Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Main Trail conditions thread 5/13-11/13

I'd like to start a new thread regarding main trail conditions throughout the 5/13-11/13 (quota) climbing season.
Doug- if you could "sticky" this topic like last time, that would be awesome.-Thanks
Game on!

Hi Thanks again for doing this. Will stay on top

Still hot over the weekend 65 in the Portal so many reports of afternoon posthol'in (busting through the surface) on the way down.
A very well established track on the North fork , that would be a hint follow the track for an easy trip or beat yourself up.

Main trail people going both ways chute or switchbacks.

Switchbacks still have that very scary turn at the end of the cables so when you reach the end of the cables you need to turn up and 180 degrees south work up a short distance abd you will be on broken trail . If you are not use to snow travel wait several weeks and things will be beat in and you can follow the trough.

Chute is as always soft in the mid mornings and ice late afternoon again this area will take someone out before it clears, may not be fatal but they will have stories .

Ice picks and clampons ya bring' um
Best advice is have a plan stay in your group and know who or where the car keys are. Lets see if we can make this a safe year.

Looks like from recent dribble from Richardland and Ackichowland don't kick ice down on the folks below you. Thanks Doug

To add to what Doug Sr is saying, here's the view of the chute above Trail Camp to Trail Crest as of 04-27-2013 as viewed from Discovery Pinnacle



And here's the switchbacks as viewed from Mount Muir an hour later



The snow is melting fast, be safe on your glissade's and down climbs

Hi These shots plus the set by Peter will help. Thanks again Staggerlee for starting this thread Doug

Hi Storm late last week ,Thursday night Friday morning put a blanket of snow over the upper area so many were having trouble with the fresh snow Tracks are in now on both routes but expect snow and wet conditions for the next few days as this melts.

As an addendum to the entry of Doug Sr earlier today:

As of yesterday (Sunday May 12) no party was using the switchbacks up the Main Trail. The trail from Trail Crest to the summit plateau was almost entirely under snow. There was an excellent boot track from Trail Crest until the back of the Keeler Needle where it is fizzled out (or maybe I got off route).

Much warmer on the Mountain now. Enjoy.

Jim F

Hey all--
Great message board-- appreciating all the great information. Just checking to see what the most current information is for the main trail from Trail camp to summit plateau-- if anyone has current info or advice I would be greatly appreciative. Trying to figure out best option at this point in the season (ie. cables or chute) and what footwear is most recommended (i.e. crampons, microspikes, etc.). My 10 year old daughter and I are planning a three day climb begining on Thursday, May 23. Any info would be great. Thanks!!!

Here are a couple of photos showing the Sierra Crest a little to the south of Trail Crest:


May 11, 2013


May 18, 2013


As KW stated in his MR TR, the snow from last week's storm is disappearing fast.

My wife and I are climbing Whitney on the 12th. Does anyone have any updates on the trail conditions? Do I need my microspikes? Thanks!

I don't have first hand info, but people are reporting (to the Store) that they are able to make it without any gear now.

This is what The Switchbacks looked like yesterday morning from Thor Peak:

I went up yesterday with just boots an poles. The trail is mostly snow free all the way up. A couple of spots near the cables and on the summit plateau but they were manageable.

Has anyone been up the MT since 6/3? A TR reporting on the conditions now would be appreciated. Thanks.

descended the MT on 6/10/13 and only encountered a couple patches of snow near the summit plateau and on the switchbacks. all of the snow had a solid boot-track laid down and didn't pose any problems (even in skateboarding shoes) despite it being late in the day and starting to re-freeze.

I'll echo bran_daid - I did the MT on June 8th, and the snow is trivial. The cables had a wide-enough area of rock for solid footing. A couple of the corners of the switchbacks had a bit of snow, but easy to bypass.

Learned something new on this trip - the cell reception at the first window is excellent - 4G quality, at least for Verizon users. It has a clear view of Lone Pine, and perhaps that is part of the reason. I've always found cell reception on the summit spotty, but at this window it's solid.

Heading up 6-17ish maybe, is all the water flowing in the regular places, switchbacks etc?

Yes, it's flowing well.

The water was clean in the morning (06/25), but contained a lot of silt in the afternoon. I didn't have anything to use to strain the silt out, so I continued on down the mountain to find purer water.

I'm declaring Summer Conditions on The Main Trail. I took only 21 steps on snow on the way up the mountain, and they were trivial.

Start to keep your eyes peeled for incoming T-Storms soon.

Here are a couple of photos:


Randy on what's left of the summit snowfield.



Randy at The Cables.

FYI: There was a ranger checking permits and wag bags at Trail Camp yesterday.

Anyone know if there is flow on the lower switchbacks above Trail Camp now? How about the stream at Trailside Meadow? I've never seen it dry, but I just came back from Tuolumne Meadows and the rivers and lakes there are the lowest I've ever seen them and many of the streams are completely dry. Any feedback will certainly be appreciated.

BTW, Good to see they're checking permits. Otherwise the system just limits honest people!

z

We summited on August 13. At about 7:30 am on our ascent, the spring at switchbacks 23-25 was dry. Just dirt. No ice. No evidence that water had ever crossed those switchbacks. We couldn't hear water gurgling beneath the trail. At about 4:30 pm the same day on our descent, there was plenty of water at those switchbacks. Easy to get and totally delicious and making a lot of noise.