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WallMan
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Topic Author's Original Post - Aug 2, 2017 - 12:27pm PT
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Our plans are to climb the East Buttress of Whitney next week. Are crampons and or ice axe required for the approach, or for the Mountaineer's Route descent? Is it reasonable to avoid snow by down climbing on rock?
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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I'm planning on doing the East Buttress next week with my son. It will be his 1st time up Whitney. We are planning on a long day car to car and I'll play it by ear as far as conditions go but am planning on coming down the Mountaineers route. Over on WhitneyZone.com there was a recent TR of a guy who went up the MR and it looked pretty doable in approach shoes. I think the snow will be pretty soft by late afternoon and if it's too cold and firm we will hike down the trail. I don't want to carry an ice axe or crampons for a few hundred feet of snow.
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Here is a link to a recent TR. http://www.whitneyzone.com/wz/ubbthreads.php/topics/51298/MR_7/30/2017#Post51298
The mountaineer route descent is shorter but IMO is a pain in the butt, loose rocks and killer on my old knees. Maybe with some snow it will be a little easier. I'm bringing some collapsable trekking poles and might use those as a self arrest and glissade the snow if it's soft enough. The most dangerous part is the section right off the summit on the north face, it can get icy but the temps have been high and doubt ice will be an issue. I'll play it by ear and might take the trail. Ive climbed either the EF or EB routes 12 times over the past 30 years and sometimes take the trail down and sometimes the MR down, just depends how I'm feeling.
Bring a light rack, a few cams and a few nuts is all you need, the climbing is pretty mellow. Have fun and maybe I'll see ya up there. I'm trying to get a day permit for the 10th.
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Radish
Trad climber
SeKi, California
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I think the issues this week and next is all the Monsoonal Moisture that's streaming into the Southern Sierra. We're covered in clouds here in Seki and its rained already. Lightning and lots!! Check the weather and the webcam before you go!
http://www.whitneyzone.com/webcam/whitney.jpg
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Batrock
Trad climber
Burbank
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Thats my concern also. I'll be mountain biking in Mammoth Sunday through Wednesday next week and keep an eye on the weather. It's supposed to dry up a bit over the 10 forecast at least in Southern Cal. Hoping the Southern Sierra dries up a bit too over that period.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Yesterday I found very hard snow at only 10,000' hiking to Kearsarge Pass. I would knott do the Mountaineer's without cramps and ice axe. But, FYI, I've been called a woos before. I'm also still here.
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WallMan
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 2, 2017 - 03:50pm PT
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts Batrock and Radish. We will be camped at Iceberg Lake, so pretty much the only reasonable option down is the Mountaineer's Route.
Anyone else out there been on this route with snow - how reasonable to descend? We are hoping to link up Whitney early morning and then head over and climb a Russell route in the afternoon. So heading down the Mountaineer's Route perhaps 11 am or so. Can we reasonably avoid the snow/ice if it is too hard to safely descend?
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rwedgee
Ice climber
CA
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Bring some water shoes or flip flops as you will get wet crossing the stream both before and after the E ledges, and the slabs below UBS Lake, treking poles helps but I hate carrying them. Sun cups at Iceberg and MR chute descent are huge and a pain to walk on but not icy, it's warm up there now. The N chute off the top is clear to down climb the climbers right side the cross at the base into the MR chute. Lightening storms every day, I would try to be off by noon so get a really early start if going CTC. Storms coming from South and west are on you before you can see them.
PS....yer gunna die !
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| Messages 1 - 9 of total 9 in this topic |
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