Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Conditions in late October

I am new to this great board and would like to give a big thumbs up for the guys from the Whitney Portal Store who maintain this board.
I am planning on climbing Whitney later this month and was wondering if some of the locals could give me an idea what to expect and what the best routes are? Any input is greatly appreciated.

There is only main route to Whitney and you need a permit to hike the trail. I think you need to do some research before you attempt this. the weather in October can be volatile and tricky. I summited last year, Octobter 22 (a mild year) and it was 19 degrees at the summit with 50 MPH gusts.

Alpinestyle, are you experienced at 12-14k feet and Winter-like conditions? If not, I agree with the previous post--know what you're getting into. In the peak season (June-September) Whitney is not particularly difficult or dangerous, but out of season it can certainly be deadly! If you're lucky and get good weather, October sounds like a nice time to hike. In spite of the altitude, during June and July I find myself sweating and overheating much more than enjoying the chill of the cool mountain air!

There is a choice of trails, the most popular by far being the Whitney Trail. I suggest getting your hands on one or more of the good Whitney trail guides on the market and read them thoroughly. Lots of good info in them, as there are in the many great trip reports you can find on the web.

Our group is experienced with crampons, ice axe and rope travel and we usually ascent mountains the mountaineering way (ice & snow). We actually had 15 degrees and 60 mph on Mount Shasta a few weeks ago (north side).
We are actually planning on doing a winter expedition up Rainier this winter (that one guided though!).
Yes, I have several 14ers under my cap and most of them technically more challenging than Whitney.

Are camping permits still required and if yes, can they still be obtained? I read that the camping permits for the higher mountain are given out in a lottery in February for the entire year?? In snow and ice conditions, a day hike would be pushing our luck.
Thanks for the tips;)

Alpinestyle:

Suggest that you think about climbing Whitney via the Mountaineers Route. It is somewhat more technical, less crowded and more interesting, in my view, than the main trail. In order to climb it, you do not need a permit for a one-day climb, but do need one if you plan to bivvy on the mountain. You can do a very Shasta-like climb by climbing to either Lower (~10,500') or Upper (~11,500') Boy Scout Lake to bivvy, then do the summit the next day from there. There are only a couple of sections where you may need an ice ax and crampons this time of year. There are also a couple of short and one long section of class 3 (some say class 4) climbing. If you do a search on this board for Mountaineers Route, you will find good route descriptions and pictures.

Agreed--with your experiernce the Mountaineer's Route will be much more satisfying an experience.

If you're doing the MR you won't need ice axe and crampons this year. I was up there last weekend. Nice weather, still reasonably warm, though cool enough not to get overheated on the approach. Could snow, of course...

Thank you guys for all the great info. I look forward to the trip and will keep you posted. Mountaineers Route sounds like our kind of route.