Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Whitney vs Shasta

I'm a beginner climber so I was planning on climbing the main Whitney trail to the summit this June. I was planning on doing it in a day (can't get an overnight permit anyway). Can anyone compare the climb to Shasta in terms of difficulty. Also, I was told there will be lots of snow still on the mtn this June. Are the crampon/ice axe sections similar to that on Shasta (steepness, length of section, etc.)? Thanks for the advice.

I did Shasta several years ago and there is little comparison. The Whitney main trail is just that-a well worn trail, whereas Mt. Shasta is more technical due to the crampon/ice axe need. The margin of error on Shasta is much smaller than hiking the Whitney main trail. Understand that there are several "dicie" parts of the Whitney trail that can get your adrenalin going. If you made it up Shasta, you can hike to the Whitney summit. Good luck, and be safe.

Bob

I've done both climbs within a few weeks of each other and agree with Bob's statements above. I feel that Mt. Whitney is a little more strenuous due to the longer hike (22 miles round trip versus 8-10 round trip for Shasta). Mt. Shasta is a more technical climb due to the lack of such a well maintained trail as on Whitney, the need for mountaineering skills, and the greater exposure. Both can be done in a day, but I think you'll find a greater percentage of people who climb them do Whitney in a day than Shasta in a day.

Glenn, I think Shasta is much more dangerous, especially compared to Whitney's main trail route (if covered by snow). Shasta has a lot of rock fall and avalanching compared to what I've experienced on Whitney. It is also much, much steeper compared to Whitney's 11-mile trail. The weather on Shasta is also much more volatile and violent compared to Whitney's summer storms, but a lightning bolt on any mountain is not good! Shasta is an isolated mountain in the sky and tends to make it's own weather. Have fun, be careful and enjoy Whitney to the fullest!

Thanks for the thoughts. I was under the impression that with a decent base of snow on Whitney, one would need some basic mountaineering skills (crampons, axe, self arrest, etc.). Is that not the case? Can you just walk right up with just boots on the main trail?

It is much easier to do Shasta is a day than Whitney because the route is more direct. I've done shasta in 6 hours r/t; it's more like 10 to do the r/t on whitney.

The techical differences are negligible. I find walking on snow w/ crampers much easier than doing a longer winding route without them.

Glenn, depending on how much snow and ice is left in June, you may very well need crampons, ice axe and snowshoes. You'll need to monitor conditions on this Board. It's too early in the season to know what June will be like. In the meantime, if you are not practiced in using ice-snow equipment, this would be a good time to start up--in a safe area.

What I'm hearing is that Shasta is more technically demanding than Whitney. That being the case, would the MR route be more comparable to the main Shasta trail? In other words, if I have very basic crampon/iceaxe skills, should that be sufficient for MR in late June?

You haven't said, but you imply that you have climbed Shasta, except I don't know what you mean by the "main Shasta trail". Do you mean the the Lake Helen route?

If you have done that, then you should be able to climb the Mountaineers Route in late June. The chute above the notch will be the toughest part -- probably more exposure than anywhere on Shasta, but overall, the MR is about the same as doing Shasta.

...Now if 'brunodog' sees this, I'd sure like to know where he started that 6-hour rt on Shasta, and what type of aerobic training he does.

I'm with you Steve. Shasta took me a good 20 hours from parking lot to parking lot (that of course includes all my stopping due to altitude related issues along the way).

Does the MR route take longer to complete than the Whitney trail or vice versa? And if I'm starting in the dark, are the beginning sections (first few hours) of the MR route easy to find via headlamp? I hear navigating the trail can be tricky.

Glen,
The MR is a climb, the main trail is a hike. The difference is length, strength and judgment. The main trail is 22 miles round trip and if anyone did it in 6 hours, they ran! The MR is less than half that, but much steeper. The main trail is just that- the main trail with a continuous bunch of folks on it. The MR is a climb with fewer people, less navigable trail and many choices, all but one of which are wrong. I chose a route I thought would get me to the MR in July one year and wound up on Thor Peak which does not connect to Whtiney. Wound up on the main trail a day later and had an epic, 26 hour slog up and back.

The main trail is practically citified now, so if you can put one foot in front of another endlessly, then you can do the main trail based on judgment and willpower as well as acclimatization to altitude. Doing the MR requires all that plus more technical skill with tools and your own limits. Judgment cannot be overemphasized. The deaths this year were due to actions the climbers took, not the mountain or route chosen.

Posts on this board range from very experienced on both routes to outright fantasies posted for their own glory. You have to decide who is telling what. I preach safety and caution for everyone, that way I am only responsible for telling others to be very careful. My style is slow and enjoy, make friends, have a blast, and get back down to tell the tale. I hope this encourages you to read carefully, gather as much information as you can, train regularly and go with someone with experience. Time of year will make a huge difference and this year has more snow than any in memory, so the mountain will be different than it was last year or years before. That is what makes mountaineering so wonderful. The same place gives you a different experience each time. Each time gives a chance for not only new stories, but new people to make friends with that you didn't know before. The climbing community is just that- a community and usually everyone is willing to help. My job here is to tell everyone to keep a level head, drink it all in and experience the best trip they can.

You should be able to do the MR in considerably less time than the main trail only because of the shorter distance. Since you haven't been up the MR before, I would not set out much before dawn -- you will need some daylight as soon as you leave the main trail. (You should stop referring to the MR as a "trail".)

If you want to guarantee success on the MR, take a gps, <a href="http://www.mt-whitney.info/viewtopic.php?t=126">look up the coordinates</a> and stay on course. (I suppose you could do that starting before dawn.)

If you started Shasta at Bunny Flat and took 20 hours, this will take less time because you don't have those miles of approach to cover.

But get yourself acclimated the week before you go -- it will greatly improve your experience.

I’ve not been on this website for quite a while. It always surprises me how confidently some people give advices. Every one relates his/her advice to his/her own experience. However, they do not mention under what circumstances they hiked or climbed the particular route. Each of these routes may be as easy as walking up a very tall hill in a beautiful weather, or a struggle for one’s life. Just in this year two people died on MR. They were experienced climbers! They would not ask a question like which is more difficult Mt. Whitney or Mt. Shasta.

These two mountains are completely different with different type of routes and required skills. You can match them sometimes but you have to be very specific in regard to time of the year, snow and weather conditions. Those conditions change from year to year. Some of those conditions may change in a few days, hours, or even minutes. If you are not prepared for such changes, you should not climb. Luck is the last factor you want to count on.

Do more research about current and prospective (at the time you intend to climb) conditions on the particular route. Once the trip-day approaches check the conditions again and be ready for every prediction.

“Expect the worse and you will never be disappointed.”

I have climbed a number of routes on both mountians. They are not really comparable, because the terrain is so different on each. Climbing through the red banks shutes is comparable to the MR notch (only much shorter), but the snow conditions are the key factor.

On the other hand climbing Casival Ridge in March of 94 was excrushiatingly difficult. The guide service, from the day before, did not make the summit and advised us aginst it. We went anyway and pulled it, but under very scarry 20 to 30 foot cornices and two of those we had to be climbed. It was an assum feeling at the end of that day! We felt lucky to pull it. It was my buddy Kert's third attempt that winter. This story is to convey the message that some routes on Shasta are much more difficult then the MR.

After reading about what happened to two climbers this winter on the MR. My advice is to be overly prepaired. The route is rated correctly for normal conditions, but the day you are on it is what counts. And anything can happen at anytime.

As far as effort goes, I personally feel the "gulch" is much easyer the second time, then the second time doing the MR.

best of luck!

I know more or less the equiptment necessary to climb up Mt. Whitney via the main trail but I was wondering if anyone out there could inform me as to what extra equiptment I would need in order to climb up say Mt. Shasta or Mt. Whitney's MR.

If you are Climbing on the glaciers of Shasta at any time, or the Whitney's M.R in winter or spring I would recommend boots, crampons, ice axe, helmet,and if you are not comfortable with a little exposure, bring a light snow rope so your partner can give you a belay when you get uncomfortable.I would also recommend reading "Mountaineering the freedom of the hills". It is well written, easy to understand and will answer just about all your Mountaineering Questions. Enjoy!

Thanks santacruzer. I'll take a look at that book.

Record for climbing Shasta:

http://pweb.jps.net/~prichins/shastarw.htm