Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Whitney Trail Conditions

Hi Richard,
quite a day hike.. congrats. Question... do you ascend on the iceberg lake side or on the UBL side to get to whitney/russel pass. Not been up there before. How does it compare to Thompson's pass on Langley?
Thanks for your input. Keep up your inspiring hiking for us older guys. Be Safe, Rick

You can get over Whitney/Russell from either lake.
The terrain is a bit more difficult (my opinion) above UBSL, so I prefer the Iceberg Lake crossing.

Thanks Richard.... Hike Strong

Light dusting of snow across the Southern High Sierra …
I’ll let you know later today if it turns me around.

BTW. I’m pushing to 200. Want to get it done in my 50th year celebration year…
And 10 years after my disaster heading for 52…

First sticking snow last night , switchbacks got coverage and the chute on the north fork.

Quite a few people heading up this early AM so we might have some rescues this afternoon . 46 degrees in the portal so theupper elevation would be in the 30's the system started with light rain so expect a thin layer of ice under the light snow.

More people than I expected up on the mountain today...


Good conversation with some REI Guides who were on an end of season excursion (sans clients) from OV to Whitney.

I won't be going up without micro-spikes from here on out...

Here are a few photos:

Snow was good today, but my bet is icy tomorrow...

Was up on Sunday...
I used spikes, but many, many didn't...

Was up yesterday...
It's been fairly warm up on the mountain...
The best I'd describe it...the snow has been consolidated/melted to the point where there's plenty of rock exposed again and I didn't feel the need to break out the spikes.

Enjoyed plenty of interesting conversation up on the mountain and at the WPS...

DON'T CANCEL YOU TRIPS... (unless we get another storm...)

Ditto...
Conditions were nearly identical, even after this most recent storm...
There was evidence of new snow, but not even worth thinking about...
Although it was a beautiful summit day (10/24/22), it's obvious that temps are dropping...

Ran into RG at Trail Crest (I would have walked right past if he hadn't called out my name)...spent a bunch of time on the summit and then walked down (mostly together...he is still much faster than me on downhills...)

There aren't that many people on the mountain...
SO HOW COULD THERE BE 10 $%^&*() WAG BAGS LEFT BEHIND!!!!!!!!!!!!

My back hurts this morning...

I'm looking to be on the mountaineering trail Tuesday, 11/1. Anyone who's been up recently know are the current trail conditions still favorable? I'm an experienced hiker/climber but have not done Whitney. And the things I've read vary widely what the difficulty/conditions are.

Thanks,

In reply to the above post...look at the MR Conditions thread...Kurt Wedberg posted some great photos.


hallelujah!

I was not is such a $%#@!! mood yesterday...not a single abandoned WAG Bag was seen...I finally broke 5 hours as a Senior...I got one last Bacon Cheeseburger at the WPS (closing today).

As far as conditions:
-Another cool, but Fantastic day on the summit.
-Ice on the trail is not an issue if you keep your eyes open.
-Think about water low on the mountain...Mirror Lake outlet was the last running water I saw.

Main Trail Report (11/10-11)

Road: A bit of ice on the final switchback, parking lot covered with snow (up to ~8 inches). We helped tow a truck that got stuck.

Water: flowing at North Fork LPC, Bighorn Park, Mirror Lake outlet.

Trail: excellent booth path up to Outpost/Mirror. After that it gets deeper. Windswept snow has covered tracks for the most part. We got up to Trail camp (a couple of our group got up to 13.2 k). Snowshoes needed after Mirror Lake imo.

Beautiful out there!

Hey Socks you got all the classic points for this time of the year . Don't park in the lower lots as getting out is steep and snow over ice. Park facing down the road so as you leave requires no turning around. Snow above Mirror lake is the normal area to drift and collect , since your crew layed a track if everyone follows that same track a winter trail is established , and micro's or crampons will work, saves the slow going with snowshoes. I've tried running shoes and standard shoes and shortboard type all work but all have weak points, So the single track helps the next hikers. The chute this time of the year might not be stiff enough to stay on the surface and post holeing makes it very tough . Thanks for the update.

Rode thru Death Valley with the intention of trying Telescope, but there was too much snow for the time of day my climb would have started...

So, I headed over to Lone Pine and up to the Portal for some exercise...

Doug, there were a couple of DWP guys (working Bishop) at the WPS looking for some burgers...I told them you closed at the end of October and mentioned that they ought to stop at the Hostel to see if you were there...when I mentioned you're a retired Surveyor, they said you would have been based out of their office (Temple?).

I made it up to Outpost Camp in a couple of hours and was pleasantly surprised at how good the track was. (4 spots off-route - probably less than 50 yards of extra walking...)

Met a couple of guys who made it to The Cables and they said they set the High Point for the post-storm season. I'm guessing the traverse after the cable ends would be scary, considering how much snow there is. Don't know that there's been enough to make a climb up the chute/bowl anything less than a back breaker...and maybe an ankle buster.

Parked at the entry to the Overflow Parking Lot. Rode down past the switchback with my feet on the ground (about the only ice worth worrying about... Inyo had to have plowed the road). There were vehicles up at the top...someone knocked over the No Parking/Loading Zone sign...

Hi Everyone, Any recent updates on trail conditions? This Thanksgiving weekend I was planning on hiking up to Mirror Lake and then climb the south face of Thor Peak. Any recent beta on snow conditions, water availability, etc...? Thanks.

There haven't been any additional snow since the last time I was up there, so...

Unless a bunch of Yahoos went up and trashed the beautiful track (by trying to shortcut it), it should still be "easy" travel up to at least Outpost.

Don't know what route you're talking about when you say South Face...
But, the south side (unless you're talking SE Couloir) gets plenty of sun...

Thanks. I'll let you know after our hike/climb. We're going to shoot for the Southwest Slope of Thor (what Secor calls it). I'm hoping for enough sun and melt for scree/rock scrambling. We'll have our equipt (ice axes, crampons, etc...) just in case.

We went up to the Portal Saturday many cars in the lots and road is dry to the overflow lot . THIS could change with the storm moving in this week , very colds temps and calling for high wind and snow .

If you are planning a trip it is always best to wait until after a system moves in and out. Don't trust the reports of when , how cold and how much snow ,we have a strange weather area , storms may or may not hit our area , can be very little or feet when inches were forecast.

Add to the mix of unstable weather forecast is the zones one for the 4000-7500' then the mid range 8000-12000 and the 12000 to the summit , also the 13,500 west side of the ridge wind blown drifts and dry most often .

Next where we know the snow will drift and what the sun exposure will have on the snow plus the quality of the snow wet /dry and air temperature. Read a trip report from last week on the mountaineers route this details the chaning snow conditions ,above 12,500 knee to waist deep , then west side dry.

What are the chances that there would be too much snow to summit for a trip planned over Labor Day weekend? I have a trip planned with a friend right before he moved to Portugal with his family and his wife is trying to convince him to postpone the backpacking trip so they can head out early. He’s convinced to stay and do Whitney with me so long as snow won’t prevent us from summiting. To early to tell still? Is there ever been a big enough snow year that you couldn’t summit in early September?

2023 is a strange year. Snow is melting quickly due to the heat wave in part of CA. I would guess mid/late August to be the best time for a clear dry hike.(Usually it is clear by now but no luck ) If heat continues then early September should be ideal this year but I would look up the historical snowfall and make a call. Of course as normal daily weather could cause you to cancel. People go up most of the year so just decide your comfort level using proper equipment if conditions change. Good luck.