Originally Posted By: SierraNevada
WBT, as you can see from the disclaimer, I also have reservations about including YouTube. But this is the world we're living in now, so I'm going to wait for more opinions on this one. I hope others weigh in on it.


This story will give you an idea what the problem is...

3 days after an avalanche on Mt. Baldy in the January 2017 throngs went up the Ski Hut Trail with there Microjunk and trekking poles to climb up the Bowl to Mt. Baldy. There were 9 avalanche tracks in the Bowl.

The skilled people we talked to up and down before conditions worsened at the very sunny and warm day soften the snow. We watched people go through a slide path in groups of 4 to 7, where we went through one at a time. Most people had light traction devices, poles and ideas of doing the Bowl. We had decided early on the Bowl was not safe and watched more than a few people crash and burn in the Bowl.

This is what is coming to Mt. Whitney. Last season, we had someone die on the MR with light traction devices as their primary traction device and someone who went over the falls above Mirror Lake with same gear. This is primarily a SoCal playground in the spring.

I believe a youtube self arrest video encourages people like these to rent gear they have no business using. Most don't even know the primary skill they have to have is recognition, followed by self belay. I think it better just to tell these people to come back in August.