Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mt. Whitney via the Trail, June 19/20

Four of us climbed Mt. Whitney via the main trail. We had planned to take ice axes but no crampons for the snow slope to Trail Crest. At the last minute I decided to take crampons too. Happy we did.

The two or three switchbacks just past the cables still have snow, and look like they still shouldn't be tried unless you are very experienced with ice axe and crampons. However, conditions are changing rapidly (compare my pictures from four days earlier) and I bet people will be going up the switchbacks regularly within a week.

It was breezy and chilly, especially from Trail Camp on up. Only 12 people summitted on Monday (two via the Mountaineer's Route).

The suncups are getting to be a real pain.

We camped at the 11,000' level. Nighttime temperature dipped to the high thirties.

Pictures <a href=http://members12.clubphoto.com/robert634908/3376540>here</a>.

Hi Another set of great photos.if you expand #39 the rock band can help getting to trail crest, High winds all last night and today .still blowing in the Portal Thanks Doug

When are the contractors going up to fix the door?

Great photos Bob!

Thanks all for these updates - they are invaluable to newbies like me.

One question - what is a suncup? The only definition I've found is "A yellow flowered evening primrose (Taraxia, syn. [OE]nothera, ovata) native of California" and I suspect that's not what we're talking about.

- gregf

Sun cups are the way snow melts- sort of like a large waffle. In this pattern, about 1 1/2 - 2 feet across, these sections make walking in snow a real pain. The top edges appear solid- many are- but not entirely. The "holes" or center parts are usually much softer, and invite postholing. The worse part is that because of the difference in heights between high edges and low cups, sliding down is impossible.

Bad sun cups on the Whitney summit snowfield in July:

<img src="http://a7.cpimg.com/image/51/34/49244497-1f37-00F20167-.jpg"width=360>

Thanks for the pics. They really helped in planning our gear. See you all on the trail this Friday.

Hi Bob, many many thanks for post your pictures. You make climbing Mt Whitney more easy & fun. They are very helpful to newbies like me.
Thanks Perry

Absolutely great pictures, thanks. What did you shoot them with?