Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Conditions: HSM - NAP - Langley - Whitney?

I and a friend, from MS and LA respectively, are flying in to hike Whitney. Our plan is to go from Horseshoe Meadow (HSM), New Army Pass (NAP), Langley and then either the Miter Basin off trail, or do PCT to the JMT and then up Whitney, and exit the main trail to the Portal. We are camping at HSM Friday night (9/28) , and then hiking in on Saturday, and hopefully exiting via main trail on Tuesday (10/2).
With the new snow, does anybody have any information as to the conditions on the Western side? I assume more snow fell there than on the Eastern side.
Also, is there snow on the switch backs? Are crampons advisable at this point for that part of the trail (or any other portion)?
I would appreciate any advise and updates as to the current conditions. I am hoping for clear and cool (cold) perfect late fall / early winter weather without precipitation. But, I am also realistic. If it is too much snow and or ice on the switchbacks (or any other portion of the hike), does anyone have any suggestions for alternate hikes? I was thinking maybe do the Cottonwood Lakes for a couple of nights. Do the Golden Trouts bite in the winter?
Hans

I am also looking for conditions this week on the Whitney trail. We will be hiking up to Trail Camp on Thursday and hopefully going to the summit and back to the Portal Store on Friday. So we will be watching this board to see if crampons will be necessary - how fast will that snow melt when it is sunny and 40F?

Steve J

We are going up to Lone Pine Peak this coming weekend. The extended forecast is clear with highs in the 60s during the day mid-20s at night.

Our plan is to bring extra gear, including ice axe, crampons and mountaineering boots; and clothing to the trail and make those type of decisions there.

If you are worried about crossing NAP, go over Cottonwood Pass and summit Cirque instead. The route is pretty straight forward. Climb out of Chicken Spring Lake area and continue on the PCT until the slope on your right opens up, then head cross country to the high spot. After summiting take most direct route back to the PCT and continue on to the Miter.

Maybe we'll see you all on the trail or at the Portal.
It seems like it may be more slush than ice if it does warm up during the day. But, I also assume that if that is the case, a cold snap will turn it icy quickly. Think we'll bring the winter gear just in case it gets cold when we are two days out.
I'll post our trip report once we make it back.
Hans

Hans
I was up at HSM on Thursday and Friday last week. We hiked to Cottonwood Pass and the snow was less than 2 inches...the worst of the conditions was the wind. The weather this weekend is forecasted to be clear and cool.

Cottonwood Lakes is a good alternative to Whitney, however, I would not give up on a Whitney summit. Bring crampons just in case. And yes, the golden trout are still biting...a bit slower than in the summer.
Ed

P.S. I would hike from HSM to Cottonwood Lakes to Langley (up over old army pass)and then on to Whitney. This route is a bit shorter than the route through New Army Pass.

Sounds like not much snow through Friday last week. We were going to head up to the lakes on Friday-Sunday, but bagged the idea due to the weather forecast.
Wonder if Saturday and Sunday dumped more.

Any word on road conditions up to HSM? They tend to close that road if there is any snow at all.

A friend of mine spoke with the ranger today and she stated that the road to HSM was open and that most of the snow from last week will be melted by this weekend.
Ed

Thanks for the update.
Slight chance of snow (40%) tomorrow night into early Saturday....or that's what the forecast is.

I'll be going up LeConte and Corcoran this wkend. Have fun on Lone Pine Pk! I hope the weather remains calm. I also don't plan to bring axe and crampons.

without snow Lone Pine Peak is a slog up scree - I enjoy spring conditions where I can crampon up from Grass Lake and then glissade back down - with ice axe of course- let's hope for a good winter for better spring conditions next year.