Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board DANGEROUS CONDITIONS on the Main Trail!

Well, things have dramatically changed. The near fatality on sunday prompted me to update this.

http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/35641/page/1#Post35641

The key factor now seems to relate to the changing snow through the day, dramatically changing conditions, as described in that thread.

The other main danger is still the glissade, and described below. Beware sliding down something you have not climbed up! You, too, may be caught by the band of ice partway down the chute.
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This is the time of the year, along with the fall, when a very dangerous condition is created on the Main Mt. Whitney Trail. If you go up this trail in May, and possibly June, you need to know of this "trap", that has caught many hikers, and been the cause of several tragedies.

The location is the steep slope next to the switchbacks, known to many as the "chute". When the trail fills in with snow, then turns to ice, it becomes nearly impossible to travel on the switchbacks, so people switch over to the Chute, which is a large snowfield adjacent. People will climb up this snowfield, which softens in the morning sun, then downclimb or glissade in the afternoon/evening.

This is the trap.

In the morning, this slope catches sun, and softens. It might even be possible to ascend without crampons. Once to the top, there is still two miles, largely hiking on ground (but right now in early May, still on snow), to the top.

HOWEVER, this slope moves into shadow in early afternoon, perhaps 1pm, and starts to freeze. It freezes from the bottom to the top, as the shadow starts soonest at the bottom.

So, you start down the slope, or more importantly, start sliding.
Partway down, when you are fully committed, the slope turns to HARD ICE. Without technical gear, it becomes virtually impossible to move. If you are sliding, the ONLY way to stop, is with an ice axe.

You MUST be off of the Chute by 2pm, unless you are a skilled mountaineer, with the proper tools, and experience on high-angle ice and frozen snow!

THE MAIN MT. WHITNEY TRAIL IS CURRENTLY A TECHNICAL CLIMB, WHICH REQUIRES TECHNICAL GEAR!!

Here is a website that describes some of the issues:

http://webpages.charter.net/mtwhitneyhiking/wintertools.htm

"You cannot self belay, self arrest nor brake a glissade with trekking poles and there are a couple of people who could tell you just that if they were still alive to do so. Unfortunately, these people died while attempting glissades from Trail Crest in June 2003 and October 2005, respectively."

If you are planning to do this trail in June, you should carefully monitor this board for when the switchbacks can be used, and this condition has passed. Until then, it is a technical climb which requires technical gear and experience in how to use it.

Ken, you had it right the first time. The two miles to the summit are still mostly snow-covered. It can also be deceptive. There have been many times where it has become compacted, very hard snow/ice, that require crampons to negotiate safely.

I classify this return to Trail Crest "hell on earth" under these conditons.

Excellent post. An issue of substance. A nice break from some of the chit-chat here.

I'm heading to climb the MR in three weeks and will be very, very carefull on my decent of the Main Trail. I can only assume that the trai around the cables will still be snow covered then. Extra caution will be taken to be able to enjoy and after climb burger and fries when I get back to Lone Pine that evening.

Thanks for the info.....

I have a question. I am hiking the Main Trail on June 9th and 10th. I will have ice axe and crampons. I know how to use them but I am by no means a "skilled mountaineer". If for some reason, I am not able to get off the Chute by 2:00 pm, would it be smart to set up camp somewhere above the Chute and wait for an early morning descent on the 11th (if the conditions look dangerous)? And how does that work in lieu of the fact that I have a 2 day permit? This might seem like a naive question but this post has got my attention!!!

Thanks, MC

There are no absolutes. I would be surprised if the majority are not using the switchbacks by Jun 9/10. If using the slope 2pm is a good idea but certainly people will be descending later than that. Conditions can vary greatly. The fact that you're considering options means you're thinking of "what if" scenarios and that puts you well ahead of those that simply descend blindly or are oblivious to conditions. Use your judgement. See what others are doing but don't blindly follow the pack. Don't do something that makes you feel uncomfortable. I wouldn't worry too much about the permit. Certainly the rangers don't want you to descend if the situation is dangerous. Generally speaking, descending with crampons on and ice axe out and ready is the safest option. Most accidents on the slope are the result of slips during descent without proper equipment or by out of control glissades.

-Rick

I too greatly appreciate this post...this is very useful information to me, as i do not classify myself as a 'Mountaineer' in any sense! My permit is for June 11th..., camping at trail camp that night and summiting on the 12th. Does it follow that if the switchback section ascending from trail camp to the ridge is open, then the remainder of the main trail to the summit is also open? If either or both sections are still closed, then i shall observe the summit from afar and return at a later date!

Cheers

Rupert

Yes, the trail on the western side of the Sierra crest will melt out first because of greater exposure to sunlight.

Thanks Richard, your web site is very useful in highlighting the recent conditions....i now have a clearer picture of the situation.

Rupert

Thanks for the response, Rick. I appreciate your information.

MC

Rick hits the situation exactly, (as usual)! There are no absolutes.

However, what that means is that one must use judgement, generally derived by experience, to decide what one should or can do. That is what I'd generally refer to as a proficient mountaineer. Anyone can read a book or buy gear, but knowing what to do....priceless!

Working as a volunteer ranger on another forest, I'd say that any ranger you encounter will praise you for taking care of yourself, and using good judgement to forestall an accident!

Thanks, Ken!

I was on the slope this past weekend. All I can say is God takes care of fools and the unprepared...most of the time.

Hi Do a search on Ice axe/ crampons , see how many topics are returned and how many times we have stated , Just because someone told you to get them , if you do not have the training , a gibon and a kazzoo would be as much help, waiting for the switchbacks to clear in the next several weeks is another trap, as the snow clears ice will be on the switchbacks and since this area is steeper and North facing will ice earlier than the chute, this now requires a quess at trailcrest at which decent route is safer, Old rule never climb into the fall, if the chute is taken stay, away from the butt tracks people are sliding down, traverse at a angle you can control your downclimb, Never Never Never think I will slide a little bit and stop, the snow/ice will be like a razor as you increase speed friction will freeze your contact areas and increased speed the bumps are like hitting rock walls and near the bottom is a very large boulder field that you will enter. If you are a risk taker the chance to slid down can be very strong, this is not mountaineering once the slope has turned to hard snow/ surface ice this is downclimbing as any climbing route,The ice axe will only be a tool after you have read the conditions and establish the course down.Thanks Doug

I was all set to hike up the MT the day they recovered the body of the guy back in Oct 2005, backed out at the last minute because weather reports that weekend called for 70 mile-an-hour gusts. The mountain will always be there; I made it up nine months later under better conditions.

Even expert mountaineer R.J. Secor can lose control while glissading.

http://angeles.sierraclub.org/news/SS_2006-01/RJSecor.asp

You were on the slope this last weekend? Did you summit? How
much snow at 13,000 do you know? Do we have to punch
through snow to get to the top during the last 2 miles?

thanks,

rj

I didn't want to comment, but seeing the drift back to questions about the conditions (by hikers, not climbers) Rick's comment about no absolutes needs to be underscored. Stating 2pm is as dangerous as implying that a single lesson with ax and crampons will make everything okay. The slope is not a place to "practice" new techniques.

I've come down the slope at 4pm with soft slush (because it was about 50 degrees out) and I've come down at 10 am at the halfway point after the temperature dropped 30 degrees and everything started icing up---instantly. I would like to say that if you don't have the experience, don't go, but that's not fair--and wouldn't make sense-- to many.

I was dayhiking the main trail the day before the man died in October '05. I had paused at the top of the slope as a small group was watching a bozo jump, slip and slide and tumble down. The "hikers" were trying to decide if they should do the same thing. I told them they'd get hurt, if not die, giving them the same spiel as above. I only had poles and didn't even consider it. One of them decided to go for it. I shrugged and left. Yep, he made it. Yelled back up "It's easy!" The two women decided against it. (I'm glad I have daughters.) So, plenty of tracks and slide marks to lure the next victim. Random reinforcement.

If anyone takes anything from this thread it should be this:

If you don't have the strength of character (and common sense) to turn around at any point, then you don't have the skills necessary to go up this or any mountain.

We saw a few groups get to the cables and head for the chute. The west side will require crampons, an axe and the skills to use them.

There is intermittent snow between Trail Crest and the summit. I used and axe and crampons for most of it going north just an axe on the way back. However, if it cold there is going to be a lot of hard ice on this section. It was easier this weekend than it will be in the near future.

Classic!



I think I know who you were talking about. They were on the summit joking about how unprepared they were.

The one woman did have nice legs though. (First shorts of the season that I've seen.) (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

This is the kind of info I've been looking for; I don't know why no one seems to have mentioned it. Probably because they don't want to tell others about an easier way to do things...

Will just any Kazoo work? I do have one, and am hoping not to have to buy another just for the trip. Mine is from Target in the $1 bin, but it works OK. I assume you play this as you glissade down the shoot, to make the trip smoother(?)

I don't have a gibbon, that will be a little tougher, but probably cheaper than an ice axe and lessons. What are they for, to carry your stuff?

P.S. I have a Gibson; it's a six string B-25, and works well with the kazoo; will that do instead of the gibbon, or is that what you meant in the first place?

Thanks for the info, this sounds a lot more sensible than getting an ice axe and crampons and a bunch of training when it's almost summer...

Sorry, it needs to be a climbing certified kazoo ... with a belay loop on one end. I don't know what the gibbon is for (are we talking monkeys?). Maybe that's to distract the mountain lions.



If you bring a kazoo you better know how to play it!

^ RK's second rule of mountaineering