Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board 2025

I watched the Timelapse for the 14th...near the end, Thor is completely covered in snow...Dang...it's only the 16th of October (over here)...
Early Winter? Big Winter to come???

Predictions are calling for a light La Nina year according to the report I saw yesterday...

Some snow pics from today if anyone is curious about trail conditions. Below Mirror lake is melting fast. There's boot pack to the summit. The switchbacks are the most re-drifted into the existing boot pack but still very passable. Above along Trail Crest has solid boot pack. Summit boulder field boot pack cuts right to the summit bypassing the big square switchback.

Went overnight 10pm summited at 6am. Snow was squeaky and grippy with 1/4 inch of powder drift on top, perfect. Melting / freezing beginning around Mirror lake and below.

https://imgur.com/a/d4eLOfM

I'll try direct linking

That looks so cool...
You trying to catch that Woman FS employee with the hundreds of Summits? :-)

John,

Thanks for the report. I am always looking for a window of opportunity to do another hike before the Season is over. I live seven hours away from Mt Whitney, so rely heavily on the Webcam to make assessments. Getting your "boots on the ground" report really helps.

Keep posting if you make more ascents.

Jim

Haha, what's the story there?

I just love the place like all of us. It's the closest, highest, most accessible place and as scenic as it comes. The popularity kind of guarantees that someone will push through any weather to get their summit and make a trail. No other 14er in the Sierra had a footpath through the snow to the summit Sunday.


For sure, hope it helps. More snow coming today and at the end of the month, but if it stays clear and cold it should remain comfortably passable as people keep hiking.

Sort of tumbling the idea of trying every month through winter this year (if it becomes a light snow cheater year for fairweather people like me, hah).

Doug could chime in with a full name...I think her name is Diane and while she was stationed on Whitney, she was on the summit more than 400 times...
We often teased Crazy Jack with: "You're never going to catch her..." but, I do think he's well on his way to 300...and I'd be interested in hearing how many Jim has...?

Paul ought to like this one:

https://www.backpacker.com/news-and...alendar-year-triple-crown/?scope=initial

Richard, a monthly trip seems like a worthy achievement, but not to outdo that guy who did it 52 weeks in a row. Some of us remember......

I see a "lot of me" in John...
It started out with a Love of Whitney...
Morphed into wanting a climb of Whit in each month...
Then it turned to a Day-Climb in every month...
(when I found out it was something Bob hadn't done...)
Then some guy (no caps 'cause I ain't takin' about Bob) sent me a message in Autumn '11 telling me it was going to be a weak winter...
Thus started that Quest for a Climb-A-Week...
Which almost killed me during Climb 52...

It's since been done again (and maybe more) by a McCoy...(he was cool enough to contact me to let me know he'd hit 52 and was wondering if it would bother me if he kept going...of course, I said heck no...keep it going until you get stopped by conditions...)

These days my only remaining risks seem to be more about riding motorcycles (including in "war zones"), rather then climbing on Rock, Snow and Ice...


BTW, the Kawi Crash Count is up to Six...they've got this stuff that reminds me of Powdered Sugar and if you don't hit it with Speed, you're going to Fold The Front End...thank goodness, you tend to lose what remaining speed you have real fast when this happens...thus no Injuries...

Really cool stories to hear. It's a fun place. I don't have that volume of repetition but I've accumulated some good time on the mountain arriving from a bunch of directions but not all of them. I wish the EB ledges didn't block me.

I've had fun with big combo days otherwise. Whitney from main trail, then over to Hale, and Young and back in a day was really nice. My favorite has been Whitney main trail then on the way back going around the top of the whole Hitchcock cirque from Discovery pinnacle down to Crabtree camp then back up Whitney again via JMT and down to the portal in a day. I've done that clockwise and another time counter clockwise and prefer clockwise as described. It's cool to see the mountain from a lot of different perspectives in a day.

Again, I wish the EB ledges didn't block me or I could loop around the whole mountain via Whitney-Russel pass. That would be really interesting to feel in a day.

What is it about the E-Ledges that bother you? If it's a Technical Issue, there are a bunch of people on the board that are good Teachers...(I got Grad Level Credit for Teaching Rock Climbing as an AI at Long Beach State back in the '70s...) Shin is a Zen Master Instructor...and talking Philosophy with him is a blast...many others...a day of Class 5 for Basic Technique would make Class 3 seem simple...and it really opens your eyes to route-finding...if that's the issue...

Heading up the NF opens up Whitney/Russell for the Arctic...(What I call Around Whitney) Russell/Carillon opens up Wallace Creek...an alternate for that is Suicide Col...not to mention the MR...Also, on the other side: Meysan to Green Pass...a really cool way into the Miter Basin...

LOL

Hiker Dies on Mount Whitney After Falling Off Cliff in Winter Conditions


My hiking partner and I summitted Monday 10/27. I believe we were the only day hikers to summit on Monday. We monitored this site, Youtube comments on John's videos, Mountain-Forecast, and AllTrails trail condition posts to get an idea of how to prepare. This was my first time hiking Whitney and first time in what could be considered mountaineering conditions. Based on upcoming forecasts it does appear to be on the warmer side and pretty good conditions at least the next week. But things of course can change. I wanted to post this as we encountered several people who asked whether they needed spikes, conditions, how snowy it was and whatnot.

1. Microspikes are essential equipment. We brought microspikes for snow, and nanospikes for ice. 75% of the trail is snow covered. The other 15% has ice (from Outpost Camp to Trail Camp more or less), and the first1-2 miles was clear. For our summit, I don't think full-blown mountaineering crampons were necessary. There was a decent boot path established but this can change with the snow drift. Microspikes seemed fine. We came across a through hiking couple coming down the switchbacks in snow shoes. Snow shoes appeared to be very difficult to contend with and I would strongly advise against.
2. Trekking poles or ice axe - for our duo I carried poles and my parter carried an ice axe - I think both had their advantages. The poles were great for stability and testing for the boot path on the switchbacks and the western side. Axe was great for stability and leverage.
3. When layering, consider waterproof boots, and some sort of weatherproof or Alpine pant. My partner wore just a weatherproof base layer for the ascent.

The snow appeared to soften up as the day progressed. On our ascent, the snow was harder and easier to traverse. On the way back down, it was basically powder on the switchbacks.

Hey MC great report and photos . When I read the snowshoe hint I thought not if when one would trip and fall.
Store closed Sunday night and we shut the water off late Wednesday so no water in the Portal , bathrooms may stay open a few more days but I wouldn't expect to find them open after the First of Nov.

,I am sure many have read the reports of the accident last Saturday, we had hoped enough preloading and hints that the trail conditions are changing and no longer a dry trail , with a system that went through on the 14 th , we had 6 inches at the Portal but above strong winds kept covering the boot tracks on the upper elevation .
The cable area and the last long switch back to trail crest always holds snow and ice longer both areas are north facing (Shadow/little sun ) and the cable area somewhat steeper if one slips.

The set up during this period it is 90 in LA 60 at the Portal and 4 miles up the trail you are entering full winter conditions without the base of enough snow to use the normal gear, boulders not covered and people making false tracks that take time to back track and find the best boot track to follow. Sunday the quota permit season ends and but a permit is still required that you get on REC.gov ,

Look at MC's photos of the trail camp area and the slope showing the rocks exposed that would be covered with a strong deep base , also notice the shadow in the area of the cable area and the area at trailcrest.

Can you do the mountain as a day hike NOW ? conditions mean slower travel , colder upper elevation and less daylight hours so the travel surface will change during the day as MC talked about. To Mirror Lake seems many are turning around some going as far as the switchbacks before turning around and some at the start of the cable area. I talked with a couple that went to Mirror Lake yesterday it took about 6 hours round trip that would be about 8 miles turn that into slower above and the return in the dark would mean a trip of about 16 to 18 hours .

I don't have trouble scrambling anything people call 3rd class in the Sierra. There's nothing technical about the e ledges and route finding is easy especially somewhere so popular and traveled. Heights aren't a problem either.

I'm not interested in exposure, there's a difference. There is legitimate exposure. I've stood on it and lost interest and went and done other things. I skip summit blocks left and right. I'm not drawn to it.

Heights I love though. Bivy spot on top of East Vidette here was a favorite, I'd bivied Center peak the night before.

As an Old Fart, I worry about the Ledges each time I do them now (not very often) due to my balance sometimes failing me at the most inopportune moment…my “grandson” watch in horror as I toppled over on the Kawi right at the front gate a couple of weeks ago…a Zero MPH crash that banged up my left elbow…

I also fell off a rock on one of the very, very minor stream crossings last summer…

I had a sneaking suspicion. Well played, sir.

Morning this is off topic but looking for any info on Shepards Trail and Shepards Pass up to Tyndall. Is Anville creek frozen or is the river running and how is Tyndall? I'm assuming a full Mountaineering climb. Thanks in advance for info should be heading up this Sat early to beat wether next week. Have a great day.

Checked the Portal on the 12 th warm in the Portal mid 50's not a good sign , these warm temps at the lower elevation can give a false sense of conditions above. About 20 cars in the lots , some parked in the lower lots and can get snowed in , road signs put up Portal road is now closed for the season , the mid gate could be locked soon so will be a wait and see.

The system moving in now will change all reports from the last few days , snow will cover the tracks and trail and wind will cause drifts , looks like unstable conditions for the next week at least.

Several rescues recently and one recovery , very sad that this pattern repeats each spring and fall. I was down at Baldy over the week end and we talked about the same cycle on Baldy . The range of experience levels and gear are factors but anyone can slip and fall , be caught off guard as conditions change during the day , just add to your bag of tricks the thought of not if -when , every step should be tested and every route choice should be questioned for conditions .We often are our worst enemy I know many times saying to myself That was a stupid choice or act.

Keep watching the webcam for snow coverage and do the replay to see how the system has moved in or out