I am working of a full trip report, but here are the conditions we found on 6/3 - 6/4:
The trail was mostly clear of snow from Whitney Portal to Trail Camp. There were a few snowy/icy patches, but it easy to walk around these.
It was very warm on 6/4. When I checked the temperature @ Outpost Camp around 2:00 AM it was 40°. As a result, the snow was soft we easily hiked the bottom 1/3 of the chute with crampons and hiking poles. After that point, an ice ax is recommended/needed. I didn't check the temperature again until we were leaving the summit around 9 am. It was 50°.
There were a few snowy/icy patches between Trail Crest and the summit. They didn't bug me much on the ascent, but on the way down, when I was tired, they made me a little nervous. We ran into people convincing others in their groups that it was ok to proceed.
@ 11:00 am, the chute was very soft overall, but there were some hard icy patches. I had to self arrest twice to slow down. There is no way I could have done this with hiking poles. My 'butt-speedometer' says my speed increased by 50% or more in a matter of seconds. The snow in these sections was hard enough to rip a hole in my waterproof pants. At the bottom we were post-holing... so just because the snow is soft and slushy where you're standing, it doesn't mean that's the case for the entire chute.
We probably talked to 15-20 people between the summit and Trail Camp. We were the only ones that went up the chute, but others were talking about going down the chute with hiking poles to self-arrest. I did what I could to convince them otherwise, but I doubt they considered anything I said.
