I have heard that this is an unusually low snow year, but does anyone have predictions for the snow level on Mount Whitney around May 25th, 2021 and what that will mean for trail conditions? Two of my friends and I submitted lottery requests for late June through July but did not land any. Instead, we secured an unused permit for May 25th, the latest available date. However, we are really concerned about snow and safety since this will be our first Mount Whitney attempt and none of us have any winter mountaineering experience. Any chance the switchbacks will be open by May 25th given the lower snowfall this year? I'm guessing that this is too optimistic and that we would probably have to take the chute, but I'm not sure how much snow is "too much." If the chute would likely be our only option, we may try to see if later dates open up on May 1st to give us better odds of safely summitting. Any input on trail conditions and the safety of using the chute as a beginner would be greatly appreciated.
