I could safely hop across. There are two other water crossings afterwards that you also need to find good points to cross/circumnavigate. Once again, lots of melt. Be careful. ***There are a few pockets of snow that look like snow bridges. DO NOT TAKE THEM or you're a goner***


UPPER BOY SCOUT LAKE(UBSL): Completely thawed. Pockets of snow around. Completely clear for camping. Easy water access.


UBSL --> ICEBERG: 2 options! Traverse the landscape over snow fields or take the slabs+talus field. Some spots to grab water if you need it.

Either way, the last point right before Iceberg, you have to take the couloir which involves going across and up snow to some class 3 rock scramble. Super doable, just takes time depending on snow quality.


ICEBERG LAKE: Most of the area is still covered in snow. A few spots for tents. Iceberg lake is starting to thaw. You can collect water from surface melt. No need to carry from UBSL. I camped here for the night. Night temp was ~40F.


SNOW CHUTE: ***START EARLY*** By 8:30am snow started getting soft. Slushy by 11:30am. Snow goes up 2/3 the way and then its scree/scramble. Coming down the snow was a slushy nightmare. Try glissading if you're confident you can stop, otherwise take your time.


FINAL 400: Left side is clear. Stick left and class 3 scramble up. No need to mess with soft, steep snow!


Hope this helps gauge the conditions. All the best!


P.S. - @MTN, As of now, yes to crampons and Ice axe. Keep a lookout for conditions over the next couple weeks from others. Due to the consistent warm temps, if they keep up, the snow might melt away completely.

Thank you very much for the detailed info.

Went again this weekend to climb nearby. 8/4-8/6

Very different conditions from late June when there was still snow in the canyon.

Bushwacked the way up the canyon, and did the stream crossings down. 2nd crossing is shallow and easy rocks to step on. 1st is deeper and you have to balance on branches, it's doable but if it looks sketchy to you just bushwack.

No snow until you start to approach the last ascent to Iceberg lake. Snow about halfway up that ascent, then it's rock hopping to various worn paths until you reach Iceberg. That area is mostly clear of snow, and the lake is thawing on its southern bank. Easy water access. Temps varied over the two nights, maybe mid 20F one night with no wind, and about 40F the next with a light breeze.

Climbed Day Needle and descended the climb via mountaineers route, you can find various ways to scramble down rock if you're comfortable with class 3/4 to get to easier scrambling to the notch. From there it's snow free a good bit. Then your choice of all snow descent, or some snow to a rock descent if you are again fine with class 3/4.

We had one ice axe and no crampons between two people and it worked out fine. But if you are ascending it's probably best to have boots, crampons and an axe. The snow is still solid before 9am and after it gets shade.

I am wondering if anyone has been up recently. I have permits for Sept 7-8 and we are trying to decide whether crampons are needed or not. Heard reports that there was some snow/ice above the notch after the Hilary storm.

Kurt Wedburg posted this two days ago on the Mt. Whitney FB group:

I was guiding a group up there on Friday (8/25). There's a snow bank in the upper third of the Mountaineers Route that dictates ice axe and crampons. The recent tropical storm left new snow on the Final 400. It's a mixture of snow and ice. The ice forms from a snow bank that's left over from the winter. It melts during the day then freezes at night. Here's what the Final 400 looked like on Friday. It was significant enough that 4 parties who climbed the East Face & East Buttress routes didn't feel comfortable descending it. They didn't have ice axes, crampons, or boots to put the crampons on. All those parties descended the Main Trail then the next day ascended back up to Iceberg Lake to get their stuff.