First, thank you all for taking your time to share Whitney’s experiences and offer suggestions! Particularly, I want to thank Matchoow and Yueming for the recent updates. We are going to climb Whitney on July, 6 so any information is greatly appreciated.
I know majority of hikers climb the chute, avoiding the snowy switchbacks, but I came across the following details from the Whitney Portal Store Message Board:
Posted by jshuttle5 on June 30, 2017
“…if climbing the very* steep and challenging chute is not what you want to do, then you will be out of climbing options and out of luck. However, if you are able to identify the general route of the switchbacks, then you will be able to pull off something cool. The beginning of the switchbacks is covered in snow. The only track in the snow goes straight to the switchbacks, turning slightly to the right. However, if you merely go straight to the rock field in front of you, you will find that the upper portion of the switchbacks (which, like all of the prior route) are free of snow. The switchbacks are easy going, and aside from a difficult stretch near the cables and a few snow patches that may require some careful navigation, the switchbacks are alive and well, hiding in plain sight”.
Posted by Jim F on July 1, 2017
” Yesterday I saw several people on the switch backs at one time or another. As I enjoyed a snack at Trail Crest, several hikers descended from Discovery Pinnacle. I asked if they had just come up from the Crabtree Lakes drainage. No, they said they had just come up the switch backs. They were on the switch backs for much of their ascent, but did some scrambling when they lost the trail or snow/ice was a problem”.
If someone attempted the switchbacks recently, please, post what you think! We are going to try the switchbacks and see what happens! Thanks again for sharing your experiences.
