Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Winter Summit?

I am new here. Not looking for flames just have a few questions.

Is it possible to summit Whitney during winter?

Has it been done before?

And If so what would the conditions be like?

More improtantly, will they let us up in a small storm?

It's possible, but dangerous.

I know quite a few folks who summitted Whitney during winter. It is definitely doable via any routes. MR may be a great route for that since it will turn into a steep snow couloir. Obviously, you will need to be experienced with steep snow travel and ice axe/crampon use.
Nobody is going to stop you if you decide to go, but be careful. Scaling a California 14-er, even the easy one like Whitney, is a serious task for experienced climbers during winter months.

Good luck!
Misha

You can do this if you have the right experience and equipment (and know how to properly use it). You should have enough food and shelter to last through a bad storm, since they can come up very quickly in the winter. Obviously, you need to be prepared for cold. In addition to knowing how to use an ice ax and crampons, you need judgment about avalanche conditions. You will need to be self-reliant, since there is a good chance that you will not see anyone else on the mountain (depending on day and route).

Snapps, it is "doable" but I have never personally spoken to anyone who has done it. My team tried in January 2001 under the name of Operation "Cannibal." We had 5 members in two tent teams. We parked at the Alabama Hills Hotel (climber friendly) and shuttled as far a Jeep could get us. From there we broke trail to the Portal and made Camp 1. It was 12F at night. We moved up to 2/3 of the way to Outpost Camp and made Camp 2 on the trail. It was 8F at night. At that point our pathetic progress stated we had NO chance for the summit. The powder snow was so powdery that snow shoes still sunk very deep and therefore did not give a whole lot of an advantage. Another team came up the following week and thanked us for breaking the trail but even they did not make the summit. The solitude and beauty was worth every step but it was NOT easy. As for permits, you simply issue one for yourself. For details and photos see summitpost.com and look at "Whitney In Winter" under "Chucky." If you are really ready, GO FOR IT!

I made it to the top in Jan of 2002. The Mtrs Route is the way to go. The traverse from Trail Crest to the top can be very exposed depending on the amount of snow you encounter. Remember, there is no trail... There are some pictures of the traverse on this site:

http://members12.clubphoto.com/robert634908/943486/guest.phtml

titled: 1997-02-21 On the back side

Remember, Whitney in the winter is not for newbies... I've been up there with 60mph+ gusts and temperatures below 0 (not including windchill).

The hike usually starts between 6000 and 7500 feet depending on conditions...

Winter is my favorite time of the year...

During the winter of 2002, when I was joking about catching up with Bob Rockwell, I did five one-day ascents up the Mountaineer's Route. (These ascents followed a failed attempt over a two day period where we were nailed by horrendous weather.)

The point I'm trying to make is that there are periods of good weather during the winter that can make a summit attempt less than an ordeal.

BUT, you need to make sure that you have the skills necessary to deal with a snow/ice/rock climb.

My favorite time of year to climb Whitney is in the April-May time frame. By this time the snow has usually firmed up, and the weather is warmer, making for excellent climbing.

BTW: I'm coming down to California this weekend to finish off The Cycle - an ascent in every month of the year (I hope. I haven't been to altitude in several weeks and haven't worked out in quite a while.)

It's a fantastic adventure if you're prepared. At times we had the mountain all to ourselves. Other times, we shared with other mountaineers that were always cool. Solid advice from everyone and I agree that late season is better.

Hey Chucky, I was in the other team on Whitney back in 2001. We turned back a couple of other times due to weather but we finally made it up the MR. Now you know someone that made it.