Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Crampons/Ice Axe for early June - a must??

I will be climbing Mt Whitney on June 6th with my boyfriend. From other posts, It looks like we can anticipate snow starting around Mirror Lake and beyond. How bad can the trail be in terms of ice and snow? Can you push through with good hiking boots or are crampons/ice axe an absolute must?

Neither of us have ever used crampons or an ice axe. We would have no problem renting the equipment, but are wondering if we would be ill-advised to climb Whitney having never used this stuff.
Thanks!

I am planning on climbing Whitney on the 6th as well. All the info I have found suggests crampons and ice axe a must above Trail Camp. My biggest question is the condition of the tral above Trail Crest. How much ice will we encounter on those final few miles and how long will it take us.What time are you guys planning on leaving the Portal on the morning of the 6th. probably see you there. Good luck Steve

Have a look at my TR from this past weekend. I made a point of taking photos of some of the "traverses" on the west side. They are steep and still holding snow (which I don't think will completely melt out in less than a month), which means you'd better be comfortable using winter gear. There's also some "bulletproof" (meaning very hard) snow just before the summit which also required gear.

Crampons and an ice axe are just part of the total. Training and experience count too. You can't rent that. If you fall you must know how to place your axe immediately. It should be almost instinctive. More than one person has died from an ice related fall up there. Last July, a woman died after slipping on ice while descending Army Pass just to the south.

I don't want to sound like a prophet of doom but you should be aware of the danger.

Yes you will need crampons and ice axe. Just google deaths Whitney,
if in doubt and read about the usual cause -they slipped and fell.
Watch Youtube -Ice axe Self arrest videos, and practice this technique.

Its exciting to climb mountains and live to tell about. Have fun.

Fair enough, thanks for the replies everyone. I googled "Mt Whitney, death" and that was enough for me. We'll just go as high as we feel comfortable going. Looks like we'll need to come back in the early fall to actually get to the top! Oh well.....

Thebug84

Hey bug! No one live's forever. Who will?

Grab your partner
and look him in the eye and say you're going to the summit, and coming back alive!
With pictures!!!

Not rocket science just axe/crampon technique that any geek can do.

The summit pays back a billion to 1, so grunt up it, and chop steps anywhere needed. Chop steps! Yes! Berserk step chopping!

Everyone has chopped a few steps to get past a tricky section!. Ice is weak human are stromg! Go for it!

Assume that indomitable mountain climber mind set!

Grrrrr!!!

And drink lots of water! Chug a quart just before starting!

Take a small butane stove to melt snow for drinking water at lunch time.
Chug another quart with lunch.

Plus take foam sit pads for everyone to rest on during breaks- a camping sleeping foam pad cut up 3feetx2feet stores easy in a backpack and make rest stops nice on the snow for a person.
. Wrap in a trash bag around it to it keep dry.

Practice with the stove- whipping it out, and setting up to melt snow in a few seconds, and enjoy the view at the same time.

Have fun!!!!

Lacrosse, I like your thinkin'...

After reading Lacrosse I wish I was heading up there tomorrow. Im gona ride an extra 5 miles on the bike today, 25 instead of 20. I probably wont reach the summit on June 6th but Trail Crest is a strong possibility. Steve

I completely agree with Lacrosse. It will be my first trip as well and I have no formal training of crampons or ice axe. I'm going June 6-7 and I plan on getting to the top. If there was no risk then what is the point of climbing to this amazing peak? I'm not going to be dumb and put myself in a situation where I am likely to get injured or die but I sure as hell am not giving up because mother nature wants to challenge me a little more. I am thrilled at this opportunity and I think that it will be a tough climb but totally doable. Good Luck and I'll see you on the summit!

Youtube videos are neither practice nor experience. It's not just putting the gear on its knowing what is safe and what isn't safe.

A lot of people beyond their ability to ascend safely. The less experience the greater the chance is you could put yourself in the jackpot.

That's the warning...

But come and climb as high as you feel you can comfortably descend. This is a great time of year to be on Mt. Whitney. You will not be disappointed. Many of my favorite trips to this mountain have been when I've never come close to the summit of Mt. Whitney.

from limited use of crampons and axe, the going UP is pretty strait forward.

it's the down climbing that still scares me.

Remember YOU can only climb as far as YOUR willing to climb DOWN.

You still have a shot at the summit, don't sell yourself short. Bring the crampons and ice axe and you should be able to summit. Do you have a day pass or overnight? It might be difficult to summit with just a day pass. We just summitted Whitney on April 25 hiking the main trail. It was a tough summit, we camped out at Trail Camp and it took us 10hrs from there to summit (hiking in waist deep snow really is extremely tiring). All of us were first time crampon and ice axe users and aside from a couple dicey spots on the trail with which we exercised caution, it was a doable hike. On more than one occasion, we wished we had snowshoes too. By June time frame, hopefully the trail would thaw out a bit more.

You guys are awesome and so funny! I of course want to be as safe as possible, but I REALLY REALLY want to make it to the top!!!!!!

Question to lacrosse, what are "chop steps?" is this a reference to using the ice axe or the crampons?

Looking forward to seeing some of you guys out on the trail! WOOHOO!

> what are "chop steps?"

When the ice is hard, slick and too sloped to plant your foot securely, you chop the ice with the ice axe and make yourself a step. Progress is slow, but at least you are safe.

Ok, I will agree that walking in crampons and carrying an ice is not rocket science, and many, many people safely do it each year without instruction or training. I was one of these people my first year out in the winter and thought like many people I see posting at this time of the year. Walking in good snow conditions is one matter, but when the snow changes abruptly or you hit ice under shallow snow and your crampons skid off, the feeling begins to change. Self arresting is easy when you are standing in a spot, slip a little and drop down to arrest and don't go anywhere, however a slip when you are not expecting it all can really change your perspective on not needing any training. People of all disciplines train skills so that when the s*** hits the fan, your instinct kicks in immediately. I can personally tell you that when you slip or stumble unexpectedly, especially on hard snow, seconds count and your training or lack thereof becomes a major factor.



If you are going to practice with a stove, why not practice self-arrest? Looking at pictures of self-arrest in FOTH is good, however you would be surprised how many people don't have the physical strength to sit up and plant their ice axe when falling head-first backwards or the danger of planting your ice axe too close to your body when sliding down a hill face first. Do you want to learn this when you are well-rested on a small slope with little hazard, or at 13k when you are fatigued and caught off-guard and sliding out of control?

My intention is not picking on Lacrosse's comments, many people will take this approach and get up and down safely, but do you want to be the one that doesn't? Even if you don't take a course in Snow Travel, please don't think it is always a straight-forward walk on snow with some spikes on your boots just because others have done it safely.

Have fun and stay safe out there.

Everyone really, really, wants to get to the top. The problem for most people using winter gear for the first time is not the up but the down and knowing what is and what is not dangerous. It is very easy go further than skills will allow you to descend...I been there a few times and it ain't fun.

Reminds me of a memorable quote I heard a few years ago: "No one has ever fallen UP a mountain."

I've read consistently that an extraordinary percentage of the deaths on icy/snowy peaks around the world occur on the descent for those two reasons of (1) greater fatigue on the "back nine" and (2) greater technical difficulty descending versus ascending.

Ain't that the stinking truth.

That is the primary reason I switched to an 80 CM axe this past winter. I feel more secure descending with those extra 10 CM.

Thebug - A bit of arm strength is needed to chop steps with these
new ultra lite 1.lb ice axe's. The older gear was heavy, serious
weapons with enough weight in the head to chop a good foot
step in 2 strokes. Isn't progress wonderful.

For strength training take your ice axe and chop on a big chunk of fire wood until your arms are ready to fall off. You standing
up pretending to be on the side of a mountain chopping steps.
Not to actually split the wood up but just dent it with the adze
to teach your arms the motion. Could pay off when you're here.