Mt. Whitney Mountaineers Route - June 5th 2025

Mountaineer’s Route Trip Report
June 5, 2025 | One-day push | Team of 4

Started from Whitney Portal at midnight (12:00 AM). The North Fork Lone Pine Creek crossing was easy and Ebersbacher Ledges were dry and easy. Patchy snow started appearing between Lower and Upper Boy Scout Lakes, around 10,800 ft. Trailfinding became increasingly difficult due to snow cover - we alternated between trail runners and microspikes.
From Upper Boy Scout Lake to Iceberg Lake, the terrain was a mix of boulder-hopping, snowfields, and some lingering ice. There was a bit of ice near the top of the climb before reaching Iceberg Lake (~12,600 ft), which was still frozen. We arrived by early morning, took a short nap, and geared up.

The Chute:
Started climbing around 7:00 AM.
Lower 2/3: Soft, but still supportive snow - perfect for step-kicking.
Upper 1/3: Mostly dry scree and low class scrambling.
No ice in the morning. Route felt solid and safe.
Used crampons, mountaineering boots, helmets, and ice axes throughout.
Took a good rest at the Notch (~14,100 ft) before the final push.

Final 400:
The snow on the "easy traverse" looked unstable - soft and steep, so we opted for the direct line straight up.
Started Class 3-4 scrambling folowing the summit wall, some in crampons some in microspikes.
Some black ice on shaded rock, but we found manageable paths around it.
Midway up, we encountered a firm snowfield with an ice layer underneath and switched to crampons, ice axe + ice tool (2nd tool is not nessosary but for extra safety and comfort).
Ropeing up would be a good option.
One part of the team continued scrambling on rock and mostly avoided the snow.
Summited at 11:20 AM under light clouds, no wind. Epic conditions.

Descent via Standard Route:
Left the summit around 12:00 PM. Weather turned quickly - clouds, wind, and light snow hit as we approached Trail Crest (13,600 ft).
The switchbacks were partially buried, so we dropped a chute instead. Afternoon snow was soft and safe for glissading, but would be dangerous if firm.
Lower down, we encountered wet snow turning to rain. The trail turned into a flowing creek in most sections.
Back at Whitney Portal by 8:00 PM, soaked but safe.