Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Questions on Gear and what to expect in mid June

Hello, A buddy and I have permits for 6/14 and 6/15. I have done Whitney before two years ago during the month of July in dry conditions. Could someone please answer the following questions?

What kinda clothes should I wear on the hike and then wear to the summit ?

What degree sleeping bag should I bring ?

Will there be snow at trailcamp ?

What time should we leave from portal to trailcamp?

What time should we leave from trailcamp to summit ?

We are renting crampons and snow axes from REI. How important is it to pratice in the snow and ice before we leave. We live in S. Calif. Any recommendations where to practice?

Thanks in advance.

Welcome back, Crystal!

Now, now, Jeff... this is supposed to be an open forum where questions are encouraged and answered...

But they forgot the most important question:

"If something floats by me while I'm pumping water at Trail Camp Poond, is that a problem??"

Only if it is a Moose wearing an orange jacket.

How are your swimming skills Laura? Oh I forgot you were a triathlete so you swim well.

What kinda clothes should I wear on the hike and then wear to the summit ? Comfortable ones,probably colder ones on summit day. Really no way to tell what the weather, temperature, and trail conditions will be like in 3½ weeks, keep watching weather report.

What degree sleeping bag should I bring ?0,5,10,15,20,25,35°F Really depends on if you are a cold sleeper or warm sleeper, and if it's great weather or a spring blizzard.

Will there be snow at trailcamp ? Sources point to maybe, plan for it, be happy if there's not.

What time should we leave from portal to trailcamp?As early as you can

What time should we leave from trailcamp to summit ? Depends on the snow level, pretty darn early though...

We are renting crampons and snow axes from REI. How important is it to pratice in the snow and ice before we leave. We live in S. Calif. Any recommendations where to practice? More important than practice is training, can you get a class?

I also have a natural life preserver built into my a$$...

Now where IS that orange two-piece...

Let's see...

Clothes...Consult NOAA the day before you leave, then choose.

Bag...I'll have my 15* F with me a couple of days later at 11,000'

Snow at Trail Camp...Whatever remains will not be an issue. The slope or trail above it will be.

Time...it depends, if you want to be on the summit at dawn, pretty damn early. If you want to get back so you can do the 1,000' glissade, early enough to get back before the chute shades and ices. Without more information a more specific time is impossible.

Renting of crampons, axe and practice...It's just a smidgen late for practice in SoCal, don'cha think.

How likely is it that you'll slip and fall and need to self arrest on the MT, esp this time of year? I've never been to the Mt., and am heading there Memorial Day weekend. We are renting crampons and axes, and while I've hiked in snow before, I've never used or been trained with the axe. Watching videos is about as good as it's been for me.

The fact that you will carry an ice axe means that the possibility of falling and needing it exists. It's kind of like, how likely is that I will crash my car on the way to Lone Pine and need to use my air bags?
The answer is that you need the equipment to be fully operational. My opinion is that you need to know the basics of self arrest and should practice them in advance of being a situation where they might be a necessity.
Believe me, if in a position to need to self arrest, you will do everything within your power to pull it off. Knowing what you need to do and why - plus having done it a few times will go a long way towards ensuring success.
Two summers ago my nephew lost his ice axe while glissading below the Palisades. He had his ski poles lashed to his back pack and was able to reach around and pull the business end of the poles forward and arrest. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Rule one though - never let go of your ice axe!
Rule two - enjoy the outdoors!

Thanks ClimbSTRONG! I see your point - makes sense. Not having planned this trip soon enough to take a training class on self-arrest, I've been watching videos and plan to spend time practicing those techniques above Trail Camp before we attempt to summit the next day. Hope that'll be good for something!

I think that plan is a good one.
I am taking some first timers to Whitney next weekend and will do the same with them. They have watched the videos. There is one video by a British fellow who says keep your feet in the air. Then Ed Viestur's video says dig in your toes. I advocate the "dig in toes" method. Once in a steep gully on Thunderbolt I slipped and forgot about my toes. I buried my axe, but it was just ripping through the soft snow and I was a virtual tobogan on my belly. As I slid into and took out my son climbing below me, he yelled "Dad, dig in your toes!". I did, I stopped, he shook his head, we continued.

I have read other posts about people who broke their ankles when their spikes got caught in the ice while sliding. I guess like for you, if you have to, do it.

Are you doing the hike in a day, or planning to camp overnight? We'll be at Portal Thursday night, Trail Camp Friday & Saturday nights. Perhaps we'll see you!

-Renee

MartiniGal,

People have broken their ankles and I have severely sprained mine glissading, not self arresting or self belaying. It is an act of stupidity that I confess to. I did it once, and once was enough for me not to do it again.

If you glissade from Trail Crest, you mostly likely will self arrest to end a glissade that has either tired your arms or has gotten too fast. Knowing how to self arrest is not just for falls.

One thing, the videos and a few hours on a slope will not teach is how to recognize what is safe and what is not, that only comes with experience.

Great point about glissading, crampons and self arresting. The crampons should definately come off before glissading! And the way to stop a glissade is to roll over and self arrest.
Another anecdote: When coming down from Mt. Sill last summer my son insisted on glissading, which I generally discourage, especially in this situation where the slope continued to steepen and you could not see the bottom because it was tucked under the falling away slope. He was getting so far ahead that I finally had to follow suit. I would get going wildly, hair-raisingly fast, then roll over and self arrest. As I approached my son, he took some video of my risky behavior. When we got home I couldn't wait to show friends and family my frantic sliding down the treacherous slopes.
Funny thing, in the video I would hardly get moving before I would roll over and put a halt to the action! I did this 3 or 4 times. Not sure where that video was shot. Maybe his camera was stuck on slow motion? Anyway, that was the end of my showing off.

Over Memorial day we will climb up the Mountaineer's Route on Sunday, staying the night at Upper Boy Scout Lake, then summit and return for burgers on Monday. Doug better be open on Memorial Day!

For the record...I was at Baldy last weekend and there was more than enough snow to practice on. Coming up the ski hut trail the final approach still had a fair amount of snow.

I also stayed up in Icehouse Canyon over the weekend and there were still a few slopes I went over that you could practice on. In fact it snowed overnight and on Sunday. Not a substantial amount, but enough to let you know it's still cold up there

I'll be up at Whitney on the 6th. Can't wait

I'll second SoCal here ... still several feet of snow/ice above 9000' on San Gorgonio. Assume it's the same for San Jacinto.

SoCal John,

Do you know what was going on at Ice House last saturday, the parking lot was packed.

There might be a bit snow around but we are dealing with folks who are renting rather than buying these tools.

My guess is there is some stuff up between Bighorn and Ontario Peaks but big question getting to it, which involves knowing where these spots are and a comfort level with off trail route finding. I've been up in this area the last two weekends and there is a big difference in snow cover between 5/15 and 5/22. Therefore, I expect a lot more melt between now and this coming weekend.

The chutes at San G are most likely the best place left in SoCal but this involves some off trail work to get to.

As for Baldy, I personally wouldn't go near it with a 10' ice axe. There was a ton rock fall coming off that thing 6-8 weeks ago when I last went up the bowl.

If you are going practice with these brand new never used tools, it would be prudent to do so with a climbing helmet firmly affixed to your noggin just in case you lose control.

The parking lot is always packed. Most Saturdays during the summer if you are not there by 7 AM the only parking available is Mt. Baldy Rd.

A wilderness experience is still available here if you come early. I saw very few people beyond the one mile marker and no one from the time I left Icehouse Saddle until returned to it from Cucamonga Peak Saturday. The previous week, I saw a grand total of two hikers beyond our group doing the 3Ts.

I have been hiking Mt Baldy via the ski hut the last 4 weekend and never saw it look like it did last weekend.

Mark