Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Ice axe / crampons necessary?

Hi, all.
Based on what I've read on this board (Kurt W's and Skydiveken's input have been especially helpful) it would be safe to assume that ice axe and crampons are necessary for the MR or the main trail, yes? I don't want to be a Darwin Award finalist. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

Yes it would be wise to bring and carry both on both the mail trail and the MR.

Cheers,
Jeff Long

Thanks, Jeff.
I may hike only part-way up the mountain.

Just look around a little...

For example, this is from yesterday:



See 3 Novice Climbers Post...

There are some additional caveats in that posting that you should see about wind and weather this weekend...

The reason you carry an axe is to self belay or self arrest. You cannot self arrest or belay in the current conditions...there is not enough snow to sink the pick into. Long story short, unless it snows in the next couple of days an axe is useless in the current conditions.

You can also use the axe to cut steps into frozen snow of any depth. This might be quite useful, depending.

A couple times I've done exactly that at the upper end of the cables, cutting a small ledge so others can pass easier. No one has ever taken me up on my offer to pass by me before I finished

Cut steps into 2" snow and 1/4" ice? I guess, but personally, in those conditions, I would not haul an axe on a 22 mile RT day hike.

These are the type of conditions which existed last weekend, which does not account for another week's worth of traffic degrading the snow and ice and melt.

I don't mind carrying gear if it is need to make a trip successful but based on what I saw to 12,944' in the area last weekend, I would not haul an ice or crampons up the MMWT this coming weekend.

I guess it depends on who is with you. The last time I cut steps at the cables, I had my wife and kids with me. The ice was over a foot thick. Was it necessary? No. Did it make it more enjoyable for my family to go with me? Absolutely.

Would I carry ice axe and crampons right now? Maybe insteps and a potty trowel , total weight under a pound. If going at night, maybe more. If the weather changes, definitely something else. Or not. YMMV.

Well, I guess my point would be that one doesn't get to decide on the basis of what they see at 12k feet.....they have to decide in the parking lot. As we've discussed a lot, conditions can sure change quickly this time of year. Two inches of ice can easily become 10 in a couple of days, and wind can blow snow all over.

Very experienced people make these calls all the time, and have a basis for doing so. Less experienced people get caught up in what experienced people consider safe for themselves, not what a newer person would be safe upon.

Lots of room for decision-making, I think.

You are so correct, Ken. I have met people going up the main trail without any rain gear insisting it won't rain on them when I walked in the rain on the backside the day before. Often you can't even see what weather is coming, let alone the snow and ice on the trail.

FWIW, On the Lost camera thread Chuck said:

Our group of six summited Whitney on Wednesday, October 3rd.

As for trail conditions, they were snowy and icy from the start of the switchbacks to the peak, with a few bare dirt spots along the way. We did not have crampons, but we should have, so I would highly recommend them to anyone going up in the next few weeks.

I reached the summit at 11:45 am on Tuesday, 10/2/07. I probably did what is not recommended - use crampons without any prior training. But I was glad I did. Two of the three people who reached the summit before me did not have crampons, the third had those light coil threads one can wrap around the soles of one's boots. I spent some time practicing using crampons once the snow began at the lower switchbacks, and then wore them for the rest of the climb (except for the last part right before the summit where the snow was soft and deep, there was no exposure, and where I pretty much jumped from rock to rock). Once I got to the cables and the especially the switchbacks after the cables, I was very glad I had crampons. While I am sure they slowed me down, I took one step after another, very slowly and very deliberately, I also never worried about slipping or falling. I also carried my ice ax and was glad I did. While most of the people who were going up as I was coming down did not have crampons, and some joked about my crampons and ice ax, I personally was very glad I brought and used them. On my way up, as I was resting at Trail Crest, a guy came up from the switchbacks actually wearing tennis shoes. We spoke for a while and then I continued down towards where the Witney Trail and the John Muir Trail (?) meet. The conditions there were worse then on the switchbacks. I called up to the tennis shoe guy telling him he would be a fool to try it. He wisely turned around.
Bottom line: My recommendation, novice as it may be, would be to bring and use crampons and ice ax.
Hans

I am in agreement with your Ken. That is why when I went up the trail last Friday afternoon, I had an ice axe, crampons, extra insulation, extra mitts and extra hats all in the car. I made a lot of trailhead decisions about both gear and clothing. There isn't a trip I take where I do not bring extra stuff a lot with me for trailhead decisions.

If I were going up the MMWT this coming weekend, I would be not even bring the crampons or axe to Lone Pine based my previous week's experience in the area and knowing there was no snowfall since last Sunday.