Climbing & Skiing Mt. Whitney in a Record Snow Year
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- Jimmy and his friend attempt to reach the highest summit in the lower 48 states after a winter of record snowfall. They will need to climb 8000' over 2 days via the Mountaineer's Route. To add to the difficulty, they plan to do this with skis on their back.
Trip Details
Dates: April 28-29, 2023
Area: Mt. Whitney, Inyo National Forest
Route: Mountaineer's Route
Mt Whitney Gear List: bit.ly/42w8Z09
The last 400 feet in 15 minutes…at 14,000’? Damn! You guys are in amazing shape! Very inspiring! I love your videos!
Thank you! It helped knowing that it was the last bit of uphill of the entire trip!
The last 400 feet is close to bouldering.
Getting to the ridge is the hardest part of the Whitney climb. Once you're over, it's pretty much easier.
doing this in 3 weeks. I do have tele skis and skins, but the excursion group hasn't said that we'll need those. Also, going down is the worst for me, when my achilles/calves seem to have issues@@HikingNerd
What’s your VO2?
Took me way longer to do the final 400feet on the main trail. You are in phenomenal shape!
Awesome gear list / logistics !!
Thanks! I had hoped it would be useful to some
Absolutely mind blowing!!!!!
Thank you for filming and sharing. Nice to see what it looks like after the record snow season.
I saw you in the couloir!
I saw myself on your video! Way to drop off the summit 💪
Nice adventure, greetings from Chile 🇨🇱 🙌🏻
Beast mode was activated for this one!!
💪
Got to give it to you, man. I would never, in a million years have any desire to do that. Keep it up!
Just incredible!!
Wow u guys are amazing!!!! So beautiful out there 🤩👏🏼
Excellent !!!!!
We went up there in Jan when there was still huge amounts of pow. The problem then was that even getting to the trailhead was a slog, much less getting to the summit. As the snow compacts and goes through freeze-melt, it becomes much easier to climb up. And as you said, skiing down becomes less fun now. Great to see this more doable now in May 2023.
Congratulations on the adventure and spectacular scenery 👍💪
Nice video. Thx.
Nice work!
Another great video, Jimmy. Congratulations on the summit. Those skiing shots were amazing, you did great effort filming, I know it’s now easy. And thanks for the infos in this video, we could use some of them definitely. 👍
Thank you, Robert. Glad you enjoyed it, are you thinking of doing more mountaineering?
@@HikingNerd
Actually, we have a May 20-21 permit for four. But we are not planning to summit, just to camp and enjoy the view. It’s pretty amazing how much snow we had this season.
It’s truly amazing. Have the best time!
@@HikingNerd
Thank you!👍
Well done. Studs all the way
You guys should consider the Tahoe Rim Trail this year! 🙌🏻
Love your videos and adventure! First commenter!
that snow looked deep!
I drew a permit this year but after seeing this, 2024!
Could you please do an update video for the Durston Kakwa 40? Now that you've had more use with it and even maybe even try seal sealing it to make it waterproof? That would be a first for the Kaakwa backpack here on YT.
You guys are nuts, skiing down Mt. Whitney. What an adventure.
16:11
You skied through out camp at Upper Boy Scout Lake. I am standing next to the orange tent. Great day. Tons of snow. Congratulations on your summit. We summited at 07:30 am. Walked back out, got to our cars.
April 29th, 2023
Congrats to you too! We must’ve crossed paths in the couloir as well.
While I love the outdoors, hiking, backpacking, mountain views...I can admit that this is a bit beyond my skillset and comfort zone. What an adventure!
you will be surprised!!! you can make it!!
i did it last week, first time backpacking, first time in the snow! we couldnt make it to the top, our backpacks were to heavy 😅😅😅😅 but at least we were there, best experienced ever
Never seen sow many people on the mountaineers route before 😮not even in the summer!
Great video and adventure! Nice!
Thanks! People don’t typically do the Mountaineer’s Route in the summer because at that point an established trail is usually easier. I was surprised by the number of skiers out, but on the other hand I do know a lot more people got into backcountry skiing during the pandemic.
Seriously I only see 2 or 3 ppl everytime I there.
Do you have your AllTrails or Strava track available? I won a day permit for May 25th. I'm all for making an alpine start, but it seems like too much for a day push given the conditions.
You guys did a great job! Congrats and thanks for the great video! (I'm Toby)
Watch ran out of battery unfortunately so I only have some segments. I think there are a ton of GPX files available though for the Mountaineer’s Route, or worst case you can just find a Caltopo map of the route and export to GPX
@@HikingNerd Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I've got tracks, I was more curious about your pace. Again, you guys crushed it!
JOHN MUIR pioneered this route for all the rest of us!!!
Did Whitney Mountaineers May 2022 on a day hike. Fell down like 50 Ft of the gulch before I self arrested to a stop. My bleeding leg and inability to bend it made for a long 7 hour hike back to the ole car. Ended up taking 23.5 hours total on the hike (my friend did take two 1 hr naps tho during the day) 😂 it was so weird watching you climb it during the day that first day, bc I’ve never seen Whitney during sunlight from the bottom. Climbed it three times now and always get in around 1am and out around 11pm. 😂 video quality was super good, and seeing just how far up some of those slopes were- it really had me questioning how I ever did it. The darkness def helps 😂
Glad your ok
Awesome! What a great video production.
Thank you for posting your extensive gear list!!!
Wow! Unbelievable stuff. We have a permit for the main trail next weekend but are wondering if it’ll be a safe go out. Do you have any insight on trail conditions for main route? Any tips? Would love to know given you guys were just up there 👌
Check out the Mt Whitney Facebook forum for the latest!
Oh definitely! Been devouring the forums :) but thought I’d ask you straight from the source!! 😁
That dudes huge pack you pointed out hilarious ha ha
Very nice work guys! (Tip @6:37 don't leave your skins exposed to the sun like that, your glue will melt and become one with the ski.)
Awesome ascent. Can I ask what pack you're using?
Thanks! It’s the Kakwa 40
Wow! Great job on the summit Jimmy! This was one heck of an adventure!!
Thank you, Jason! I’ll take this over your rattlesnake strike any day haha
@@HikingNerd hahaha my heart is still pumping!
You are out of your mind 😮
I have to give you a shoot-out for recording and putting everything together in the video, sharing so much information with others! Job well done! I did that with my splitboard several years ago but didn't make it to the summit, and have been thinking about doing it again.
Dude! You were a badass before I saw this video. Tremendously great work. What a camera. Trail walking in ski boots....unreal. Go man
Awesome ...great job and thanks for sharing.its been awhile havent seen any of your utube.
Hey man nice job!I own the store at the trailhead.Its melting fast i can't believe how many trees got taken out.Its still 20 feet deep a couple mins up the trail probably 200 feet wide.We got the creek back in the creek bed no mor river down the road.Thanx for the video.
Thanks Doug! Saw your posts in the Whitney Zone and Facebook forums, thanks for helping out the community with your beta!
Climbing snowy mountains is an extreme sport
You should not have your shovel or any other avy rescue gear on the outside of your pack!
Suffere-fest for sure. Really strong work.
Outstanding Video! One of the best I have ever seen!
so basically you can avoid E ledge in winter? i really wanted to hike this moutaineer route but turned back at E ledge. That was way too exposed for me.
Depends on how much snow fell during the winter, but this year the willows are fully covered!
@@HikingNerd thanks! maybe i will check it out next week.
Great video and dam this makes me wish I made the trip down there this year. Last years ski descent was vastly different
Thanks man! One of the lowest snow years followed by one of the highest.. if anything, it means we get to have fun playing in the same playgrounds because conditions are ever evolving.
Are you using an amazon prime shipping bag as a pot cozy? Or does it serve some other purpose?
It’s my crampon bag!
Seriously impressive effort gents! Well done!
I really enjoyed watching your adventure to Mt Whitney. That dinner afterwards looked amazing.
Thanks! If you’re ever driving through on the 395, Copper Top BBQ is absolutely delicious and has vacuum sealed items available for easy transport and takeout
Did it look they were attempting to clear the rockfall? Wonder if they might just keep the road closed this season
It was almost entirely clear on our way out. Last I hear, they’re looking to open the Whitney Portal Campground on May 26 so it’ll definitely open this season.
@@HikingNerd Thanks for the response... Good to know. Did you acclimatize somehwere else before?
We stopped by South Lake Tahoe to break up the drive but the low elevation and short duration likely wasn’t enough to do anything for acclimatization. So in short: no.
@@HikingNerd Your awesome Cheers!
wow, sick climb. great video!
It looks so cool with all the snow! And skiing down must have been so much fun!
Skiing was definitely better than walking down!
Nice work! I used to do Whitney by the mountaneer's route pretty regularly in fall - usually car-to-car in one push. Was this on a wknd? Seemed like way more people than I would expect to see going up that route (or was it weather + huge snow year?). Skiing from summit to notch is no-joke - a good friend summited via the mtn'rs route, met a guy resting in the notch & was the last person to talk to the guy who probably slipped on ice in the final 400 & fell off the cliff below. I never minded snowboarding steeps, but not above must-not-fall death consequences.
This was a weekend and the busy-ness was probably the confluence of: huge snow year, warmer weather, and final weekend before permit quotas went into effect. Yep a fall on the final 400 would be absolutely disastrous.. I’m not confident enough in my steep skiing to have done it this time. It’s “do or do not, there is no try.”
The cart is awesome! So smart!
love it, thanks for the video
Dang, ski conditions looked pretty janky the entire way. Yeah skiing old avy flow is choppy and not fun. Were there other sections not leading up to the peak which looked better for skiing? Trying to decide to hit whitney in next couple weeks or go elsewhere…
There are probably better places, as on Whitney you would have to hike part of the closed road, hike up some of the now melted trail, then get through the debris before LBS where you’ll then be able to find some better snow… maybe.
@@HikingNerd right on… still in awe of how u just pounded the last 400ft in 15 min, that was epic. I gotta get in better shape!
I love it! Great job fellas! How nice is it to not have to hike all the way back down??
It’s the whole reason I bothered to learn to ski as an adult in the first place! Worth it!
Nice video! You made it look easy! Any idea if people were coming up the standard route (11 mile) to the summit? A group of us might attempt that way in a few weeks.
Thanks! There isn’t a good reason right now to do the Main Trail given the snow coverage (no one is doing it), but in a few weeks there may be some more advantages than there are now. Still, it’s a lot more distance than the MR and either way it’s going to take mountaineering skills once you get to ~12,500’.
Wait a little longer than a few weeks or the meadow is going to be a mud bog.
Give it time to drain..
Wow. Great job guys!
Great adventure men.
Your shovel has cutouts… huh
Dang your skiing has come a long way in a couple years. Impressive! Watching your winter videos really makes me want to ditch the splitboard and learn to ski
Thank you! If weight is a concern, that could be one reason for skis (AFAIK there just aren’t that many ultralight splitboards). I started out snowboarding many years ago but never got super comfortable, and I built way more confidence on skis after just a day or two at the resort. But I was never very good on any type of board…
@@HikingNerd I love snowboarding, but skis just seem like a way more efficient method of travel in the backcountry with all the transitions and flats you encounter. Plus learning something new is always fun. Keep up the awesome videos!
Well done!
Nicely done!
You two are absolutely amazing!
Thanks Steve!
You are nuts!
Whitney?
🫡
Random ask… if you plan on going back up. I’d love to join
My plan was to glissade down the 400'. Why were people downclimbing?
Final 400’ is north facing and doesn’t always get enough sun to soften up. It was pretty firm that weekend, so glissading would seem unnecessarily risky because if you aren’t able to arrest you’ll certainly crumple into the rocks below. Walking down in the boot pack was the least risky way to make it down.
Hike up and down next as i did
You’ll find that in the Whitney video I posted on my channel 5 years ago!
Jimmy, what about the permits? Didn’t you need one?
We got permits and printed them. The permit quota starts May 1 so this was the last weekend where there was no limit on number of permits issued.
@@HikingNerd oh yes, of course. Thank you Jimmy!
Why is this guy wearing a mask?
Helps me avoid the google tan. Sunscreen just doesn’t do enough for me.
@@HikingNerd hmm. Very sus. I see a lot of people from certain areas wearing masks while hiking alone.
Why do you care what other people wear?
@@mischatf I worry about their safety
@@HikingNerd Oooh, that's a pro tip!
that road walk sucks..
Luckily it’s not as bad anymore..!
Exellent video 🤘. Got a last min permit for Next Thursday Mountaineers R. Pretty exited for my 4th time