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Whitney Day Trip 5/25 Report
#36775 05/26/14 04:26 PM
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Whalen Offline OP
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I'm writing this report to pay it forward to the other people that have posted their updates on this site. Thanks for your tips!!

In summary 6 of us started from the Whitney Portal on 5/25 at 3:30 AM and made it back to the Portal by 8:30PM. We took 4 considerable breaks which totaled 2hrs. None of us had ever attempted a 1 day summit from the Portal, but because of others trip reports we were more or less prepared for the conditions that lay ahead. I will also say that all 6 of us are in excellent athletic shape often competing in Ironman, Ultra Marathons, and overnight Endurance Challenges. I say this because we did see some less than prepared people attempting the summit, and In my opinion that's plain stupid. Altitude aside, this is a difficult hike with many potential hazards especially with the snow coverage.

Trail conditions:
Snow from Trail Camp up to Trail crest, We went up the Chute, and I would HIGHLY suggest having Crampons/Ice Ax or at the VERY LEAST Micro Spikes and Treking Poles. I didn't see anyone taking the Switchbacks but I did hear of a couple people doing it and they said it was very sketchy because they had to go outside the railings and the snow was very deep in some spots. You also have to be smart about when you attempt the chute, too early and you're climbing Icy area and too late and your knee deep in slush, we went up around 8:30-9 and were good.

Snow from Trail Crest to Summit: We all kept our Crampons/Micro Spikes on till the last few hundred yards of the summit and I would suggest others do the same. Depending on the time you make the 2 mile trek you will be hiking over snow and Ice for about 70% of the trail. In my opinion it's better to be safe than sorry and there are some sketchy snow crossings with "life changing" drop offs to your left should you slip for not having Crampons/Micro Spikes on. 4 of us made the summit by 12:30 and 2 had to turn back because of lack of water and Altitude. Moral of the story here - have a plan to acquire water after Trail camp.

Glissade down the Chute was probably one of the funnest things I have EVER done. Here are my tips on that to avoid disaster.
1.Take OFF your Crampons/Micro Spikes before starting your Glissade. Don't even think of Glissading with Crampons on.
2. Wear Waterproof Pants or Snow Pants
3. Hold your Ice Ax in between your Ribs and Bicep and use the bottom as a rudder to break and steer yourself. You will basically be putting all your weight into the bottom of your Ice Ax, make sure the long point of your ice ax is pointing away from your body for obvious reasons.
4.Have fun! What took 1.5hrs to ascend can take 2 minutes to decend depending on how fast you want to go!!

Once you get back to Trail Camp it's a long 6 miles back down to the Portal, but you just put one foot in front of the other and relish that awesome Summit assent and Glissade down the Chute.

FInal thoughts This was an unbelievable hike especially going the route of the Chute. It switched things up from your typical day hike! The key point I want to get across is know what your getting into. I saw a fair amount of people who were visibly unprepared i.e Small Napsack, Tennis shoes, and a Crystal Geyser bottle. Maybe you could go this light in the middle of the summer but not when snow level is where its at. Be smart, its your life and potentially others lives at stake!!

I hope this helps others when planning their hikes in the next week or so. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, or don't agree with what I've said.

Matt

Re: Whitney Day Trip 5/25 Report
Whalen #36776 05/26/14 04:51 PM
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Thanks very much for the information Matt. The chute is the area that I think will provide the greatest challenge. I will have crampons and trekking poles and I understand that I should climb in the mid-morning and descend in the early afternoon. Is there any advice you would give about climbing/descending this section that you wish you had known before? Thanks!

Re: Whitney Day Trip 5/25 Report
Nick #36778 05/26/14 05:10 PM
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Whalen Offline OP
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Climbing the chute really isn't that hard its just strenuous, make sure you have nutrition at arms reach because It will take you 1-2 hrs to get up and its not like you can just pop your pack off and pull out a sandwich, your at a 50 degree angle!

At the end of the Chute climb you will see peoples tracks veer off to the right around some rocks essentially shortening your trip up the entire chute, this is the way we went along with every one else we saw going up and down. The last 10-15 yards can be tricky/sketchy especially if the snow has softened up. Be careful in that area it was probably my scariest part of the climb up as well as down.

Make sure you have a plan for water after Trail Camp, i.e boil snow, I didn't see much running water up top, others may know more than me though.

Re: Whitney Day Trip 5/25 Report
Whalen #36779 05/26/14 05:21 PM
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Thank you very much for the trip report. My trip is coming up soon and I appreciate any reports! Did you happen to snap any pictures of the chute and/or switchbacks?
Thanks!

Re: Whitney Day Trip 5/25 Report
Whalen #36801 05/27/14 03:55 PM
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Matt thank you a lot for posting this detailed trail review. We'll try it on June 1st.


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