Summitted Mount Whitney yesterday via Mountaineers Route. It was a big day - started from Whitney Portal at 4:15am, summit at 2:30pm, back at the car at 7:35pm.
While weather forecasts initially looked OK they kept worsening in the 24 hours prior to our climb. We were not disappointed - 55mph gusts, snowed all day sometimes heavily. Visibility was very marginal making route-finding challenging at times.
E-ledges were dusted in snow in the am, but had melted out by the afternoon. Hike up to iceberg was very pleasant - hiking on mostly consolidated snow as of Lower Boy Scout Lake.
Things got more challenging going up the chute above Iceberg with winds dumping large quantities of fluffy snow into the gully. The top half of the chute had powder sometimes up to our waists - felt more like swimming than hiking at times...
We went straight up the section above the notch which required mixed climbing skills using technical ice tools, climbing on snow covered rock. As we didn't have goggles, and glacier glasses iced up within 60 seconds, this felt pretty epic with ice pellets hitting our eyes consistently at high speeds - ever tried climbing snow-covered slabs with your eyes closed?
Spent 15 minutes at the summit hut melting some snow on the stove to warm up after what felt like full on winter mountaineering conditions.
Getting back down to the notch was again challenging wIth the blinding winds and heavy snowfall. Wish we had brought a rope as some basic protection would certainly have made this section less intense. Descent was straightforward once past the notch - actually quite pleasant in the fluffy snow! Easy descent from iceberg with snow almost all the way to e-ledges.
Yesterday was a good reminder of how serious the MR can be when weather does not cooperate. We believe we were the only party to summit in the 36 hours prior. Saw several parties turn around mid-way up the chute.
