11 months after first attempting this route, I'm back to try again! This alternative route to the main Mt. Whitney trail gains ~1000ft per mile across 6 miles. The crux of hike culminates in 400ft of Class 4/5 terrain, which was covered in an ice waterfall. September 13th, 2023.
An experienced mountaineer and ultra runner died on the "easy" walk off only two months ago. Off-duty SAR members went through the easy walk off and explained how dangerous it currently is. Nov. 1st Report:
"Last 400 had sections of thick solid ice surrounded by rock and rime ice. Did not attempt the class 4/5 section from the notch but did the traverse as it appeared to be the safest route. First section of the traverse was rime ice, extremely exposed and NOT EASILY CROSSED. This is a no fall zone!! Crampons and two ice tools are absolutely required. There is not much suitable ice or snow for screws/protection. We took photos in the couloir and the traverse where we were safe to do so. We don’t have photos of the most exposed and dangerous sections. Our group has climbed Rainier 5 times and compares the mountaineers route to be similar to the Kautz route for similar exposure. Both members of the group are also on a search and rescue team with extensive training and experience in high angle alpine situations. "
Негізгі бет Mt. Whitney | Climbing the Mountaineer's Route
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