Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Whitney Col difficulty (aka Whitney-Russell Pass)

Can anyone give me a feeling or description on the difficulty of this pass? According to Secor, it is class 2. I'll be hiking with at least a 40 lbs pack and class 2 is fine, but class 3 or greater is not....just wanted to confirm the difficulty with the pass or the approaches from either side. Any help is much appreciated.

Not a problem... it's legitimately class 2. There are a few looses spots and several "use" trails to choose from. Examine them as you go but none of the options should pose much difficulty.

When are you going? This slope tends to hold snow in for a while. Depending on when you go you may find yourself post holing a bit. The snow in the Sierra is very soft right now with the warm temperatures and is not holding body weight very well in places where it hasn't consolidated. The far left edge of this picture with the sunlight on it shows the slope on April 22. That's Iceberg Lake at the bottom of that slope.

It's easy. No problem with a pack.

If you've got Secor's book you already know this, but just to clarify, Whitney Col (W-R Pass) is not the low point between the two peaks. Approaching from the west, you can be tempted to take the lowest notch between the two peaks, which feeds into a whole lotta trouble.

If coming from the west, be sure you see iceberg lake underneath you.