Thanks everyone for these updates, they're incredibly helpful in planning! My boyfriend and I plan to hike Whitney, via the main whitney trail, this coming weekend, forcasts show showers all week, but clear and sunny both saturday and sunday. From the video it looks like mostly loosely packed snow. I was wondering if anyone felt the need to put on crampons or even bring them? We're both pretty avid summer hikers, but winter hiking is new to us, and we want to be prepared for whatever comes. we had planned on renting plastic boots and crampons, but since the dry winter would we be okay with hiking boots (with gaiters), poles, and an ice axe? thanks again for these posts!!
Myself and a couple of friends are headed up this weekend as well although we wont get started until Sunday early. Good advice has already been given and we will all have axe/crampons as suggested. In my experience it may not be necessary to go up with crampons but you sure will want them when headed down. This happened once to me in Canada (Garibaldi)- cruising on the way up and super sketchy on the way down. Never really liked looking down a 40 wet slope to a 700+ drop off. I've never left without them if there was even the slightest possibility since. We will overnight at trail camp and summit Monday if the weather holds. Good luck and lets hope the mountain gods are good to us!
