Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Ice picket, Deadman or Ice screws ?

We (party of 2) still plan to climb this weekend and thinking of bringing short dynamic rope (round 35'), harness and suitable anchors for belaying.

The narrow snow/ice covered area at back side of trail crest, would be best served with Picket, deadman or ice screw ?

Ice screws require that the thickness of the ice be at least a couple of inches thicker than the ice screws length. Doubt you will find that condition. The difference between a picket and a fluke,(a deadman is really any device that can be burried in the snow as an anchor)is almost just a personal preference. Flukes tend to bury themselves deeper as "pull" is applied to them and can also be harder to extract when you are done using them. You'll find that due to the weight, you only want to carry one or two per person.

There is no ice on the main trail for ice screws. If you are uncomfortable to the point where you need to put in a picket or deadman, you will spend so much time setting up gear that you will never make it to the summit. As long as you are up to speed on self arresting, you shouldn't need either.