Mt Whitney Zone Forums Active Threads

I have to admit, my crampons have indeed come loose from the New Balance hiking boots, several times. But I found that tightening the straps extremely tight was what I needed to do.

I have used my Ursack with aluminum liner at Trail Camp. I tied it closed tightly, and then put a heavy flat rock on top of it. That worked to keep the critters away. Funny thing, though: A marmot tried to tunnel underneath it to get inside. But the critter failed.

Going to Summit June 9 and will head up at 2:00 am. Traveling solo and would love to connect with mid to moderately advanced hiker. I did JMT solo several years ago. I’m 56 year old guy in pretty good shape.

Um, Frank, it's called a "chute" due to the shape of the topological feature. "Shoot" is what you do with a gun or bow. But you're far from the only one who misuses the word when talking about that feature on this board.

I believe I was referring to the shoot to the right of the switchbacks.

My dad and I have a day hike for the 27th as well!! Have fun out there and be safe! Maybe we’ll run into each other on the trail. I’m going into this adventure with a positive mindset but also a realistic one lol we are going to go as far as we can but likely won’t summit. We will take notes and be back next year as ready as ever!

Thank you so much NiceSummit!

Road is open; upper gate and campgrounds open today (May 25). Water is on. Portal Store to open May 26 and food service to start Saturday morning May 27.

Thank you so much for this information. Stupid of me to think merrells would be ok. I’m doing my own research right now but would love know what boots you recommend. Thank you.

Thank you so much for this is info. Not sure why I thought my merrells would work. I’m doing my own research right now but what boots would you recommend? Thank you.

Bears can easily walk off with an Ursack, even if they can’t open it. It’s best to tie it to a tree as described in the instructions. You don’t hang an Ursack from a tree. If you tie it right, mice and other small critters can’t get in.

I just talked to a ranger at the White Mountain Station. Phone number 760-873-2500. She said that the Ursack Major XL was approved for the Whitney Zone but not recommended. The reason for the non recommendation was that most of the Whitney Trail is above the treeline. The Ursack then cannot be hung from a tree and therefore marmots and other rodents as well as birds could get in through the opening which is closed by a knotted cord. It appears to me that using the double or triple overhand knot does a good job of closing the opening to the smaller critters. We are planning to use the Ursack as it saves ~ 2 lbs and is much easier to pack. We will also use Opsacks in the Ursack to hopefully eliminate odors and as someone mentioned place the Ursack away from our tent with rocks on top of it.

Any comments would be most appreciated. TIA

From my experience and other’s, the Petzl Vasak 12-Point Mountaineering crampons are the best, and slightly superior to Black Diamond’s. They are on sale at backcountry.com right now.


https://www.backcountry.com/petzl-vasak-fl-mountaineering-crampon

Permits and campground reservations in-hand for mid-July. Can anyone tell me the current status of Whitney Portal Road and the campground? I hear it is closed - hope it opens by July. Thanks!

On easy terrain, where I barely need crampons, I occasionally use Oboz Bridger Mid Waterproof hiking boots with Black Diamond Contact Strap crampons. I use stiffer and heavier boots for Mt. Whitney (any route) if there is snow. BFR is right. Merrells won’t cut it. It is too easy to step out of the crampons on steep terrain with soft boots. BTW, the BD crampons are on sale at REI until May 29.

The couloir (chute) on the Mountaineers’ Route is harder than the “chute” bypassing the switchbacks on the main trail. And the “Final 400” on the Mountaineers’ Route is harder than the chutes.

My Moabs are too soft. I once made the mistake of trying to use crampons with them, and they felt super squishy. Wouldn't recommend. Although on Whitney, the route will be staircased anyway...

I have always used hiking boots (New Balance) with crampons. I think the sturdier Merrells should be ok.

Thanks for the info. I'm looking to go up the Chute this Thursday. I've done the MR in snow before. How would you compare the climb on the chute to MR? Thanks for any info, and congrats on the summit!

Nothing wrong with heading out with little experience as long as you are willing to call it a day and turn around when you reach the point where you should. The first time I did Whitney in an unexpectedly heavy snow year with no experience in that sort of thing, my attitude was "let just go and see how far we can get", with little expectation of making the summit. (We did not that year, but got farther that I would have thought)

Notes:

It's 80% dry from Trail Crest to last 400ft. Maybe 3-4 very short "sketchy" sections with decent boot tracks. Late morning and early afternoon wasn't really icy, so I didn't bother to use crampons.

Last 400ft would be pretty dangerous without crampons. Hard and icy snow.

I saw 4 PCT hikers who ascended from the West Side. They said it's ok, some icy sections, but nothing really bad.

The worst part was from Trail Camp to Trail Crest. First, post holing to the bottom of the chute, then very hard snow, so no step kicking. Later, it gets a bit better, but it's a mix of everything including knees deep snow just before Trail Crest. I left a nice boot track from step plunging on my way down.

Right now the "old trail" behind the store is much more nicer/safer. I took it down on Sunday evening because I didn't feel like trying to cross the raging creek. It's in better condition than the regular trail covered in avalanche debris.

I don't want to single anyone out so I am rather just going to post this here. I have seen numerous postings in the last week or two from folks who are asking questions that are making me concerned that there are going to be a lot of bad accidents and disappointments this year. It may make sense to post a 2023 summer season FAQ in an effort to properly set expectations of what folks are getting themselves into.

Merrells have soft soles and are not appropriate for crampons.

[b][/b]I’m going to attempt Mt Whitney in a day June 27th. What are the best crampons to buy for the hike? I will be wearing my Merrells. Please post links. Thank you!

Wow!!! What beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing them.

Congratulations on making the summit.