Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board March 13th MR photos

Doug,

Thank you for quickly seeking calm to a potentially explosive and emotional conversation. May I suggest you disable persons from being able to post as a guest and require them to provide an e-mail address when registering and posting. This will allow others to reply via private e-mails and get the harsh discussions off the message board.

Matthew,
Thank you for your photos. Myself and my climbing partner Todd Peterson made the summit on March 11th and I have been trying to piece together the timeline for that week based on postings. We passed LBSL at 9:30 AM on the 12th and probably close to 20 climbers on our way off. I think we missed you on the mountain but certainly enjoyed your summit register photo as ours did not come out. Speaking of which...KELLYTS, how come you didn't sign the register on March 6th??? probably signed one of the many sheets in there....Unfortunately we didn't have your tracks to follow above the notch.

I found climbing above the notch the most difficut I have done there. The snow accumulation made it difficult to find good hand holds and solid rock but did not accumulate on the far left enough to made the slab passable safely. We broke trail and had to cut into a small cornice at the summit. I am curious what the log looks like now. I know that the CMC (california's mountaineers club)had a trip planned up there that weekend and am curious who summitted after you guys.

Thanks for the detailed reports ALL.

I had to make a similar decision a few years ago to turn back or continue. This is the spot where people fall off the mountain (just after the notch). One slip on these tracks, even with an ice ax, is very easily fatal. Although my colleague continued to the top and made the tracks in the photo, I went back down to Iceberg Lake and waited for him there. One thing that I also notcied is that there is hard ice inches under the snow in many place that axes and crampons can't penetrate. You may as well be passing through that section in high heels. As much as I was itching to go on, I thought about my kids and family and deemed the risk too great. God bless Richard. I'm sure that he was a wonderful man. I was reading Bob's comments earlier, and he has a very good point that crampons can be a great danger as your legs flail around uncontrollably during the glissade down. I have been looking at the wonderful photos all morning. I've always taken the traverse, or long way, to the top, except occasionally in summer, when the chute is still very dangerous. The photos of the chute in winter are breath-taking.

Hey..David..great photo of the traverse with the tracks across it. How long is the traverse (in like meters or yards?)..? I'd be interested in seeing some video from that point..or a panoramic shot with more of a view to the right. That rock on the right (part of the Notch?) blocks the rest of the view.

I've seen Bob R's photos of this section..and since we didn't make it to the Notch it has always tugged at the back of my mind. Which would I be more comfortable with..the traverse? Up climbing up the 1st chute?? I wonder. Without actually standing there I have no idea. Would it be possible to put some ice screws in as you traversed and rope up? I guess it depends on how long the segment is.

Wow..it just fuels my desire to see it and experience it. Is that weird? Thanks for the pics..

David..did you glissade down from the Notch?

Thanks..

BeachAV8R

Just for reference, Bob R's<a href="http://members12.clubphoto.com/_cgi-bin/getImage.pl?imgID=13368497-f0af&trans=" target="_new"> awsome photo is here.</a>

<a href="http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~stevec/" target=_new>Steve C</a>

Frshairnrd,
I agree with what you saw on the route...I had some difficulty finding hand holds and going down was worse as always. I then vered to the right to post-hole over the cornice..the snow around the cornice was pretty soft and took quite a while to plow through it...I immediately turned around once on top as the wind made it difficult to stand...I was solo and I was too scared to take my gloves off to mess with the register or spend the time...I met with several folks headed up as I went down and the wind was just too harsh...I only mentioned on this post because of the accident. I was telling my partners when we got back to Iceberg that I felt I over extended myself a bit and that the rock band in the middle of that chute was particularly scarey this year...I stated that a slip there would not be good...I only mention all this because like Doug Sr. stated this is a dangerous section and not to be taken lightly. Down climbing was pretty harsh as well, especially with 60mph winds whipping up that chute...I made it up to the top but felt like I was a bit out of my league this year...and now a bit guilty for having put myself into an unnecessary situation...I fly Hornets off of carriers so I feel bad when I ask God to get me out of another mess when I didn't need to be there in the first place...just food for thought...its a no joke serious route and hopefully we can all learn and become safer...would I do it again???....probably not with the wind and cold like it was and solo...on a beauty day like I saw last year, hell yeah..

You can see some pictures of the traverse in <a href="http://piotrowski.smugmug.com/gallery/80498/1"this</a> photo album from May, 2001. (Page 7.)

We climbed up the chute, but decided on the traverse (after rapping from the summit ridge) for our descent.

Kelleyts,
Awesome discription. That section is severe and it's easy to get caught in a bad place. Im have been amazed the past 5 years of how many people come illprepared to Whitney in winter conditions whether it be gear or planning. Kudos to your accent, cold hands are the WORST!

Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures--would it be possible to buy a copy of one of them? The one on the left, 7th row from top, "Summit facing west?" I'm too old to attempt a winter summit so I'll never be able to get a picture like that on my own...