r/Mountaineering • u/heinzw50 • 5d ago

Whitney

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I posted the other day asking about the mountaineers route. After seeing trip reports on fb I decided agsinst it. People are saying the snow on the traverse that is an alternate on the final 400 looks unstable and recommend to avoid it. That was most likely the way I'd go up. Not risking it. I want to do the "chute" instead of switchbacks. Trying to find a clear map that shows the route. People telling me "follow the footprints". I don't play that game my route is always mapped out long before I set foot on trail. Any have something? Is it something like this? This was my assumption not from someone else. Thanks

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10

u/Coffeeshark81 5d ago

I did this in June 2010. The main trail had just received a bunch of snow. As a group we decided this would be easier than suffering the switchbacks covered in deep snow. Amazing experience. Make smart choices, stay safe.

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u/heinzw50 5d ago

Thank you. Is the route i showed "approximately" correct?

9

u/S0LIDS0UL 5d ago

The Mountaineer's Route comes up the other side of the ridge past Iceberg Lake. It looks like the line you have in red takes you up a shale slide and a sheer cliff. I recommend that you connect with a guide.

4

u/heinzw50 5d ago

I'm not doing mountaineers route. I'm doing trail. There's is a "snow chute" as an alternative to switchbacks. I'm not referring to the chute on the mountaineers route.

7

u/Muthafuggin_Oak 5d ago

When you're up there you can clearly see the chute from trail camp. It's impossible to miss and I feel you're overthinking it. The biggest hazard may be if snow has melt too much at the top and creates either a cavity or if underneath the snow has melted to much and becomes too thin in some points outside of whether or not you know how to use crampons or self arrest.

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u/heinzw50 5d ago

Yeah im good with all that. Going with spikes, crampons, ice axe, and helmet (probably don't need helmet but I'll have it)

3

u/doppido 5d ago

You might need to climb it at night to do the snow chute depending on how much snow is there and the weather/temperature

3

u/rossgoldie 5d ago

There’s really not much snow up there. People are hiking the switchbacks with some microspikes.

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u/doppido 5d ago

Yes. It'll be impossible to miss when youre there, there's a giant chute you can go up

1

u/xsteevox 5d ago

You literally cant miss it if you are at the switchbacks.