Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Winter Access Forum Avalanches in the Whitney area

I have made a few wording changes to this paper and added some pictures. For the updated version (10 April 2006) <a href=http://www.ridgenet.net/~rockwell/WhitneyAvalancheAvoidance.pdf>click here</a>.

Avalanche avoidance is a topic that every Mt. Whitney winter traveler should be familiar with, and knowing where dangerous avalanches have occurred in the past is one of the tools.

Since I have been up there a fair amount in winter, I wanted to share some observations on avalanche areas I have noticed. But it would be a mistake to conclude that I know where every serious avalanche has ever occurred, and it would be foolhardy to believe that everything outside the areas I’ve noted is always safe.

Bob, thanks for the great info as always.

In the Spring of 2001(2? - I don't keep a log.), I did a day-hike part way up the Main Trail. When I returned in the afternoon, the point on your map (I think), noted as 1, showed some pretty severe damage from a wet-snow slide from the chutes above. It knocked down a few smaller trees below the trail, probably meaning that if someone happened to be there when it occured, they would have been injured. The only other slides that I have seen were small ones off the slopes of Thor. (Disclaimer: Don't take this to mean that I think that avalanches are rare in the Whitney.)

=====================================
<a href="http://piotrowski.smugmug.com">Smugmug Photo Albums</a>
<a href="http://www.mt-whitney.info">Mt. Whitney, The Sierra Nevada and Beyond...</a>

Great info! Thank you for posting.

Hi Bobs map areas 2,3,4,5, all went last year in April-May ,always stay away from Pinnacle Ridge and below the face of the mountain, some years just before Iceberg snow is unstable, Also as spring nears rocks peel day and night, starting snow slides.Stay in the center of the basins away from the fall line and have a plan , We get heavy wet snow in April -May and can dump 3-5 feet in hours walking out can be a danger . Thanks Doug

An interesting post as usual by Bob R. As an extension to the report I was wondering if Bob, Doug, or others can report on areas of Whitney Portal Road that have been subjected to avalanche deposits that might trap a car on up the road someplace. The thought has always been in the back of my mind when I have parked high during snow season. Could be a lot of digging to get home or worse!

Hi We had a slide (rock ,snow ,dirt) that blocked the road on the second switchback several years ago spring time melt may have started it, other years we see trees and water run off crossing the road at "new locations". I talked to a guy one year that was snowed in at the Meysan area parking ,I ask if he needed help and he said he was on vacation and had a week to get out, next trip I went up he and the jeep were gone .We know of people stuck so bad that a wheel loader and snow cat was used to get them out. Thanks Doug

Since this thread was mentioned in another recent post, I thought I'd add a couple of comments:

No. 1 on Bob R's map slid again prior to the MLK weekend. There was quite a bit of additional snow in the Carillon Creek drainage.

The slopes above the Portal Road near the top of the switchbacks slid, taking out a couple of small trees.

A little farther up the road, there have been a couple of spots where huge boulders have crashed down onto the road. This spring is going to be interesting for the road crews.

=====================================
<a href="http://piotrowski.smugmug.com">Smugmug Photo Albums</a>
<a href="http://www.mt-whitney.info">Mt. Whitney, The Sierra Nevada and Beyond...</a>

Bob R, excellent write-up on Whitney's avalanche areas and your personal experience! Thanks for posting this important, possibly life-saving information.

Today I received the Winter 2006 issue of The American Alpine News. The last page lists AAC members who died in 2005, and last on the list was Christine Seashore. She and another person, skiing with five others, perished in that March 27 avalanche on Mt. Tom. The last sentence reads

"The accident, which also resulted in a second fatality and another party member with a broken leg, was the first avalanche fatality in the eastern Sierra in about 10 years." (italics mine)

that accident occured the same day that sierragator got caught in an avalnche - fortunatety he faired much better

Because it validates a belief of mine. From my article: “I personally think that the avalanche danger in the Sierra Nevada—for the objectives and routes that attract mountaineers—is low, especially in springtime.”

I have to be very careful here. I don't want anyone to conclude that they can never be caught in an avalanche, that they can charge into any area believing that they are perfectly safe. On the contrary, I pointed out slopes in the Whitney basin that are particularly dangerous, and if anyone happens to be there at the wrong time, they will die. But avalanches have an element of probability about them, like car accidents, and I personally think that Sierra mountaineers shouldn't be paranoid about them.

Some of the things that may help keep the numbers low include: the skills that we learn in avalanche courses, the transformation of springtime snow into the familiar “Sierra Cement,” the belief that winter conditions tend to keep novices out of the Sierra. Also, many of us know where past avalanches have occurred, and so minimize time spent in those areas in the future.

So be aware, be alert, be conservative, but don’t be paranoid. And let’s hope that the data continue to tell us that avalanche fatalities are rare in the eastern Sierra.

Any estimate of how many times each year people go skiing in areas in the Eastern Sierra that aren't patrolled for avalanches?

I haven't done any snow hiking or backcountry skiing but I think I might do it sometime. In general I try to use a 1 in 1000 criteria for risk avoidance, i.e. if the chance of death or permanent disability is greater than 1 in 1000, I don't do it. For cases where it is less than 1 in 1000 but more than 1 in 10,000, I use these "coupons" sparingly.

There have to be at least several deaths per year. Most recent I can think of was just a week or 2 ago. Experienced skier with others (ie she was with the ski patrol at either Mammoth or June) died, I believe in an area around Rock Creek (I may be off on this, but it was south of the resorts, and closer to Bishop area if I recall). Regards, Keith

It's a bit north of Whitney, but last year's avalance that reconfigured the terrain at the 4th creek crossing of the Shepherd Pass Trail would have certainly gotten the attention of anyone there at the time. Seeing the mass of sizable tree limbs jumbled and broken like match sticks gave a real appreciation of the forces involved.

Hi A group out of Bishop posts a snow condition report about once a week, check with Wilsons or the Bardini folks,
A follow up on Bobs comments in the Whitney area we have very active slide areas these tend to be off traveled ways/ base of pinicale ridge base of Keller just above outpost camp to the south and onward to trailside meadow, lower Boyscout Lake coming from the scree field of Thor, and my concern , spring conditions cause rock fall and the rock fall brings down the snow best example can be seen on the Portal Road ,South Facing slopes are melting now and causing movement.
A guide group out of Bishop plans a traverse from Cottonwood to Keasearge the last several years and have bailed due to unstable snow conditions. \
This year may repeat several years ago where we had early snow and a long melt/freeze cycle and then heavy late spring snow, we had slides in areas that were traveled, I recall going to LowerBoyscout lake area to check conditions and found fresh slides one that touched the boulder field as you leave the tree area. Thanks Doug

Once I was walking down the street and a kid had climbed all the way up a tree and dropped an ice cube on my head. It hurt and it was cold when I picked it up...I can't even imagine what it must be like to be trapped under an avalanche.

From the article:

"The main purpose of this essay is to relate what I have observed about past avalanches in the Mt. Whitney area, in the hope that people who venture up there will learn the areas to avoid and the areas which are (relatively) safe."

Toward the end:

"Note that I'm just providing past personal observations—not suggesting that everything outside the red zones is always safe. For example, until 2003 I had not been aware of a serious avalanche in zone 4, so an earlier version of this map would not have shown it."

The final paragraph:

"Generally speaking, the popular winter and spring climbing routes to peaks in the Mt. Whitney basin are pretty safe. But saying something is pretty safe is not saying it is perfectly safe. Learn as much as you can about avalanche hazards and avoidance, be alert and observant, and take a longer path around or retreat if you sense that the conditions are not quite right."

If those are irresponsible statements, I am sorry. My key point was to share some of my past observations, but I cannot control how people will interpret what they read. I did include some conclusions and suggestions, which I do not do often, but the main purpose was to share data.

I would like feedback on Steve's concerns vs. what I thought I was saying. If my article gives an impression that I did not intend, I will remove the entire thread.

Given the likelihood that that will happen, those who want to make a copy should do so now.

Removed by BeachAV8R