Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mt. Whitney alternates

A few friends and I are going to try Whitney on 6/21. Given recent accumulations of snow I am thinking I need a plan B if there is additional snow as we do not have crampons etc.

Any suggestions on a challenging alternate if Whitney remains snow bound?

Is White Mountain likely to have better snow conditions?

Mt. Carillon, Thor Peak, Mt. Langley, Cirque Peak are all good alternatives.

White is in the shadow of the Sierra and doesn't get near the snow the Sierra do.

I've done White twice in your time frame and the only snow we ran into was at the ~14,000' level. I was gone through easily or avoided by climbing through the talus fields near the top of the mountain.

In April, there was very little snow at 10,000' in the Whites.

White is indeed in the shadow, but got dumped on equally as hard during the Memorial Day storm systems. Here's some pics from late last week when the sun finally came out:

White Mountain from the NW side of Crowley Lake (>30miles away):


From Hwy 6 just north of Bishop:


I only mention this because the road to the gate/trailhead still hasn't been opened. In talking with the rangers at the White Mountain Ranger Station here in B-town, at the start of Memorial Day weekend, they not only wait for the snow to melt but for the dirt raod to be completely dry. I would call the ranger station for information before planning the trip!

-Laura

PS: In driving home tonight, a LOT of what I shot last week has already started to melt off. There may be hope for a soon opening after all!