Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Mt Whitney in Winter Conditions: a warning

Yes, even though it is half-way through the month of May (Spring is it?) the conditions on Mt Whitney are still very much like winter. A climb/hike of Whitney just now is a very serious undertaking. Here is a quote from an article by Bob Rockwell, former SAR team member, and perhaps one the most experienced Mt Whitney climbers:

" cannot say it more clearly than this: The MR in winter is a prime example of something that only experienced mountaineers, who are skilled in technical winter mountaineering, should undertake. You need both the background to know what to do and how to do it, and the breadth and depth of experience with ice ax, crampons, and snow and ice rope work, to be able to do it safely. You must have practiced self-arrests repetitively, and you need to have the maturity, wisdom, and foresight to back off or change your plan if the conditions or weather dictate. Most often the situation is not this severe, but you always need to be ready for it. Climbing the MR in summer will not prepare you, nor will winter hiking with the occasional use of crampons and ice ax under benign conditions. "

If you are reading this, and are contemplating climbing Whitney in current conditions, you need to ask yourself if you really understand how serious this is, and if you take seriously the warnings of Mr. Rockwell and countless others. If you chose to ignore the sound advice of experts and decide to proceed with your climb, regardless of being inexperienced, then you might just be proving a point: Darwin was right.