Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Snow/Ice $ Alternate Descent

Reading about the extra snow accumulation in the Sierras this season has brought up some issues for my trip to Whitney and Russell during the first week of July.
My partner and I plan to camp at IBL and climb 5th class routes on both Whitney and Russell. I have read that there will very likely be snow/ice on the mountaineer's route, which is our planned descent route. I wold like to leave my axe and crampons at home if at all possible. Is there an alternate descent from Whitney that would not require such gear?
On Russell, will I likely need an axe and crampons to get down or is there a better way?

Thanks for the help...

I would highly recommend ice axes for the descent from the summit to "the notch" on the Mountaineer's Route. They will also probably be helpful in the lower parts of "the couloir." You should be able to forego crampons, however, given that you will be descending in the afternoon. If--because of overcast or whatever--the snow isn't as soft as expected, you have a rope to make the descent safely.

For Russell, if you descend the South Face East Side, there should be no snow until you get close to Whitney/Russell Col, and then you should be able to just walk through. You will be able to see most of the route from Whitney.

As always, pay attention to the reports close to your trip. A cold snap could return things to winter-like conditions on short notice. To be conservative, you could take crampons to IBL and make the decision on the spot whether to take them up from there.

There are other descent routes, but I wouldn't recommend them.