Looking for insight on the MR and the final 400. I've done a fair amount of scrambling/hiking in my life (Mount Olympus in Greece, winter summit of Mount Wheeler, etc.), but I have a weird fear/anxiety of heights that randomly kicks in and I'm already psyching myself out on this section. We have a group of four, planning to summit via MR and descend Mt. Whitney Trail.

-Has anyone climbed the nearby Independence Peak? I've done that one and it's also class 3. Looking for a comparison.

-Is the "easy walk off" still a thing? I've heard conflicting reports that it's actually worse than the final 400. I probably wouldn't make a decision until I'm standing at the base, but want to know my options.

-Lastly, how much am I overreacting and overanalyzing this section? My mind tends to be my worst enemy.

Thank you!!

Most important question: When is your trip? That makes all the difference on the walk-off section.

July 13th

A month from now, you might well be able to pick a dry route up the Final 400.

There will be little snow on the traverse (easy walk-off). It's now, when it is all covered with snow that a slip will send you flying.

Don't psych yourself out. Conditions will be pretty good by then. If you and your friends help each other, you will be fine.

FWIW, I'm planning for a little bit earlier in July than you and I've been a little bit trepid as well regarding the "final 400" vs "easy walkoff" and even the MR couloir. So I have been searching youtube and there's actually a good sampling of people's go-pro videos for these pitches if you can stomach the insipid background music and hi-five-bro-woo!ing (LOL). With all of the fish eye lensing and frame jerkiness inherent to a helmet cam it can be difficult to get a true sense of the incline and exposure, but if you watch enough you can start to gauge how people are moving on the different terrains and get some sense of how it is. You can try searching for "mountaineers route july" or variations on that.

The Final 400 is much safer than the walk-off. In mid July the walk off will be slick and it will be very snowy.

Thanks for all your insight! I have watched quite a few videos of the final 400 and it doesn't seem too daunting although I know it probably looks a lot more vertical in person.

As of right now, I'm planning to pack just a set of crampons as a backup and a helmet. Anything else recommended?

Great video!!! My heart was racing from looking at that gnarly angle. Congrats!!!!